Transparency

Overview

Mello is committed to being transparent with how we handle your information, in full compliance with local, national, and international laws like GDPR, COPPA, FERPA, and others.

This document outlines what information we collect, why and how we collect it, where it's stored, and how it differs across user types on our platform.

User Types

Our platform serves several types of users:

Teacher: Educators using Mello in their classroom
Student: Children enrolled in classes using Mello
Parent: Parents or guardians connected to students
School Leader: School administrators and leaders
Logged-out Users: Visitors to our website not logged into an account
Outside School User: Users using Mello outside a school context

Information We Collect

Personal Information

Information Type	User Types	Collection Method	Purpose	Storage Location
First and Last Name	All users	Direct input on website/app, teacher input for students, surveys, customer service	Establishing identity within school community	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), Zendesk (US), SurveyMonkey (US)
Email Address	Teachers, Parents, School Leaders	Direct input on website/app, surveys, customer service	Account identification, communications	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), Zendesk (US), SurveyMonkey (US)
Phone Number	Teachers, Non-logged-in users	Direct input for invitations, optional in support requests	Sending SMS invitations, support contact	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), Zendesk (US), SurveyMonkey (US)
Username	Students	Direct input during registration	Account access	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), Zendesk (US)
Password	All users	Direct input during registration	Account security	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)
Age	Students	Input during account creation	COPPA compliance	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)
Gender/Title	Teachers, Parents, School Leaders	Input during account creation	Proper identification in communications	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)

School Information

Information Type	User Types	Collection Method	Purpose	Storage Location
School Name	Teachers, School Leaders	Direct input during signup	Creating connections within school community	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), SurveyMonkey (US)
School Address	Teachers, School Leaders	Direct input during signup	Ensuring users connect to correct schools	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)
School District ID	Not collected from users	Third-party service (MDR Education)	Improving school database quality	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)

Automatically Collected Information

Information Type	User Types	Collection Method	Purpose	Storage Location
Mobile Device ID	All logged-in users	Automatic collection from devices	Product improvement, diagnostics	AWS (US), Crashlytics (US)
IP Address	All users	Server requests	Service delivery, security	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), DataDog (US)
Geolocation (Precise)	Teachers, Parents, School Leaders	During account creation	School search functionality	Algolia and AWS Elastic Search (US)
Browser Details	All users	Web and mobile clients	Browser-specific optimizations	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), DataDog (US), Google Analytics (US)
Usage Data (page views, clicks, etc.)	All users	Website/app usage	Product improvement	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US), DataDog (US), Google Analytics (US)
Language Information	All users	Device settings, browser settings, user selection	Providing service in preferred language	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)

Content and Activity Data

Information Type	User Types	Collection Method	Purpose	Storage Location
Photos, Videos, Documents, Audio	All logged-in users	Product features (messaging, portfolios, etc.)	User communication, student work sharing	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)
Feedback Points	Teachers	Product feature	Student feedback	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)
Student Attendance	Teachers	Product feature	Class management	AWS (US), MongoDB Atlas (US)

Third-Party Service Providers

We share certain information with these third-party providers:

Sendgrid (US): For email communications
Zendesk (US): For customer service
SurveyMonkey (US): For surveys
DataDog (US): For monitoring and analytics
Google Analytics (US): For website analytics
Crashlytics (US): For app crash reporting
Algolia (US): For search functionality

International Transfers

Most data is transferred to and stored in the United States. For European Economic Area (EEA) users, we ensure appropriate safeguards for your data in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Legal Basis for Processing

The legal basis for processing your information under GDPR depends on the specific data and user type:

Legitimate interest and performance of contract: For most basic user data
Consent: Where specifically required by law
Processing as data processor: Where Mello acts as a processor and the school/organization is the controller

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you have rights regarding your personal data, including:

Access to your data
Correction of inaccurate data
Deletion of your data
Restriction of processing
Data portability

To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected].