Privacy Policy
Last Updated: March 15, 2025
At Secondtech Tick, we take your privacy seriously. This document explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you interact with our educational programs focused on lighting and texture design in 3D games.
We're based in Ontario and follow Canadian privacy laws, specifically the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). But beyond legal requirements, we believe in being straightforward about what happens with your data.
Information We Collect
Personal Information You Provide
When you express interest in our courses or reach out to us, we collect information you voluntarily share. This might include your name, email address, phone number, and educational background. If you enroll in one of our programs, we'll also need details about your technical setup and prior experience with 3D software.
| Information Type | Purpose | Retention Period |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Details | Communication about courses and program updates | 3 years after last contact |
| Educational Background | Course placement and curriculum customization | Duration of enrollment plus 2 years |
| Payment Information | Processing tuition and enrollment fees | 7 years per tax requirements |
| Technical Specifications | Ensuring software compatibility | Duration of enrollment only |
Automatically Collected Data
Our website collects basic technical information through standard web protocols. This includes your IP address, browser type, device information, and how you navigate through our site. We use this to improve site performance and understand which content resonates with visitors.
We don't use tracking pixels from advertising networks or social media platforms. The analytics we gather stay on our servers and help us make better decisions about course content and website functionality.
How We Use Your Information
Everything we collect serves specific purposes related to delivering quality education. Here's what actually happens with your data:
- Responding to your inquiries about lighting techniques, texture workflows, or program schedules
- Processing enrollment applications for courses starting in autumn 2025 or early 2026
- Sending course materials, project assignments, and technical resources
- Providing feedback on your work and tracking your progress through program milestones
- Maintaining records for academic purposes and institutional requirements
- Improving our curriculum based on student performance and feedback patterns
- Sending occasional updates about new courses or changes to existing programs
We never sell your information. Period. Your contact details won't end up on marketing lists, and we don't share student data with third parties for their commercial purposes.
Your Rights Under Canadian Privacy Law
PIPEDA gives you specific rights regarding your personal information. These aren't just theoretical — we actually honor these requests.
Access Your Data
You can request a copy of all personal information we hold about you. We'll provide this within 30 days in a readable format.
Correct Inaccuracies
If something in your records is wrong, let us know. We'll update it promptly and notify anyone we've shared that information with.
Withdraw Consent
You can opt out of marketing communications anytime. Just know that we still need to keep some records for legitimate business purposes.
Request Deletion
Once you're no longer enrolled and legal retention periods expire, you can request deletion of your information.
How to Exercise Your Rights
- Send an email to help@grassberg.net with "Privacy Request" in the subject line
- Include your full name and the email address associated with your account
- Specify exactly what you're requesting (access, correction, deletion, etc.)
- We'll verify your identity and respond within 30 days
- If we can't fulfill your request, we'll explain why and discuss alternatives
Data Security Measures
We protect your information through multiple layers of security. Our systems use industry-standard encryption for data transmission, and stored information is protected by access controls and regular security audits.
Only staff members who need access to perform their jobs can view personal information. This includes instructors reviewing your project work, administrative staff handling enrollment, and technical support resolving system issues.
Physical Security: Our servers are located in Canadian data centers with restricted physical access, environmental controls, and 24/7 monitoring. We don't store sensitive information on laptops or portable devices.
Network Security: Firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular vulnerability scanning protect against unauthorized access attempts.
Despite these precautions, no system is completely secure. If we experience a data breach that affects your information, we'll notify you directly and report it to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required by law.
Sharing and Disclosure
Service Providers
We work with a few carefully selected service providers who help us run our programs. This includes payment processors for tuition transactions, email hosting providers for course communications, and cloud storage for project files. These companies are bound by contractual agreements to use your information only for the specific services they provide to us.
Legal Requirements
Sometimes we're required to disclose information to comply with Canadian law, respond to valid legal processes, or protect someone's safety. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, we only share what's legally necessary.
No International Transfers
All your data stays in Canada. We deliberately chose Canadian service providers to avoid complications with cross-border data transfers and conflicting privacy laws.
Cookies and Tracking
Our website uses a minimal number of cookies — small text files stored on your device. We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and remember your preferences. We also use analytics cookies to understand how people use our site.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this might affect some website functionality. The site will still work, but you might need to re-enter information more frequently.
We don't use advertising cookies or allow third-party ad networks to track your behavior on our site. The only external cookies come from our video hosting platform when you watch tutorial content, and those are only set if you actually play a video.
Student Work and Portfolio Rights
Projects you create during our courses belong to you. We might ask permission to showcase exceptional student work in promotional materials or as examples for future classes, but this always requires your explicit consent.
If you agree to let us feature your work, you can withdraw that permission anytime. We'll remove the work from active use, though it might persist in archived versions of web pages or printed materials already distributed.
We never claim ownership of your creative output. The lighting setups, texture maps, and rendered scenes you produce are yours to use in your portfolio or future projects.
Communication Preferences
When you inquire about our programs or enroll in courses, you'll receive relevant communications from us. This includes enrollment confirmations, course schedules, assignment deadlines, and important program updates.
We also send occasional emails about new course offerings, curriculum updates, or industry developments related to game lighting and textures. These are separate from essential course communications, and you can opt out while still receiving information critical to your enrollment.
Every non-essential email includes an unsubscribe link. You can also contact us directly to adjust your communication preferences or specify which types of messages you want to receive.
Data Retention
We keep different types of information for different periods based on legal requirements and legitimate business needs.
- Financial Records: Maintained for seven years to comply with Canadian tax laws
- Academic Records: Kept for two years after program completion for reference letters and transcript requests
- Marketing Inquiries: Deleted after three years of no contact or interaction
- Course Materials: Project submissions and feedback stored for the duration of your enrollment plus one year
- Technical Logs: Website access logs retained for 90 days unless needed for security investigations
Once retention periods expire, we securely delete information through methods that prevent recovery. This includes overwriting data on storage media and ensuring backups are purged from archive systems.
Children's Privacy
Our programs are designed for adults and young adults pursuing game development skills. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 16 without parental consent.
If someone under 16 wants to enroll in our courses, we require a parent or guardian to complete the registration process and provide consent for us to collect and use the minor's information.
If we discover we've inadvertently collected information from a child under 16 without proper consent, we'll delete it immediately and contact the person who provided the information.
Changes to This Policy
We update this privacy policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we'll notify current students and recent contacts by email.
The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the most recent revision. We recommend checking this page periodically if you're concerned about how we handle your information.
Continuing to use our services after policy changes means you accept the updated terms. If you disagree with changes, contact us to discuss your options, which might include closing your account and requesting data deletion.
Questions and Complaints
If something in this policy isn't clear, or if you have concerns about how we've handled your information, we want to hear from you. Most issues can be resolved through direct conversation.
You also have the right to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe we've violated PIPEDA. However, we'd appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly first.