Privacy Policy

Effective October 26, 2026

Who we are

Algo the Turtle is a coding adventure game and book series for children, operated by Samantha Cortes ("we," "us"). This policy covers the Algo the Turtle app and the website algotheturtle.com.

Contact: hello@algotheturtle.com

Children's privacy (the app)

We designed the app to follow the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Apple's App Store rules for kids' apps.

• No personal information from children. The app does not ask children for their name, email, address, photo, voice, or location.
• Progress stays on the device. Game progress, such as which levels are complete, is saved on the device so kids can pick up where they left off. It is not sent to us.
• No advertising. The app shows no ads and has no advertising tools or trackers.
• No third-party analytics on children. We don't use services that track children's behavior or build profiles.
• No social features. Children can't chat, post, or share content with others in the app.
• Grown-ups only beyond this point. Links that leave the app, purchases, and settings are behind a parental gate that young children can't easily pass.

If we ever plan to collect personal information from children, for example for classroom accounts, we will update this policy first and get verifiable parental consent (or school authorization where the law allows it) before collecting anything.

Information from grown-ups (the website)

• Launch list. If a parent or teacher signs up on our website, we collect their email address. We use it only to send news about Algo the Turtle. You can unsubscribe or ask us to delete it anytime. The signup form is for adults; children should not use it.
• Email. If you email us, we receive your email address and message, and use them only to reply and help you.
• Hosting and fonts. Our website is hosted by Netlify and loads its typefaces from Google Fonts. Both process basic technical information (like IP addresses) to deliver the site and keep it secure. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking on our website.

Sharing

We don't sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it for advertising. We share information only with service providers that help us run our website and email (like our hosting provider), and only as needed for them to do that work, or if the law requires it.

How long we keep information

We keep launch-list emails until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them, and support emails only as long as needed to help you.

Your choices and rights

Parents and guardians can contact us at any time to ask what information we have, ask us to delete it, or refuse further collection. Email hello@algotheturtle.com with the subject "Privacy request." Deleting the app also removes the game progress saved on that device.

Depending on where you live (for example, California or the European Union), you may have additional rights to access, correct, or delete your information. We honor these requests for everyone.

Schools

When a school uses Algo the Turtle, we act on the school's behalf, use information only to provide the service to that school, and follow the school's instructions on deletion.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we'll post the new version here with a new effective date. If a change affects children's information, we'll get parental consent first where the law requires it.

Contact us

Questions about privacy? Email hello@algotheturtle.com.