VEX Robotics Software Privacy Policy
Effective date: November 6, 2026
Innovation First International, Inc. ("IFI," "we," "us," or "our") develops and distributes the VEXcode and other software applications ("Applications"), including VEXcode 123, VEXcode GO, VEXcode IQ, VEXcode EXP, VEXcode V5, VEXcode CTE, VEXcode AIM, VEXcode AIR, VEXcode Pro V5, VEXcode VR, the VEX VS Code Extension, the VEX Classroom mobile application, the VEX Digital Coder, and VEX Tournament Manager.
This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you use our Applications and outlines your choices related to that information. It applies to our Applications and does not apply to other websites or services we operate, which may have their own privacy policies.
Applications Privacy Policy
We do not require users to provide names, email addresses, or other directly identifying information to use the core features of our Applications. We receive information users voluntarily submit through the Feedback tool, as described below. Certain Applications and our service providers also collect limited technical and usage information, including pseudonymous identifiers, as described under "Cookies and Analytics" below. Such identifiers may constitute personal information under applicable law even though they do not identify a user by name.
Users may voluntarily submit feedback through the in-application Feedback tool. A submission includes the message the user enters and application logs generated by the software, which our developers use to understand what the software was doing when a problem occurred. We do not ask users to include personal information in feedback. Feedback submissions are stored in Google Drive. We use feedback to respond to support requests, investigate technical issues, and improve our Applications.
Please do not include student names, email addresses, photographs, or other personal information about children in feedback, project files, or attachments. Children under 13 should ask a parent, guardian, or teacher to submit a support request on their behalf. These instructions do not replace any consent required by applicable law.
Our Applications are intended for educational use, including use by children. As described below, we limit the collection and use of children's information and rely on the COPPA exception for support for internal operations only where its requirements are satisfied. We do not collect or maintain student education records through our Applications, and we design our Applications to be compatible with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Information We Collect
Through our Applications, we collect the following categories of information: identifiers, such as pseudonymous identifiers assigned to a browser or device, and IP addresses; internet or other electronic network activity, such as feature usage, session activity, and application performance; approximate location; and information users voluntarily submit through the Feedback tool, including application logs. We collect this information directly from users' browsers and devices and through the service providers described below. We use it only for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and disclose it only to the service providers described below. The VEX Classroom mobile application does not collect user data, and VEX Tournament Manager processes event result data only and does not collect user data.
Cookies and Analytics
Certain web-based and desktop Applications use Google Analytics to help us understand how they are used, such as which features are used, session activity, and application performance. VEX Tournament Manager and the VEX Classroom mobile application do not use Google Analytics. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies that assign a pseudonymous identifier to a browser or device. The specific technical information collected is determined by Google Analytics and may include browser and device information and approximate location. We do not send names, email addresses, or other directly identifying information to Google Analytics.
We use analytics data only to support internal operations: maintaining and analyzing the functioning of our Applications, measuring performance and reliability, and understanding feature usage to improve their functioning. Our Applications do not display advertising, and we do not use analytics data for advertising of any kind. We do not use or disclose identifiers collected under the COPPA internal-operations exception to contact a specific individual, build a profile of an individual, or for purposes outside that exception.
We have configured Google Analytics to limit how this data is used:
- Google signals, advertising personalization, and remarketing features are disabled.
- Our Google Analytics properties are not linked to Google Ads or any other advertising product, and analytics data is not used to build advertising audiences.
- Optional data sharing with Google for its own products and services, and for modeling and benchmarking, is disabled.
Our web-based Applications also use Cloudflare to deliver and secure the site. These services process technical information necessary to transmit requests and protect the site, which may include IP addresses and request information. We also use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which measures site performance without using cookies.
You may disable cookies in your browser settings without affecting your ability to use core application features. If you block Google Analytics, Google Analytics does not collect data from your use of our Applications. Cookie settings do not affect the security and delivery logs described above, which are generated when your device connects to our sites. Our web-based Applications honor Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals sent by your browser. For more information on how Google handles analytics data, please refer to Google's Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Children's Privacy
Some of our Applications are directed to children under 13. We do not require children to provide names, email addresses, or other directly identifying information to use core application features. We and our service providers collect limited persistent identifiers and associated technical information solely to support internal operations where permitted by COPPA without verifiable parental consent. Collection of other personal information from children requires an applicable legal exception or the consent required by law.
Parents or guardians may contact us using the information below to request review or deletion of their child's personal information or to refuse further collection or use, subject to applicable law. We take reasonable steps to verify the requester's authority and locate the relevant information. Where we hold only a pseudonymous identifier, we may need that identifier to locate the corresponding record. We do not require disclosure of more information than is reasonably necessary to verify and fulfill a request.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without consent required by law and without an applicable exception, we will promptly delete that information. We do not condition a child's participation on disclosure of more personal information than is reasonably necessary for the activity.
Service Providers and Disclosures
We use service providers to perform the functions described in this Privacy Policy, including Google (analytics and storage), Cloudflare (site delivery and security), and other providers that support log analysis and hosting. We limit providers' use of personal information processed on our behalf to the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and the applicable contractual restrictions. Providers processing children's information under the COPPA internal-operations exception may use that information only as permitted by that exception.
We do not sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, or use it for commercial purposes. We use information only to operate, support, secure, and improve our Applications.
Data Retention and Security
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the specific purposes for which it was collected. We do not retain children's personal information indefinitely. Our current retention practices are as follows:
- Google Analytics: data is retained for up to 14 months. Aggregated reporting remains available after that period.
- Feedback submissions and attached application logs: retained for three months.
- Website security and delivery logs: retained for up to 12 months, and no longer than reasonably necessary for security and operational purposes.
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information we maintain.
Additional Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; to access, correct, or delete personal information; to obtain a portable copy of personal information; to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information or of targeted advertising (which we do not engage in); and not to be treated differently for exercising these rights.
You may submit a request using the contact information below. We may need to verify your identity or authority before responding, and we respond within the time required by applicable law. Because we generally do not collect names or contact details, we may be unable to locate information associated only with a pseudonymous identifier unless you provide that identifier. Where permitted by law, you may use an authorized agent to submit a request, and if we deny a request you may contact us to ask that we reconsider our decision.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time.
We will post updates to this Privacy Policy and revise the effective date above. Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional notice and obtain consent before implementing a material change in our collection, use, or disclosure of personal information. Otherwise, changes take effect on the stated effective date.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to submit a privacy request, please contact Innovation First International, Inc., 6725 W. FM 1570, Greenville, Texas 75402, by telephone at 903-453-0800 or by email at [email protected].
For a copy of our software EULA, please visit: https://www.vexrobotics.com/software-eula