Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 28, 2026

1. Introduction

MindfulBytes ("we," "us," or "our") is a K-5 digital wellness program operated by the New Mexico Center for Cyberpsychology and Cybersecurity Research (NM-CCCR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. NM-CCCR serves as the data controller for all information collected through this website (mindfulbytes.io). We are committed to protecting the privacy of children, students, educators, and all visitors to our website.

2. FERPA Compliance (Student Data Protection)

MindfulBytes is designed to operate within educational environments and complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). We adhere to the following principles:

• We do not collect, store, or process student education records.
• Our program materials are delivered through schools and do not require student accounts or logins.
• No personally identifiable information (PII) from student education records is collected through this website.
• School administrators maintain full control over how MindfulBytes materials are used in their classrooms.
• We do not share any data with third parties for commercial purposes.

3. COPPA Compliance (Children Under 13)

MindfulBytes complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Our website and digital presence are designed with the following protections:

• This website is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children.
• Our K-5 program content is delivered through schools and educators, not directly to children online.
• No child accounts, profiles, or interactive features requiring personal information are offered on this website.
• If we become aware that personal information from a child under 13 has been collected without verified parental consent, we will delete that information immediately.
• Parents or guardians may contact us at michael@merek.io to inquire about any data that may have been inadvertently collected.

4. Data Collection Disclosure

MindfulBytes.io collects minimal data. The only mechanism for data collection on this website is our contact form, which collects:

• Full name
• Email address
• Organization name (optional)
• Role/title (optional)
• Message content

This information is used solely to respond to inquiries about the MindfulBytes program. We do not use this data for marketing, profiling, or any purpose beyond responding to your inquiry.

5. Cookies and Tracking

MindfulBytes.io does not use cookies. We do not use any third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics), tracking pixels, advertising trackers, or any other form of user tracking technology. Your visit to this website is not tracked or monitored.

6. Third-Party Services

This website does not integrate any third-party analytics, advertising, or data collection services. The site is hosted on Vercel, which may collect standard server logs (IP address, browser type, access times) as part of its hosting infrastructure. These logs are managed by Vercel in accordance with their privacy policy and are not accessible to or used by MindfulBytes.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

Contact form submissions are retained only as long as necessary to respond to inquiries, typically no longer than 90 days. After this period, submissions are permanently deleted.

You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us at michael@merek.io. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect any personal information submitted through our contact form. All data transmission is encrypted via TLS/SSL. Access to submitted data is restricted to authorized NM-CCCR personnel only.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to any personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Withdraw consent for data processing at any time

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or data requests related to this privacy policy, please contact: