Privacy Policy
This policy describes how the HINA AI Tutor website (hina-tutor.com) and the HINA AI Tutor Chrome extension handle information. The extension and website share the same account and chat storage backend.
Who we are
HINA AI Tutor is an educational tutoring tool for class sessions. For privacy questions, contact the project administrator through your course or via hina-tutor.com.
Information we collect
- Account data — email and profile fields you provide when you sign up or sign in (processed via Supabase Auth).
- Tutor conversations — messages you send to the AI tutor, assistant replies, class/session identifiers, and related metadata stored in our database (Supabase).
- Extension-only content you choose to send — when you use extension features (keyboard shortcuts, “paste and ask”, or screenshot region capture), the text or image you explicitly trigger is sent to our AI provider to generate a reply and may be saved to your selected chat session. We do not continuously monitor or record all browsing activity.
- HINA research coding — for analysis features, conversation turns may be processed by automated coding services (including server-side models) to assign HINA framework labels. This uses the same stored messages, not separate hidden tracking.
How we use information
- Provide tutoring, session management, transcripts, and HINA analytics for teaching and research.
- Authenticate you and keep your sessions secure.
- Improve reliability and fix errors (standard server logs).
Third-party services
- Supabase — authentication, database, and (when enabled) edge functions for HINA labelling.
- AI providers — e.g. ZenMux/OpenAI-compatible APIs for tutor replies in the extension; other configured models on the website. Message content needed to answer your request is sent to these providers under their terms.
Chrome extension permissions
- Host access (<all_urls>) — required so you can ask the tutor from pages you are viewing when you use shortcuts or the on-page panel; content scripts run only for extension features, not for passive tracking.
- clipboardRead — only when you use “ask from clipboard” or related actions.
- storage — save sign-in state and extension settings locally.
- sidePanel, tabs, scripting, activeTab — open the side panel, capture the visible tab for region screenshots you initiate, and inject the tutor overlay when you use the extension.
Data retention & deletion
Chat data is retained according to your institution’s course policies and database settings. You may request deletion of your account or sessions through your teacher or project administrator where applicable.
Security
We use industry-standard transport encryption (HTTPS). API keys for AI services are kept on servers or in extension builds only as required for features; prefer server-side functions for sensitive keys where deployed.
Children
The service is intended for use in educational settings under institutional guidance. Minors should use it as directed by their school or teacher.
Changes
We may update this policy; the “Last updated” date will change when we do.