String Systems' websites and services are constantly being revised and improved, so this privacy policy will be regularly revised and updated.

Last updated: July 2023 (see March 2022 version HERE)

Foreward

Hey guitar friends,

My goal with this privacy policy page is to help you understand how we use and process your data on the String Systems websites. I want you to know that I respect your privacy and that I do my best to ensure that my online tools process as little personal data as possible.

Processing a small amount of information is unavoidable for reasons of functionality. For example, your account lists all the courses you have, so that you can access them when you log in. Some information is also needed for promotional/advertising purposes. For example, when I promote a lesson, I make sure that I don't promote it to people that have already watched it.

You can see specifically what information is stored, and how it's used at the end of this document.

If you have any questions please let me know at prokopis@string.systems.

Prokopis Skordis

String Systems aka Effective Music Practice LTD

Warning:

I tried to make this as simple as possible but, because of its nature, this document may turn out to be a little boring 😳.

1. Introduction

String Systems provides music education through videos, email and web articles, and other digital content. We respect the privacy and security of our users, email list subscribers, and visitors, and are committed to protecting the data you share with us. This privacy policy explains how String Systems processes information that can be used to directly or indirectly identify an individual (“Personal Data”) collected through the use of our platform, including our 3 websites, and our mobile apps:

Main Website: 

https://string.systems/

Legacy Website:

https://www.effectivemusicpractice.com/

String Courses Platform:

https://courses.string.systems

Fretboard Memorization Toolbox app:
This app does not collect or track any personal data at all.

However, when you open a web-view link and navigate to our websites, your experience becomes the same as when you navigate through a browser. Thus, your website visits through this app fall under the terms of this page. 

You can opt out of data collection by not using the web-views in the app. You can also disable cookies in your default mobile browser, as web-views are actually powered by your browser.

JustPlay Guitar Lessons app:

- coming soon -

JustPlay Guitar Lessons app privacy choices: https://string.systems/app-privacy-choices

For the purposes of this policy, String Systems defines the term “user”, “email list subscriber”, and “visitor" as follows:

• Users: Individuals who have created an account, or enrolled in a course on the String Courses Platform, or created an account in the JustPlay Guitar Lessons app.
• Email list subscribers: Individuals who have provided an email address, and gave us permission to send them email.
• Visitors: Individuals who visit any of our websites listed above. 

Any information stored on the String Systems platform is treated as confidential. All information is stored securely and is accessed by authorized personnel only. To the best of our abilities, String Systems implements and maintains appropriate technical, security, and organizational measures to protect Personal Data against unauthorized or unlawful processing and use, and against accidental loss, destruction, damage, theft, or disclosure.

2. Collection and use

2.1 .General

The following sections cover the specifics of each of the three groups from which data is collected: Visitors, email list subscribers, and users.

2.2 Website Visitors

By visiting our websites, you consent to the collection and use of your Personal Data as described herein. If you do not agree with the terms set out herein, please do not visit our websites. If required by applicable law, we will seek your explicit consent to process Personal Data collected on this website or volunteered by you. Kindly note that any consent will be entirely voluntary. However, if you do not grant the requested consent to the processing of your Personal Data, the use of this website may not be possible.

String Systems may collect, record and analyze information of visitors to its websites. We may record your IP address and use cookies. String Systems may add information collected by way of "pageview" activity. Furthermore, String Systems may collect and process any Personal Data that you volunteer to us in our website’s forms, such as when you register for events, crash courses, or sign up for information and newsletters. If you provide String Systems with your social media details, String Systems may retrieve publicly available information about you from social media.

Such Personal Data may comprise your IP address, first and last name, your email address, data for social networks, your areas of interest, interest in String Systems products, as well as information as to the type of relationship that exists between String Systems and yourself.

String Systems gathers data about visits to the website, including numbers of visitors and visits, Geo-location data, length of time spent on the site, pages clicked on, or where visitors have come from.

2.2.1 Purpose of processing personal data

String Systems uses the collected data to communicate with visitors, customize content for visitors, promote relevant content on other websites to visitors, and improve its website by analyzing how visitors navigate its website.

2.2.2 Sharing personal data

String Systems may also share such information with service vendors or contractors (listed at the end of this document) in order to provide a requested service or transaction or in order to analyze the visitor's behavior on its website.

2.2.3 Cookies

Cookies are tiny text files stored on your computer. Most frequently, cookies are stored for the duration of the current session, i.e. until you close your browser, but in some cases, they are stored longer than this. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. By continuing to visit the websites, you agree to the placement of cookies on your device. If you choose not to accept our cookies, we cannot guarantee that your experience will be as fulfilling as it would otherwise be. We may also place cookies from third parties for functional and marketing purposes (listed at the end of this document). The use of cookies is widespread and improves visitor experience. 

Most browsers allow you to deactivate third-party cookies via the browser settings. Please note, however, that this may affect the functionality of our websites. You can also choose to deactivate third-party cookies by going to the Network Advertising Initiative site and following the instructions there.

You can also opt-out of the collection and use of information for ad targeting by opting out here: www.aboutads.info/choices

2.2.4 Links to other sites

Please be aware that while visiting our sites, visitors can follow links to other sites that are beyond our sphere of influence. String Systems is not responsible for the content or privacy policy of these other sites.

2.3 Email list subscribers

Email list subscribers should be aware that their information is secure, and will not be shared. String Systems uses this information to communicate with email list subscribers, customize content for them, promote relevant content on other websites to them, and improve its website by analyzing how email list subscribers navigate its website. String Systems may share such information with service vendors or contractors (listed at the end of this document) in order to provide a requested service or transaction, analyze the visitor behavior on its website, improve the visitor experience. All our service partners are compliant with international legislation and can be trusted with information, in accordance with their respective Privacy Policies.

2.3.1. Inquiries

If you wish to inquire about your Personal Data that may have been collected by String Systems, you can contact Prokopis Skordis directly at this email address prokopis@string.systems.

2.4 Users

Our online courses are accessible on the Teachable platform (https://teachable.com/). In order to provide services to our users, Teachable collects certain types of data from them, in accordance with their privacy policy (https://teachable.com/privacy-policy). Some of this information (name, email address, lesson progress, purchase history, course enrollments, etc) is shared with String Systems, and used by String Systems in accordance with this privacy policy. 

However, String Systems does NOT have access to users’ billing information (such as credit card numbers or PayPal accounts). In all financial transactions, Teachable acts as the vendor, and is the entity that handles users’ financial information.

Our online courses are also accessible through the JustPlay Guitar Lessons app. In order to provide services to our users, we collect certain types of data from them, in accordance with this privacy policy. 

However, String Systems does NOT have access to users’ billing information. In all financial transactions, Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store act as vendors and are the entities that handle users’ financial information.

3. Retention and deletion

String Systems will not retain data longer than is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws or regulations. Email list subscribers can unsubscribe at any time using the appropriate link that is included in all mailings. Individuals who want to make inquiries in order to ensure that their data is erased from all our 3rd party partner services can request account deletion through any email they have received from us, by submitting this form, or by contacting Prokopis Skordis directly at this email address: prokopis@string.systems

4. Acceptance of these Conditions

We assume that all visitors of our websites, email list subscribers, and users of our courses platform and app have carefully read this document and agree to its contents. If someone does not agree with this privacy policy, they should refrain from using our websites, platform, and app. We reserve the right to change our privacy policy as necessity dictates. Continued use of String Systems websites, course platform, and app, after having been informed of any such changes to these conditions, implies acceptance of the revised privacy policy. This privacy policy is an integral part of String Systems' Terms of Use.

5. Our Legal Obligation to Disclose Personal Information

We will reveal a user’s personal information without his/her prior permission only when we have reason to believe that the disclosure of this information is required to establish the identity of, to contact, or to initiate legal proceedings against a person or persons who are suspected of infringing rights or property belonging to String Systems or to others who could be harmed by the user’s activities or of persons who could (deliberately or otherwise) transgress upon these rights and property. We are permitted to disclose personal information when we have good reason to believe that this is legally required.

6. Our policy on children’s information

Children under 13 are allowed to use our websites, products, or services, provided that they have their parents' or legal guardians' permission. If you are based in the EEA you may only use our websites, products, or services if you are over the age at which you can provide consent to data processing under the laws of your country, or if verifiable parental consent for your use of our websites, products, or services can be provided to us. If you are a parent and you learn that your child is using our websites, products, or services, and you don't want them to, please contact us.

7. For Further Information

If you have any further questions regarding the data String Systems collects, or how we use it, then please feel free to contact Prokopis Skordis directly at this email address: prokopis@string.systems, or in writing at:

Prokopis Skordis

Nikolaou Skoufa 29

CY3016

Limassol

Cyprus

8. List of 3rd party services used on our websites and platform:

Encharge:

Encharge (https://encharge.io) is our mailing service partner used to deliver free lessons, crash courses, and other mailings to our list of email subscribers. Our mailings contain links and graphics to help us learn whether you actually read our newsletter and which topics/links interest you most. This allows us to improve our service and increase quality control.

You can remove your consent to this user analysis via “unsubscribing” from any mailing.

Encharge keeps the following info related to your email address:

- The name you provided (to make communication easier)

- The courses you own (so that we can send you related mailings and updates)

- Your String Rewards credit (if you have made purchases or donations)

ActiveCampaign:

ActiveCampaign (https://www.activecampaign.com) is our previous email provider which now serves as our database backup. We keep a second copy of the data described above so that information like your String Rewards, or which courses you own, can be safe in case of data loss. We do not currently use this service for sending emails.

Pabbly:

Pabbly (https://www.pabbly.com/connect/) is an automation service that allows us to pass information between services and websites. For example, when you sign up for a course through a popup form on our main website, Pabbly can automatically enroll you in the appropriate course on our courses platform on Teachable. Pabbly does not use any form of behavior tracking through cookies, and deletes all activity information after 15 days.

Google reCaptcha:

Our website host services use the reCAPTCHA service provided by Google Inc. (Google) to protect your submissions via internet submission forms on our websites. This plugin checks if you are a person in order to prevent certain website functions from being (ab)used by spambots (particularly comments). This plugin query includes the sending of the IP address and possibly other data required by Google for the Google reCAPTCHA service. For this purpose, your input will be communicated to and used by Google. However, your IP address is previously truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states which are party to the agreement on the European Economic Area and is, as such, anonymized. Only in exceptional cases is a full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the United States and truncated there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of this service. The IP address provided by reCaptcha from your browser shall not be merged with any other data from Google.

This data collection is subject to the data protection regulations of Google (Google Inc.). For more information about Google's privacy policy, please visit: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

Heap Analytics:

Heap (https://heapanalytics.com/) is a service that tracks all browsing traffic and behavior on our websites, through the use of a pixel tag. This tracking is anonymous and allows us to evaluate and improve our service. For example, Heap can tell us how many visitors visited a certain page, how many of them clicked a link, or if they browsed to another page on our website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website (including your IP address) may be sent to a Heap server in the United States and stored there. Heap will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity for website operators, and to report other website activity and internet-related services. If required by law, Heap will pass along this information to third parties. If you wish, you can adjust your browser settings so as to refuse cookies. Please keep in mind, however, that if you refuse all cookies, you will not necessarily have access to all functions of this website. By using this site, you consent to the processing of your data by Heap as described above, for the aforementioned purpose.

Facebook:

A Facebook pixel tag (web beacon), collects anonymous information about browsing activity on our websites. If you have a Facebook profile, the company may be able to associate your website browsing behavior with your profile by using JavaScript and setting cookies.

This helps us to promote lessons (through advertising) only to viewers that have not already watched them.

For more information on the purpose and scope of data collection and further processing and use of data by Facebook, as well as your rights and changes to settings you can make, please review the Facebook privacy policy here: http://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

MailMunch:

MailMunch provides web forms that are used on our websites to sign up for courses, update settings, etc. This information (ex. name and email address) is passed through Pabbly, or through Webhooks to Teachable, or to our email provider, in order to complete the requests of the person completing the form.

Teachable:

As the hosting platform for our courses, Teachable keeps a record of your purchases, enrollments, and course progress. This is the only information shared with String Systems. Passwords are not shared but can be reset manually by String Systems personnel, at the request of a user.

Transactions are processed securely and no financial information is shared with String Systems.