Cadet Foundry — Privacy notice

Version 2026-10-11 · Questions: support@cadetfoundry.org

Cadet Foundry is a free community project — the Cadet Foundry project. This notice is for instructors, schools, Cadets and parents. The short version: everything stays on the instructor's computer, and the Cadet Foundry project never receives any of it.

Where data is kept

All of Cadet Foundry's data is stored in one folder on the computer it runs on — the instructor's laptop, or the USB drive Cadet Foundry runs from. Cadets' phones and tablets only show pages; the only things their browser remembers are display settings (text size, night mode, the last Learn section, whether the tour was shown). There is no Cadet Foundry server, no cloud account, no tracking, no advertising, and no analytics. The Cadet Foundry project can't see or copy anything in that folder.

What is stored, and who can see it

Profile name and PIN. The name shows on the sign-in screen (shortened on other devices). The PIN is stored only as a slow, salted hash.
Private files — Ask chats, check-ins, notes, letters, logbook, address book. Only that person can open them — not the instructor, not the device owner, not the Cadet Foundry project. They're encrypted with that person's own key (AES-256-GCM, unlocked by their PIN).
Class records — assigned lessons and scores, quizzes and exams, leadership scenarios, fitness and service hours. The Cadet and the instructor (with the Class PIN) can see them. They're encrypted with a separate per-Cadet class key.
Program data — classes, roster details, lessons, pilot setup and feedback, survey answers. Instructors with the Class PIN can see them. They're sealed with the program key; survey answers carry no name.
Live class votes and live questions. Instructors see counts only, never who. They're kept in memory during class only.

Cadet Foundry asks for a name and a PIN — no email, phone number, address, photo or birth date. Anything else is what a person chooses to type, and it stays in their own encrypted files.

Who decides

The instructor's program and school decide how Cadet Foundry is used, how long records are kept, and when they are deleted. Cadet Foundry gives them the tools:

Delete profile (Me) removes a person's own profile and every file in it.
End pilot (Instructor → Reports → Pilot, in Pilot mode) removes every Cadet and parent profile and the pilot's class data, after the reports are saved.
Class report and pilot report exports, which the instructor downloads on purpose.
Encrypted backups, protected by a password the owner chooses.

Ask is private — and not monitored

Nobody reads Cadets' Ask chats, including the instructor. Ask has a safety check that shows help numbers when a message sounds unsafe, but it notifies no one. A Cadet who is in danger should tell a trusted adult, or call or text 988 — in an emergency, 911.

Optional online AI

Online AI is off unless the person who manages the device turns it on with their own key from an outside provider. If they do, ordinary Ask questions go to that provider — without the Cadet's name, notes or earlier chats. Anything about feeling unsafe, grading, and letters never go online. Pilot mode keeps online AI off whatever the settings say. Before turning it on, read the provider's own privacy terms, especially for minors.

The classroom network

When an instructor opens class to phones, pages travel over that Wi-Fi network without HTTPS. Use a network only the class joins (WPA3 if possible), not open or guest Wi-Fi. Details for school IT are in SECURITY.md.

The website

cadetfoundry.org sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and has no accounts. It is hosted by Cloudflare, whose servers keep the standard technical logs any website host keeps (such as IP addresses). Downloads come from a public GitHub page, under GitHub's own terms.

Email

If you email support@cadetfoundry.org, your message is forwarded to the project's email inbox and used only to answer you. Please don't send student records or Cadets' private information by email.

Children

Cadets are often under 18. Cadet Foundry is designed so that their information stays with their own program, on their instructor's computer, and never reaches the Cadet Foundry project.

Changes and contact

This notice may be updated; the version date is at the top. Questions, deletion help or security reports: support@cadetfoundry.org.