Checkmark Plagiarism – Privacy Policy

1) What the Service Does

Checkmark Plagiarism is a Microsoft Office Add‑in that assists authors and reviewers by analyzing document content in real time to detect potential plagiarism, copying, and pasting. The add‑in generates document metadata (for example, similarity metrics and document fingerprints) and—so the analysis can be completed—uploads the document and generated metadata to our paid Service for processing. The Service can optionally capture keystroke‑dynamics signals (sometimes considered biometrics) related to how a document is typed, such as key timing and paste events, solely to support plagiarism and copy‑detection features.

2) Personal Information We Collect

The categories of personal information we may collect through the Service include:

• Account & billing information – name, email, organization, role, subscription tier, and payment status (payment details are handled by our payment processor).
• Document content – text and embedded data you choose or are required to submit for analysis, plus document IDs and titles.
• Plugin‑generated metadata – similarity scores, document fingerprints/hashes, flags, match excerpts, paste events, timestamps, add‑in version, and analysis settings.
• Keystroke‑dynamics/biometric signals (optional) – timing and cadence of keystrokes and other input signals collected during active editing to help distinguish original writing from pasted text. We do not collect raw audio/video/face/voice biometrics.
• Usage & diagnostics – feature usage, error logs, performance data, and device/host application information (e.g., Office version, OS type) to maintain and improve the Service.
• Support communications – messages you send to us, and related attachments you provide for troubleshooting.

3) How We Use Personal Information

• Provide, operate, and secure the Service and your account.
• Perform plagiarism/copy detection on submitted documents and generated metadata, and return reports and similarity results.
• Process keystroke‑dynamics/biometric signals (if enabled) to help identify pasted content or sudden authorship changes.
• Troubleshoot, detect abuse/fraud, and enforce acceptable‑use and license terms.
• Analyze and improve Service quality, performance, and accuracy.
• Communicate with you about updates, security notices, and service‑related messages.
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

4) Legal Bases (where applicable)

Where required (e.g., the EEA/UK/Switzerland), we rely on one or more of the following legal bases: (i) performance of a contract to deliver the Service; (ii) our legitimate interests in securing and improving the Service; (iii) your consent—especially for keystroke‑dynamics/biometric processing; and (iv) compliance with legal obligations.

5) Keystroke‑Dynamics / Biometrics

• We collect keystroke‑dynamics signals only to support plagiarism and paste‑detection features and do not use them for general identity verification or marketing.
• Where required by law, we obtain your explicit consent before collecting these signals, and you can disable them in the add‑in or via your organization’s admin settings.
• Signals are stored separately from full document content whenever feasible and are retained only as long as needed to operate the feature (see Retention below).

6) Document Submission to the Paid Service

For the Service to run a complete analysis, the add‑in submits your document and plugin‑generated metadata to our paid processing back end. Without this submission, the analysis may be unavailable or limited. Where your organization has enabled it, documents can be pseudonymized (e.g., with hashed IDs) before matching against reference sources.

7) Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information. We share personal information only with:

• Service providers/processors that host, store, process payments, provide analytics/error logging, or support our operations—under contracts that restrict their use of the data.
• Your organization (for enterprise customers) in accordance with your admin’s settings and our agreement.
• Legal reasons – to comply with law, enforce our terms, or protect rights, safety, and security.

8) Retention & Deletion

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Service and for legitimate business or legal purposes. Unless your organization opts into longer retention to enable longitudinal analysis or auditability:

You or your organization may request deletion earlier where applicable (see Your Rights below).

9) Security

We employ industry‑standard safeguards, including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and audit logging. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work continuously to protect the Service and your information.

10) Your Privacy Choices & Rights

• Access, correct, or delete personal information stored by the Service, subject to applicable law and our agreement with your organization.
• Opt in/out of keystroke‑dynamics/biometric processing where available in settings.
• Object to or restrict certain processing, and request portability of your data (EEA/UK and similar jurisdictions).
• California residents: we do not sell or share personal information for cross‑context behavioral advertising. You may exercise applicable CCPA/CPRA rights by contacting us.

We may need to verify your identity or route your request through your organization’s administrator.

11) Microsoft Office Environment

The add‑in runs inside Microsoft Office host applications. Use of Microsoft software and APIs is subject to Microsoft’s terms. Checkmark Plagiarism is developed and operated by [Your Company] and is not owned by or affiliated with Microsoft.

12) International Data Transfers

We may transfer, process, and store information outside your country of residence. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards (e.g., standard contractual clauses) to protect cross‑border transfers.

13) Children’s Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or the age required by local law), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

14) Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If changes materially affect your rights, we will provide notice through the Service or by contacting your account owner or administrator.

15) Contact Us