Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AI Military Services LLC, operating as VASCO Assistant ("we," "us," "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://aimilitaryservices.com and use our services (collectively, the "Services").

BY USING OUR SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO THE COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS OR USE OUR SERVICES.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Register for an account or use our Services
• Subscribe to our newsletter or communications
• Contact us through forms or email
• Participate in surveys, webinars, or training programs
• Post content or comments on our platform
• Make purchases or transactions

This information may include:

• Name, email address, phone number
• Educational institution name and affiliation
• Job title and professional information
• Billing and payment information
• Account credentials (username and encrypted password)
• Profile information and preferences
• Any other information you choose to provide

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you access our Services, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns, including:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, unique device identifiers
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, clickstream data, referring/exit pages, date and time stamps
• Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: As described in Section 4 below

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, such as:

• Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Payment processors
• Marketing partners
• Social media platforms (if you interact with our social media content)
• Publicly available sources

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Provide and Maintain Services: To operate, maintain, and deliver the Services you request
• Account Management: To create and manage your account, authenticate users, and provide customer support
• Communications: To send you updates, newsletters, educational content, notifications, and respond to inquiries
• Personalization: To customize your experience and provide tailored content and recommendations
• Analytics and Improvements: To analyze usage patterns, improve our Services, develop new features, and conduct research
• Payment Processing: To process transactions and manage billing
• Marketing: To send promotional materials, special offers, and information about our products and services (you may opt-out)
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements
• Security: To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security issues, and technical problems
• Aggregated Data: To create anonymized, aggregated statistics about our users and services

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

4.1 Types of Technologies Used

We use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, local storage, and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information. Types of cookies we use include:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly (e.g., authentication, security)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our Services (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
• Marketing Cookies: Track your browsing activity to deliver relevant advertisements

4.2 Third-Party Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect and analyze usage statistics. Google Analytics uses cookies to track your interactions with our Services. You can opt-out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

4.3 Your Cookie Choices

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our Services. You can manage cookies through:

• Browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.)
• Opt-out tools provided by advertising networks
• Do Not Track (DNT) signals (note: we currently do not respond to DNT signals)

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including:

• Web hosting and cloud storage providers
• Payment processors and financial institutions
• Email service providers and communication platforms
• Analytics and data analysis providers
• Marketing and advertising partners
• Customer support and CRM platforms

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to:

• Valid legal processes (subpoenas, court orders, warrants)
• Government or regulatory requests
• National security or law enforcement requirements
• Compliance with applicable laws and regulations

5.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity. We will notify you of any such change and your options regarding your information.

5.4 Protection of Rights

We may disclose your information to:

• Enforce our Terms of Service and other agreements
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or others
• Prevent fraud, security issues, or illegal activity
• Respond to claims or legal liability

5.5 Aggregated and Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you for research, marketing, analytics, or other business purposes.

5.6 With Your Consent

We may share your information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS protocols
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Regular security assessments and audits
• Access controls and authentication mechanisms
• Employee training on data protection and security
• Incident response and breach notification procedures

HOWEVER, NO METHOD OF TRANSMISSION OVER THE INTERNET OR ELECTRONIC STORAGE IS 100% SECURE. WHILE WE STRIVE TO USE COMMERCIALLY ACCEPTABLE MEANS TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE ITS ABSOLUTE SECURITY. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT THESE RISKS WHEN USING OUR SERVICES.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Factors determining retention periods include:

• The duration of your account or relationship with us
• Legal, contractual, or regulatory obligations
• Dispute resolution and enforcement of agreements
• Legitimate business purposes (fraud prevention, security)

When information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data retention policies.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

8.1 General Rights

• Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal exceptions)
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your information in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to processing of your information for certain purposes
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw previously given consent at any time
• Opt-Out: Opt-out of marketing communications

8.2 California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• Right to delete personal information held by businesses
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

8.3 European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including:

• Right to access, rectification, erasure, and data portability
• Right to restrict or object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

8.4 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@aimilitaryservices.com. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law (typically 30-45 days). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@aimilitaryservices.com. If we discover that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will promptly delete it.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where we or our service providers maintain facilities. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from your jurisdiction.

By using our Services, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries outside your country of residence, including the United States, which may have different data protection rules. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Adequacy decisions by relevant authorities
• Other legally recognized transfer mechanisms

11. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites or services before providing any information.

THIS PRIVACY POLICY APPLIES ONLY TO OUR SERVICES. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRIVACY PRACTICES OR CONTENT OF THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES OR SERVICES.

12. Department of Veterans Affairs Disclaimer

VASCO Assistant is operated by AI Military Services LLC and is NOT affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or any government agency.

We provide independent educational resources and tools for School Certifying Officials. Any information about VA benefits, policies, or procedures is provided for informational purposes only. For official VA information, please visit www.va.gov.

We do not collect, store, or process any protected veteran information or VA-specific student data beyond what is necessary to provide our Services to School Certifying Officials.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Post the revised policy on this page
• Notify you via email or prominent notice on our Services (for material changes)

Your continued use of our Services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. If you do not agree with any changes, you must discontinue use of our Services.

MATERIAL CHANGES WILL BE EFFECTIVE 30 DAYS AFTER POSTING OR NOTICE, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER. NON-MATERIAL CHANGES ARE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UPON POSTING.

14. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA, our legal basis for collecting and using your personal information depends on the specific information and context:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to perform our contract with you (providing Services)
• Consent: You have given explicit consent for specific processing activities
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests (improving Services, marketing, security) that do not override your rights
• Legal Obligations: Processing is necessary to comply with legal requirements

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

We will respond to all requests, inquiries, or concerns within 30 days of receipt.