Privacy Notice

Who operates EssayArc

Quill, Inc. operates EssayArc, offered under the Granderson Writing Academy name. This notice explains how information is handled when you use EssayArc. Contact hello@essayarc.com or use Help in your account for privacy and support requests.

Information we collect and why

We process account and profile details, sign-in information, essays and drafts, saved versions, assignments, chat and coaching conversations, Think Out Loud notes, feedback, assessments, learning activity, sharing choices, community contributions, support requests and subscription identifiers. We use this information to provide the features you request, keep your work available, manage access and billing, respond to requests, and investigate service problems or misuse. Requests and operational logs may include device, network and usage information. Avoid including sensitive information about yourself or others that is unnecessary for your writing task.

Your writing, readers and courses

Private writing is scoped to your account. Connecting to a peer learning facilitator does not by itself share every draft. Specific saved versions, conversation records and Your Arc visibility follow the sharing controls for that feature. Instructors can access work associated with courses they are authorized to teach. Account operators may access records for support, security and administration. Schools may separately control education records and determine their use and retention.

Community publication makes the chosen contribution visible to its audience. Private-circle contributions are restricted to members. Other participants may retain copies they have already seen. Where Pony Express is available, anyone with a recipient link can view its envelope, read the letter after delivery and submit a reply; treat the link as private.

AI assistance and document import

When you request AI coaching, analysis or research, relevant writing, prompts, assignment context, selected conversation history and generated responses may be sent to Anthropic, OpenAI or Perplexity, depending on the feature. AI processing may include a second automated review. Provider processing and retention depend on the service and account configuration; do not assume that submitting content guarantees immediate deletion or exclusion from every provider use.

Accepting the Terms does not enable every optional AI or sharing feature. Follow your institution’s rules and the feature’s choices. Studio’s no-AI assignment setting disables its AI assistance. TXT and DOCX imports are read in your browser; AI-assisted PDF transcription sends the PDF to an AI provider after your explicit choice. Review the transcription before saving. The PDF import endpoint does not save the original file; extracted text can become part of your saved draft.

Think Out Loud (speech to text)

In The Foil, Think Out Loud lets you speak a first idea instead of typing it. It uses your web browser’s built-in speech recognition. When you press Start talking, your browser, not EssayArc, captures audio from your microphone and may send it to the browser maker’s speech service (for example, Google for Chrome or Apple for Safari) to turn it into text. That provider’s own terms and privacy notice govern that processing. EssayArc never receives, records or stores audio. Your browser asks for microphone permission, and you can withdraw it in the browser’s settings. You can also type, or use your device’s own dictation, which your device provider governs.

EssayArc saves only the resulting text, which you can edit, as private notes with that inquiry. The notes are not sent to AI providers, are not included in a PLF discussion copy and are not included in the downloaded thinking record. Text you choose to add to your answers is handled like anything else you write there, including AI processing you request. Think Out Loud only turns your speech into text; it does not suggest or change words, so it is available whatever your course’s AI setting. Follow your course’s rules about dictation. The notes stay with your inquiry, where you can review, edit or clear them at any step, until you clear them or close your account. Browser recovery copies are handled as described in “Cookies, local copies and tracking”. The notes are included in your account export.

Google Docs sharing

Google Docs sharing is optional. If you connect a Google account to EssayArc, EssayArc asks Google only for access to the Google Docs you choose or open with EssayArc. It cannot see the rest of your Google Drive. EssayArc uses this access to read a Doc’s title, version details, text and comments, and to add comments from your peer learning facilitator (PLF). It never changes or deletes the Doc’s text. EssayArc stores an encrypted credential for this access and the link to and title of the Google Doc you attach to a paper. Each plain-text copy you save is stored as a dated version of your paper with your reflection. Formatting stays in Google Docs.

If you share a version with your PLF for reading and commenting, your PLF can comment on it in EssayArc. EssayArc saves the comment and, if your PLF has connected Google, also posts it, with the quoted passage, to your Google Doc through the PLF’s own Google account, so Google shows that account’s name. Anyone who can open the Google Doc can read comments posted to it.

When you or your PLF refresh Google comments, EssayArc copies the Doc’s comments and replies into that version. This includes resolved comments, comments from anyone else who can comment on the Doc, and the names Google shows for them. Anyone the version is shared with in EssayArc can read these copies. When a comment written in Google is deleted there, EssayArc removes its copy at a later refresh. Comments written in EssayArc stay in EssayArc even if they are deleted in Google.

A saved copy is an ordinary version of your paper. When you request AI assistance on it, its text is handled as described in “AI assistance and document import”, subject to your assignment’s AI setting. EssayArc does not use AI to read your Google Doc directly. When your PLF lets you know about new feedback, you get a notice in EssayArc and may get an email. The email contains a link, not your writing or anyone’s comments.

You can remove EssayArc’s access at any time in your Google Account, at myaccount.google.com/connections. Disconnect Google in EssayArc also asks Google to remove that access, and EssayArc deletes its stored credential. Saved copies and comments stay in EssayArc until you delete the paper or close your account. Comments a PLF writes stay with the writer’s paper, with the PLF’s name, even after the PLF closes their account. Closing your account also asks Google to remove EssayArc’s access. Deleting a paper or closing your account does not delete any Google Doc or comments already posted to it; manage those in Google Docs. Your account export includes your Google Doc links, saved copies and comments, never the Google credential. Google’s own terms and privacy notice govern your Google account.

Service providers and external features

Supabase provides authentication, database and configured file storage; Google can provide optional sign-in and, if you connect a Google account, access to the Google Docs you choose (see “Google Docs sharing”); Vercel provides hosting and operational infrastructure. If you use Think Out Loud, your web browser’s speech service processes your audio (see “Think Out Loud (speech to text)”). Stripe processes checkout, subscriptions and payment information. EssayArc stores billing identifiers and subscription state rather than full payment-card details. Resend delivers configured account, connection and feature emails. GitHub supports source control and build workflows.

Where Pony Express is available, city/state route queries are sent to OpenStreetMap Nominatim; attachments use configured storage and recipient emails may contain delivery links. External links and embedded resources can send ordinary connection information to their providers when loaded. Third-party services have their own terms and privacy notices.

Cookies, local copies and tracking

EssayArc uses session cookies and browser storage to keep you signed in, retain interface preferences and recover writing. Some recovery copies remain on the device after sign-out. Shared-device users should protect the browser profile and clear local copies when appropriate. Clearing browser storage can permanently remove drafts that were never saved to the account.

The reviewed application does not include advertising or behavioral-analytics integrations. Operational logs, requested third-party features and external resources still process information. Browser tracking preferences do not disable necessary authentication or recovery storage. If optional tracking is introduced, its notice and required choices must be updated before it runs.

Retention and closing your account

Records are kept to provide the service and for justified operational, security, institutional, billing or legal purposes. You can export available account records and request closure from Account and privacy without agreeing to new terms. Closing an account removes its linked application records through database relationships and records minimal restricted deletion history so a later backup restoration does not reopen the account. Owners of courses, shared workspaces or stored files may need support to arrange transfer or cleanup before closure.

Closure does not automatically cancel a Stripe subscription, erase information already delivered to recipients, or prove erasure from providers, logs or recovery copies. Manage billing before closure or contact support. File cleanup and provider follow-up can require additional work. Recovery copies may persist until their retention expires; completed closures must be reapplied before restored data returns to service. Local copies on other devices are not remotely erased.

Your requests and choices

Use Account and privacy to download available records, read your agreement receipt, sign out or close your account. Update supported profile fields and manage sharing within their features. Contact hello@essayarc.com or Help for access, correction, deletion, retention questions, institutional records or records not included in the self-service export. We may need to verify your identity and the scope of a request, and may need to explain legal or institutional retention requirements.

Security, younger users and changes

We use authentication, access restrictions and operational safeguards, but no service can guarantee absolute security. Contact us about suspected unauthorized access. If a parent, guardian or school arranges use for a younger learner, it must have the required authority and follow applicable rules; contact us before providing children’s information or if you believe it was collected without appropriate authorization.

The date and version identify this notice. Material revisions are presented through the account agreement flow. Prior published text is retained so recorded acceptance can be understood. Terms acceptance and notice acknowledgement are separate from any consent required for a specific optional use.