global scholars Privacy Policy

Date Last Updated:  July 2025

We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how Global Cities, Inc. (“Global Cities” or “we” or “us”) collects, uses, and discloses identifiable information of individuals (“Personal Information”) from our website (“Site”) visitors and participants in the Global Scholars Program (the “Program”). Personal Information includes any information that we collect about you that, alone or in combination with other information, can be used to identify you, such as a personal identifier (e.g., name or email address), an identification number, online identifier, or inferences about your preferences. For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, Personal Information also includes “personal data” or “personally identifiable information,” as such terms are defined under applicable data protection laws. Personal Information does not include publicly available information or information that is de­identified or aggregated so that it cannot be used to identify individuals.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected through third-party websites or services that you may access through this Site and the Program. If you click on a link on our Site or the Program platform and it takes you to a third-party website, that website may have its own privacy notice and/or policies, which you should review.

We may change, modify, add, or remove any portion of this Privacy Policy at any time. Please review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. If we collect or process Personal Information in ways other than described in this Privacy Policy, we will provide you with specific notice at the time of collection.

Prior to using our service, please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By visiting and/or using this Site, you have agreed to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site or Program services.

Personal Information That We Collect

We collect the following Personal Information through the Site and Program platform:  

Site Data. Global Cities may collect and process Personal Information, including name, address, email address, and business title that you provide to us when you fill out the form on the “Connect With Us” webpage or the Global Scholars Interest Form.

Program Data. Global Cities may collect and process Personal Information that you (or your organization) provide through participation in our Program, including first/last name, username, email address, photo, any identifiable information provided voluntarily by a student participant, and the contents of Program contributions. Additionally, the Program may collect and process statistical information linked to your participation, including the total number of participating students in a given Program or school, the minutes per week of instruction, students’ age, and information on the class implementing the Program (such as how students are enrolled, the percent of the class conducted in English, how the program is implemented, number and days of meetings per week, and plans to implement the Program). To the extent that any such statistical information is derived from Personal Information and aggregated, please be advised that Global Cities does not attempt to re-identify de-identified or aggregated data. We also collect Personal Information regarding the Program from educators and school officials, including names, email, location, phone numbers, and affiliated school or schools.

Automatically Collected Information. Global Cities collects usage data about devices you use to access the Site, such as device manufacturer, operating system, domain name and internet protocol (“IP”) address, from all Site visitors (“Automatically Collected Information”). We use Automatically Collected Information internally to help us improve your experience with the Site as well as to record IP addresses, browser types, internet service provider (“ISP”), and product usage.

Aggregated Information. To assist us with the uses described in this Privacy Policy, information that we or our designated service providers have collected about you through this Site, including your use of this Site, may be aggregated, analyzed or enhanced with Personal Information or other information about you that we have from other sources. We do not use analysis or enhancement to attempt to reidentify aggregated data.

How We Collect Your Personal Information

We may collect Personal Information in the following ways:

  • Directly from you, including, for example, through your use of the Site, completion of the School Application, registration form, and Site Participation Agreement, and/or contributions to the Program;

  • From others authorized to provide information to us, including your parent or guardian;

  • From information provided by your school district, school leaders, teachers, local Ministry or Department of Education, or other educational officials;

  • From visits to Program sites that may include audio or video recording;

  • From automated tracking technology and monitoring tools, such as cookies; and

  • From other third parties (including but not limited to, social media and professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn).

Personal Information Used and Disclosed to Third Parties

Your Personal Information may be collected, processed, and stored to, among other things, respond to your inquiries; enforce any Terms Of Use (“TOU”) for the Site and this Privacy Policy; enhance our services to you; compile aggregate statistics, enforce our agreements, allow you to use the Program and access the Site and Program’s functions; comply with all applicable laws and reporting operations; prevent any potential disruptions such as cybersecurity attacks; honor your data rights requests under applicable law; improve this Site and the Program, and promote this Site and the Program to others. We may also use your Personal Information to provide information about this Site, its services, and about us. We may use Program contributions and other information from or about you to help us to evaluate and improve the Program. Program contributions may also be edited and used for or in promotional materials and for other purposes, and used and disclosed on this Site and elsewhere, consistent with this Privacy Policy.

We disclose your Personal Information at your direction, with your consent, or in the following circumstances:

  • Processing by Schoology. The Program is supported by Schoology, a third-party software platform. We share Personal Information about participating students (e.g., usernames, temporary passwords, city of origin, and display names) and educators (e.g., email addresses, full names, usernames and temporary passwords, and city of origin) with Schoology. Schoology also collects limited data, such as program contributions, browser type and configuration, the date and time you use their platform, and your IP address, to provide customer support and deliver the Program. Schoology does not use or share data collected via cookies with anyone else for any purpose, and does not track user data outside the Schoology platform. To learn more about Schoology’s Data Privacy Commitments, please click here.

  • Processing By Affiliates and Third Parties. We may share your Personal Information and other information with third parties who perform services on our behalf, and to respond to your requests or inquiries regarding the Site or Program.

  • Program Contributions. When you share information through Program contributions or work submitted through Schoology, your display name and city of origin is shared with other Program participants, including students and educators. We disclose student usernames, passwords, and display names of enrolled students with their educators for the purpose of enabling Program participation. In limited circumstances, identifying information contributions may be pseudonymized and shared beyond the Program.

  • Marketing Materials, School District Relationships, and Teacher Trainings. We may share de-identified versions of your Program submissions with the leaders of participating school districts, or with teachers and other educators who participate in trainings and who are in the Global Scholars network. We may also share de-identified aggregated statistics regarding participation in the Program with school districts, funders, or local government ministries. Any submissions shared will either be de-identified and/or pseudonymized, and we will not share identifiable Program submissions without seeking your express permission.

  • Automatically Collected Information. We may disclose automatically collected information (e.g., IP addresses, browser types, product usage) obtained from your use of the Site to our service providers who provide services to us, for the purpose of providing that service.

  • Legal or Regulatory Obligations. We may disclose your Personal Information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to satisfy any legal or regulatory obligations to which we are subject. This may include: (i) to comply with the law or in response to a subpoena, court order, government request, or other legal process; (ii) to produce relevant documents or information in connection with litigation, arbitration, mediation, adjudication, government or internal investigations, or other legal or administrative proceedings; (iii) to protect the interests, rights, safety, or property of us, or any of our subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, users, customers, suppliers, or others; (iv) to monitor compliance with and enforce the TOU for this Site; (v) to operate the systems that ensure that the Site functions properly; or (vi) if we believe in good faith that a disclosure is necessary.

  • Business Transactions. In the event that Global Cities goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, reorganization, or sale of a portion of its assets, your Personal Information may be transferred in connection with the proposed transaction. We will provide you with the option to opt-out of the transfer of your Personal Information to the successor entity if that entity has not committed to comply with this Privacy Policy or a Privacy Policy that is, in all material respects, as protective of your Personal Information as this Privacy Policy.

We do not share or sell (as such terms are defined under applicable data protection laws) your Personal Information with or to any third party for direct marketing purposes.

Cookies and Other Data Collection Technologies

We utilize cookies to help us keep our Site secure, measure the performance of our Site and understand how visitors interact with them, and count numbers of visitors. A cookie is a small text file placed on your computer, to the extent that you consent. Cookies allow our Site to distinguish your device from those of other users of the Site, and help us understand how our Site is being used and improve your user experience. We may also use cookies or other data collection tools to collect and compile statistical and other information about your use of this Site and the services provided on this Site. This information may include, but is not limited to, information about the IP address of your computer, browser type, operating system, the state or country from which you accessed this Site, the web pages visited, the date and the time of a visit, and the websites you visited immediately before and after visiting this Site. The information collected may be used for various reasons, including research, analysis, to enhance your experience of this Site (such as enabling log-in), to improve the Site or Program, to compile aggregate and unattributed information about usage of this Site and other websites, and to compile aggregate and unattributed information about participation in the Program.

To assist us with the various uses and purposes described in this Privacy Policy, your information, including information collected by the cookies or similar electronic mechanisms, may be aggregated, analyzed, or linked to accept cookies by default, but you can control and manage the use of cookies on your browser or device by deleting them from your browser when you leave our site. If you do not wish to receive cookies, you may set your browser to reject cookies or alert you when a cookie is dropped on your computer. You can limit how cookies interact with your device or browser by enabling ad tracking functionality on both Android and iOS devices. If you use a device to access our Site, your device identification may be collected and used for purposes similar to other cookies. Most mobile devices allow you to disable the ability for geolocation information to be collected from your mobile device. The help function on most browsers and mobile devices contains instructions on how to set your browser to notify you before accepting cookies, disable cookies entirely, or disable the collection of geolocation data. Please be advised, if you disable certain cookies, some of the features of our Site may not function properly or be available to you, such as those which require identification.

We use both persistent cookies and session cookies. Persistent cookies are associated with your device for as long as you permit them to be, while session cookies are temporary and deleted from your device when your web browser closes.

Web Beacons. Web beacons are tiny graphic image files embedded in a web page or email that allow website operators to check whether you have viewed a particular web page or email communication. We use the information collected by web beacons to statistically monitor how many people are using our Site.

Do Not Track (“DNT”). Some web browsers have DNT or similar features that allow you to tell each website you visit that you do not want your activities on that website tracked. Currently, our Site does not respond to DNT signals and will continue to collect information about you even if your browser’s DNT functionality is activated. Please note that your selection of the DNT option provided by your browser may not have any effect on our collection of cookie information.

Data Security

We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards aimed to protect against unauthorized use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of the Personal Information that we collect and maintain. However, please be advised that no data transmission over the internet is ever 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to our Site.

Third-Party Websites

Please note that the Site and the Program platform may contain links to third-party websites, such as websites operated solely by PowerSchool, Vimeo, or YouTube. We are not responsible for any Personal Information you may provide while on such websites, or the privacy practices or content of other third-party websites. Any information provided on such websites is governed by the privacy policies of the third-party websites and not this Privacy Policy. We strongly encourage you to review and understand the privacy policies of any third-party website before providing your Personal Information.

Children’s Privacy

In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and other applicable children’s data protection laws, we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13 through our Site. If you believe that Global Cities has collected the data of a minor from this Site in error, please notify us. When Global Cities collects Personal Information from children through its Program, it does so for narrowly proscribed purposes and partners with school districts to obtain verifiable parental consent prior to any collection, use, and/or disclosure as required in the applicable jurisdiction. 

Your Privacy Rights as an EEA or UK Resident under the General Data Protection Regulation and UK Data Protection Regulation

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or the United Kingdom (“UK”) you have rights, subject to certain restrictions, under applicable data protection laws including the EU General Data Protection Regulation or the UK General Data Protection Regulation (collectively, the “GDPR”). In accordance with the GDPR, Global Cities acts as a data controller regarding our use of your Personal Information for our own purposes.

Global Cities relies on the following legal bases under the GDPR to process your Personal Information, including:

  • your explicit, valid consent;

  • when necessary for the performance of a contract;

  • compliance with a regulatory or legal obligation to which we are subject or to establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights or for the purpose of legal proceedings; 

  • for vital interests when processing is necessary to protect a life; and

  • to fulfill our legitimate interests to administer and manage the Program and maintain compliance with our policies and procedures, unless your fundamental rights and freedoms override those interests

The GDPR provides you with legal rights in relation to the Personal Information that Global Cities maintains about you. These rights may include:

  • Access. You may request more information about the Personal Information that we maintain about you.

  • Rectification. If you believe that any Personal Information that we are holding about you is incorrect, inaccurate, or incomplete, you may request that we correct or supplement it.

  • Erasure. You may request that we erase some or all of your Personal Information from our systems, subject to our compliance with legal and regulatory obligations. If we deny your request for erasure, we will provide you with the reason why.

  • Objection. You may let us know that you object to the collection or use of your Personal Information for certain purposes.

  • Restriction of Processing. You may ask us to restrict further processing of your Personal Information for the purpose we have been using it. Such restriction request may impact the services that we can provide to you.

  • Portability. You may ask for a copy of your Personal Information in a machine-readable format and request that we transmit it to another party, where technically feasible.

  • File a Complaint. You have the right to lodge a complaint about our practices with respect to your Personal Information with the applicable supervisory authority in the jurisdiction where you reside.

Your Privacy Rights as Brazil Resident under the Brazil General Data Protection Law

If you are a resident of Brazil, you have certain protections and rights under the Brazil General Data Protection Law (“LGPD”). In accordance with the LGPD, Global Cities acts as a data controller regarding our use of your Personal Information for our own purposes.

We rely on the following legal bases to process your Personal Information:

  • Free and informed consent provided by you;

  • As necessary to execute a contract with an individual;

  • To comply with legal or regulatory obligations; and

  • In furtherance of our legitimate interests, unless your fundamental rights and liberties outweigh those interests

If you are a resident of Brazil, you may have the following rights regarding your Personal Information:

  • Be Informed and Access. The right to be informed of and receive access to your Personal Information upon request.

  • Rectification. The right to the correction of incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated Personal Information.

  • Object. The right to object to processing activities conducted in accordance with a legal basis other than consent.

  • Information on Consent. Where consent is required, the right to obtain information regarding the refusal to provide consent.

  • Erasure. The right to request deletion of your Personal Information processed based on consent.

  • Blocking. The right to erase or block the processing of unnecessary or excessive Personal Information, or that Personal Information which was not processed in accordance with the LGPD.

Rights With Respect to Your Personal Information

In addition to the EEA, the UK, and Brazil, Personal Information is collected from several additional countries globally through the administration of the Program. With respect to these additional countries, you may have certain rights in relation to your Personal Information. These rights may include:

  • Access. The right to request information about how we have collected and used your Personal Information, which may include requesting a copy of your Personal Information.

  • Refuse or Object. The right to refuse or object at any time to the processing, disclosure, or transfer of your Personal Information. Please note that such refusal or objection may prevent us from providing services to you.

  • Deletion/To Be Forgotten. The right to request that we delete the Personal Information that we have collected or maintain about you. 

  • Correction. The right to request that we correct any inaccurate Personal Information that we maintain about you.

  • Limit data use. You may have the right to request that we limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive Personal Information to that use which is necessary to provide you with services you have requested and for certain other limited purposes as provided for under applicable law.

  • Appeal. Residents of some jurisdictions may have the right to appeal our decision not to take action on your request to exercise one of your privacy rights. To do so, please contact us through one of the methods listed below.

Please note that if you exercise such rights this may affect our ability to provide services under the Program. To honor any requests, we will verify your identity through the individual, parent, or authorized agent to provide information necessary to verify your identity. We will only use the Personal Information provided in the verification process for identity verification purposes. While we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your request, we also reserve the right to impose certain restrictions and requirements on such requests, if allowed or required by applicable law. Please note that it may take some time to process your request, consistent with applicable law. For inquiries about your Personal Information, or to exercise your rights, please contact us through one of the contact methods listed below.

Withdrawal of Consent

Where you have given us valid consent to collect, use, and process your Personal Information in certain ways, we will rely on your consent. In instances in which we have based our processing of your Personal Information on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent. Please note that when you withdraw consent, we might not be able to provide you with services under the Site. To withdraw such consent, please contact us through the methods listed below. Please note that in certain situations, we may continue to process your Personal Information after you have withdrawn consent and requested that we delete your Personal Information, if we have a legal basis to do so. For example, we may retain certain Personal Information if we need to do so to comply with a legal obligation or if it is necessary to do so to pursue our legitimate interest in keeping the Site safe and secure.

Data Transfer

We are headquartered in the United States and maintain service providers in the United States and in other countries. Please be advised that the United States and other countries may not offer the same privacy protections as the law of your jurisdiction. If you visit our Site, or contact us from outside of the United States, or participate in the Program, please be advised that (1) any Personal Information you provide to us or that we automatically collect will be transferred to the United States; and (2) by using our Site or submitting Personal Information through the Program, you explicitly authorize its transfer to and subsequent processing in the United States and other countries in which Global Cities operates, in accordance with this Privacy Policy. When required by applicable law, we utilize consent to facilitate the transfer of Personal Information from EEA or UK data subjects and may also transfer Personal Information subject to applicable derogations under the GDPR Article 49.

Data Retention

We retain information we collect as long as it is necessary and relevant to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy. Subject to applicable law, we retain Personal Information to resolve disputes, enforce our TOU, or other actions permitted by law, such as for legal, tax or regulatory reasons, we will retain the Personal Information in accordance with such requirements.

Notification of Changes

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make a material change to the way we intend to use your Personal Information, we will notify you by modifying the date updated at the beginning of this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy whenever you access our Site or otherwise interact with us to stay information about our privacy practices.

Questions or Complaints Regarding this Privacy Policy

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, or would like to exercise your legal rights related to Personal Information, please contact us at through the channels listed below. Please include “Privacy” in the subject line of your inquiry. Additionally, if you have complaints about Global Cities’ processing of your Personal Information, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with the applicable supervisory authority where you reside.

By mail:
Global Cities, Inc.
156 West 56th Street, Suite 1004
New York, NY 10019 

By email:
privacy@globalcities.org