Privacy

Garden State Cyber – Privacy Policy

Garden State Cyber (“GSC,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of all participants in our cybersecurity programs and competitions, including the Garden State Cyber Capture-the-Flag (CTF) events. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how it is used, and how it is protected.

1. Information We Collect

Garden State Cyber collects only the minimum information necessary to administer our programs and competitions.

For Student Participants

Student name
School name
School town/location

For Teacher/Advisor Participants

Teacher name
Teacher email address
School name
School town/location

No additional personal information is collected either:

Actively (through forms, registrations, or submissions), or
Passively (through tracking technologies such as marketing cookies, behavioral tracking, or data profiling).

We do not collect home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, or demographic information.

2. How We Use Information

Collected information is used solely for the operational needs of Garden State Cyber programs, including:

Registering teams and participants
Creating competition accounts
Communicating event details to teachers/advisors
Producing scoreboards and recognition materials
Verifying school eligibility

Student email addresses are not collected or used for communication.

NOTE: Teams that qualify for the Summit Finals will be required to sign a media release form.

3. Information Sharing

Garden State Cyber does not sell, rent, trade, or distribute participant information to third parties.

We share only limited data as required to operate the competition platform:

Shared with: Competition platform provider (CTFd.io)
Data shared: School name only
Purpose: Team and account registration within the competition system

No student names, teacher names, or email addresses are shared with any third-party platform, vendor, sponsor, or partner.

4. Organizational Affiliation

Garden State Cyber is a nonprofit initiative affiliated with the Research & Development Council of New Jersey (RDCNJ). Participant information is used exclusively for Garden State Cyber programming and is not shared with RDCNJ.

5. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative and technical measures to safeguard participant information, including:

Restricted access to registration data
Use of secure platforms for competition hosting
Limiting data collection to essential fields only

While no system can guarantee absolute security, we follow best practices appropriate for educational events.

6. Data Retention

Participant information is retained only as long as necessary to:

Administer the current competition season
Maintain historical records of participation and awards
Support program reporting and grant requirements (if applicable)

Data that is no longer operationally necessary is periodically removed or anonymized.

7. Cookies & Website Analytics

The Garden State Cyber website may use basic technical cookies necessary for site functionality (such as login sessions). We do not use cookies for:

Advertising
Behavioral tracking
Marketing analytics

We do not monetize website traffic or user data.

8. External Links

Our website may contain links to third-party sites (such as competition platforms or partner organizations). Garden State Cyber is not responsible for the privacy practices of those external sites.

Participants should review the privacy policies of those platforms separately.

9. Consent

Schools register students voluntarily through authorized teachers or advisors. By registering for or participating in Garden State Cyber programs, schools and advisors acknowledge and consent to the data practices described in this policy.

10. Contact Information

For questions about this Privacy Policy or data practices, please contact:

Garden State Cyber gscyberedu@gmail.com

Garden State Cyber reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy as needed. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.