Compliance & Disclaimers

Last updated: February 23, 2026

1. Service Disclaimers

General Disclaimer

Skill Focus Lab is a self-directed practice platform. It is not an accredited educational institution, certification body, or employer-endorsed credential. Scores and results displayed on this platform are internal metrics used for personal progress tracking only. They do not constitute professional certifications, academic credits, or employment qualifications.

Educational Disclaimer

The content, tools, and AI coaching provided by Skill Focus Lab are for informational and practice purposes only. We do not guarantee specific outcomes, job placement, salary increases, or career advancement. Improvement depends on individual effort, consistency, and external factors beyond our control.

AI Disclaimer

AI-powered features (coaching tips, resume reviews, grammar suggestions, career assessments) use OpenAI's language models. AI output may contain errors, hallucinations, or biased suggestions. Always verify AI-generated advice independently. AI responses are not a substitute for professional human review.

Resume & Career Tools Disclaimer

Resume scores, ATS checks, keyword analysis, and career readiness assessments are estimated evaluations based on algorithmic analysis. They do not guarantee that your resume will pass any specific employer's Applicant Tracking System. Actual hiring decisions are made by humans and vary by company, industry, and role.

Skill Score Disclaimer

The Skill Score (0–100 scale) is a proprietary internal metric combining typing speed, writing quality, reading speed, resume readiness, and practice consistency. It is not a standardized test score, IQ measurement, or externally validated assessment. The scoring model uses weighted averages and EMA smoothing, which are described on our AI Transparency page.

2. Honest Positioning

What We Say What We Mean What We Don't Claim
"AI coaching"GPT-generated tips based on your test resultsNot a human coach or certified instructor
"Skill Score"Internal composite metric for progress trackingNot a standardized, accredited, or externally validated score
"Improve your career"Practice tools that develop measurable skillsNo guarantee of job offers, promotions, or salary increases
"ATS-compatible"We check for common ATS formatting pitfallsNo guarantee of passing any specific ATS system
"AI Resume Review"Automated LLM-based analysis of resume textNot a human recruiter review or professional assessment
"High availability"Cloudflare edge infrastructure with global CDNNo contractual SLA unless negotiated for enterprise

Language rule: All marketing copy, landing pages, and email campaigns must use qualifying language ("may help," "designed to," "intended for") rather than absolute guarantees ("will," "guaranteed to," "ensures"). See our Terms of Service § 9 for the full limitation of liability.

3. Data Policies & Your Rights

Right to Access (Data Export)

You can export all your data at any time from your Account page. This includes your profile, typing history, grammar history, lesson progress, pomodoro history, Skill Score history, achievements, and subscription records.

Format: JSON. Delivered instantly via browser download.

Right to Erasure (Account Deletion)

You can permanently delete your account and all associated data from your Account page. Deletion is irreversible and includes all profile data, practice history, AI usage logs, subscriptions, and session data.

Processing time: Immediate. No recovery possible.

Right to Rectification

You can update your name and email from your Account page. If you need to correct data you can't edit directly, contact Support.

Right to Restrict Processing

You can disable analytics tracking via the cookie consent banner at any time. You can opt out of email communications via your Account page or the unsubscribe link in any email.

Data We Collect (Summary)

Category Data Points Retention Legal Basis
AccountEmail, name, hashed passwordUntil deletionContract
Practice DataWPM, accuracy, scores, durationsUntil deletionContract
AI LogsEndpoint, token count, cost (no prompts)90 days auto-purgeLegitimate interest
BillingSubscription ID, status, plan7 years (tax law)Legal obligation
SessionsSession token, expiry30 daysContract
AnalyticsPage views, events (anonymized)26 months (GA4)Consent (cookie banner)

GDPR/CCPA Note: We process minimal personal data. We do not sell personal information. We do not use data for profiling beyond service delivery. For EU residents, our legal basis is contract performance and legitimate interest. For California residents, you may exercise CCPA rights via the same account deletion and export tools.

4. Subscription Transparency

No hidden fees

The price shown at checkout is exactly what you pay. No setup fees, no surprise charges, no price increases without 30-day notice.

Cancel anytime, one-click

Cancel from your Account page with one button. No phone calls, no retention flows, no guilt-tripping. Access continues until your billing period ends.

30-day money-back guarantee

If you're not satisfied within 30 days of your first payment, contact us for a full refund. No questions asked.

Auto-renewal disclosed at checkout

Before you subscribe, we clearly state: "Your subscription will auto-renew at the end of each billing period unless cancelled." This is shown on the checkout screen, in confirmation emails, and on your Account page.

Free tier is genuinely free

Core tools (typing test, grammar checker, focus timer, resume checker, reading speed test) are fully functional without any paid feature. No credit card required. No trial expiration.

30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans

If you're not satisfied within 30 days, contact support for a full refund. No questions asked.

Current Pricing (as of February 2026)

Free: $0 forever
Pro: $19/mo or $199/yr
Pro+: $39/mo or $399/yr

Annual plans include 17% discount. 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.

5. AI & Scoring Model Disclaimers

Skill Score Model

The Skill Score uses the following weighted formula:

Skill Score = (Typing × 0.25) + (Writing × 0.25) + (Resume × 0.25) + (Reading × 0.15) + (Consistency × 0.10)

Each sub-score is normalized to 0–100 using min/max benchmarks from platform usage data. Exponential Moving Average (EMA, α=0.3) smoothing is applied to reduce noise from single-session outliers.

This model has not been externally validated or peer-reviewed. Weights are based on product design decisions, not scientific research.

AI Model Details

Provider: OpenAI (GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4o)

Usage: Coaching tips, grammar analysis, resume review, career assessments

PII handling: All user text is scrubbed of emails, phone numbers, SSNs, credit cards, and addresses before being sent to OpenAI

Prompt safety: System prompts include guardrails against hallucination, harmful content, and off-topic responses

Caching: AI responses are cached (1 min to 1 hr) to reduce cost and latency

Limitations: AI may produce incorrect grammar suggestions, miss resume issues, or provide generic career advice

Aggregate Rating Disclosure

Aggregate ratings (e.g., “4.8/5 from 2,400+ users”) must be based on actual collected user feedback data stored in our database. Fabricated social proof is a violation of FTC guidelines and EU consumer law.

Resolved: All unverified aggregate ratings have been removed from the site, JSON-LD schema, and marketing copy as of February 2026.

6. Account Deletion & Data Retention

Deletion Process

  1. Go to your Account page
  2. Scroll to the "Danger Zone" section at the bottom
  3. Click "Delete My Account"
  4. Type "DELETE" in the confirmation field
  5. Click "Permanently Delete" to confirm

Immediately Deleted

  • Account profile (name, email, password hash)
  • All session tokens
  • Typing test history
  • Grammar check history
  • Lesson progress
  • Pomodoro history
  • Skill Score and snapshots
  • Achievements and streaks
  • Notes and meeting data
  • Baseline assessment results
  • AI usage logs
  • Funnel events and onboarding progress
  • Email preferences

Retained (Legal Obligation)

  • Billing records: Subscription events, payment IDs — retained 7 years for tax/audit compliance
  • Cancellation logs: Anonymous reason data — retained 2 years for product improvement

Retained records are anonymized (user ID removed) and cannot be linked back to you.

Data Export (Before Deletion)

We strongly recommend exporting your data before deleting your account. Use the "Export My Data" button on your Account page to download a JSON file containing all your profile data, practice history, scores, and achievements.

7. UX Placement Guide

All disclaimers and compliance notices should be surfaced at the right moment, not buried. Here is how we implement them:

Location Disclaimer Format
Every AI-powered tool page"This tool uses AI. Results may not be perfect."Banner above footer + link to AI Transparency
Pricing pageAuto-renewal notice, refund policy, trial termsBelow pricing cards
Checkout/payment screen"Your subscription will auto-renew unless cancelled"Inline text before submit button
Signup form"By signing up you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy"Linked text below submit button
Skill Score page"This is an internal metric, not a certified assessment"Info tooltip + footer note
Resume tool results"Scores are estimates. Results vary by employer."Below results card
Cookie bannerAccept/Decline analytics cookiesBottom bar, first visit
Footer (all pages)Links to Privacy, Terms, Compliance, Data ProcessingFooter nav links
Account pageData export + account deletionDedicated section with confirmation flow
Email communicationsUnsubscribe link in every emailEmail footer

8. Investor Risk Mitigation Checklist

This checklist identifies compliance risks and their current mitigation status for due-diligence purposes.

Privacy Policy

Published at /privacy-policy. Covers data collection, storage, third-party services, user rights, and cookie usage.

Terms of Service

Published at /terms-of-service. Covers service description, user accounts, billing, acceptable use, liability limitations.

Subscription Policy

Published at /subscription-policy. Covers pricing, billing, cancellation, refunds, and auto-renewal disclosure.

Cookie Consent Banner

GDPR-compliant cookie banner (cookie-consent.js). Stores 365-day consent cookie. Disables GA/Ads when declined.

AI Transparency

Published at /ai-transparency. Covers AI models used, data handling, PII scrubbing, limitations, and caching.

Data Processing Agreement

Published at /data-processing. Details data flow, third-party processors (Cloudflare, OpenAI, Stripe, Google).

Account Deletion

Implemented: one-click account deletion from Account page with typed confirmation. Immediate and irreversible.

Data Export

Implemented: full JSON data export from Account page. Includes all user data categories.

PII Scrubbing

All text sent to AI is scrubbed of emails, phone numbers, SSNs, credit cards, and addresses (src/lib/helpers.ts).

Rate Limiting

Global API rate limit (60/min per IP). AI-specific limits: per-minute, per-session, and daily by tier.

Security Headers

CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy all set in middleware.

Service Disclaimers

Published on this page. Covers educational, AI, resume, scoring, and general disclaimers.

Subscription Transparency

Auto-renewal disclosed at checkout, on Account page, and in Subscription Policy.

Aggregate Rating Verification

Resolved: All unverified aggregate ratings removed from site, schema, and marketing copy (Feb 2026).

DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment)

Not yet formalized. Recommended for AI-processing features, especially resume review.

DPO Designation

No formal Data Protection Officer designated. Required if processing exceeds certain EU thresholds.

Honest Positioning Language

Documented on this page. Marketing must use qualifying language (may help, designed to, intended for).

No Accreditation Claims

Confirmed: no pages claim accreditation, certification authority, or academic credential issuance.