Privacy Policy
Hoofprint Studio · studio.hoofprint.net · Effective October 8, 2026
Hoofprint Studio (“Studio”) is a production tool for The Hoofprint student newspaper. Staff use it to lay out pages in a web browser and to open and save newspaper files in The Hoofprint’s Google Shared Drive. Studio is run for The Hoofprint by its faculty adviser. This policy explains what Studio collects, why, and what you can do about it. Studio is currently a proof of concept used by The Hoofprint’s staff.
Who can use Studio
Only accounts in the school’s Google Workspace domain (bhmschools.org) can sign in. A new account can’t see newspaper files until the adviser approves it.
What Studio collects
| Information | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Your name, school email address and Google account ID (from Google sign-in) | To identify you, check that your account belongs to the school, and show who is editing a page | Until your Studio account is deleted |
| Your Studio role (pending, viewer, editor, admin) and sign-in times | To decide what you can do | Until your Studio account is deleted |
| A Google Drive access grant (a “refresh token”), stored encrypted | So Studio can open and save newspaper files for you without asking you to sign in again each time | Until you disconnect Drive, your account is deleted, or you revoke access in your Google account |
| Edit locks: which page you have open, when you opened it, and when your browser last checked in | So two people don’t edit the same page at once | Removed when you close the page, or shortly after your browser stops checking in |
| An activity log: sign-ins and sign-outs, page opens, saves, save conflicts, lock takeovers, font changes, and errors, with the file name or Drive file ID involved | Security, troubleshooting, and resolving disputes about edits | One year, then deleted automatically |
| Which fonts each page used when it was last saved | To warn you if a font changed and your text might reflow | As long as the page is used in Studio |
| Small preview images (thumbnails) of Drive files you browse | To show the file browser quickly | Temporary cache; older entries are deleted automatically as space is needed |
| Web server logs: IP address, time, page address, and browser type | Keeping the service running and secure | Rotated automatically (a limited number of log files is kept) |
Studio does not collect your contacts, location, or any Google data other than what is described here. It does not use analytics or advertising trackers, and it loads no third-party scripts.
How Studio uses Google user data
When you sign in, Google asks you to let Studio see your basic profile (name and email) and use your Google Drive. Studio uses Drive access only to do what you ask it to do inside The Hoofprint’s Shared Drive:
- list and search folders and files in The Hoofprint’s Shared Drive, with names, sizes, dates and thumbnails;
- open a newspaper page, photo, graphic or other file you choose;
- save, rename or create files you ask it to save, including pages, conflict copies and exports.
Studio refuses to list, open or change files outside The Hoofprint’s Shared Drive, even though Google’s permission covers your whole Drive. Your own Google Drive permissions still apply: Studio can’t open anything you couldn’t open yourself.
File contents pass through Studio’s server on their way between Google Drive and your browser. They are not kept there, apart from the temporary thumbnail previews described above. Layout, text setting and rendering happen in your own browser.
Studio’s use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically, Google user data is:
- used only to provide and improve Studio’s user-facing features described above;
- never sold, never used for advertising, and never used to build profiles of users;
- never transferred to anyone else, except as needed to provide Studio, to comply with law, or as part of security investigations;
- never used to develop, improve or train artificial-intelligence or machine-learning models;
- not read by people, except with your permission (for example, when you ask the adviser for help with a file), for security purposes, or when required by law.
Cookies and browser storage
Studio sets one cookie: a sign-in session cookie that is required for Studio to work. It expires after 12 hours or when you sign out. Studio also remembers, in your own browser only, the last Drive folder you opened. Your browser caches the app and its fonts so they load faster next time.
Who else is involved
- Google provides sign-in and Google Drive, under the school’s Google Workspace agreement.
- Studio runs on a virtual private server in the United States, operated for The Hoofprint.
- The page-layout software is the open-source DesignCraft project. It runs in your browser and does not send anything to its authors.
Nothing is sold or shared for marketing. Information could be disclosed if required by law, or to school officials when it is needed to investigate misuse.
Security
All traffic uses HTTPS. Drive access grants are encrypted at rest, and the sign-in cookie can’t be read by page scripts. Access to the server is limited to its administrator. No system is perfectly secure; tell the adviser right away if you think your account was misused.
Your choices
- Disconnect Google Drive: sign in, then use the button that appears here. You can also remove “Hoofprint.net” at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Delete your Studio account: ask The Hoofprint’s adviser. Your Studio account record and Drive grant are deleted. Activity-log entries age out within one year. Your newspaper files stay in Google Drive, under the school’s and The Hoofprint’s usual rules.
- See what Studio holds about you: ask the adviser.
Students
Studio is used as part of a school activity and only with school accounts. Information in Studio is used only for producing The Hoofprint, and is handled under the school’s policies for student information.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new effective date. Significant changes will be announced to the newspaper staff.
Contact
Questions or requests: contact The Hoofprint’s faculty adviser using your school email.