Privacy Policy
Last Updated: October 28, 2026
Bloom Filter, LLC, d/b/a Waysmith ("Waysmith," "we," "us," or "our") provides college admissions counseling to high school students, parents or guardians, and college counselors located in the United States through our website located at waysmith.io (the "Site") and our companion college-research and organization tool ("Waysmith Advisor" located at advisor.waysmith.io, and together with the Site, the "Services"). This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices and rights available to you.
Who This Policy Covers
Our Services are directed at high school students aged 13 or over (“Students”), parents or guardians and college counselors who engage Waysmith on a Student's behalf, as applicable (“Authorized Users”), located in the United States.
Information We Collect
Information You or Your Authorized Users Provide Directly
- Contact information, including name, email address, and phone number.
- Location information, including zip code, state, and country.
- Month and year of birth for age verification purposes.
- Personal preferences and interests as they relate to the type of school and communities You are interested in, which may include sensitive personal information (as defined by applicable privacy laws) such as your interest in religious programs, race/ethnicity, or LGBTQIA+ campus communities. Providing this information to Waysmith is optional, and it is used solely to provide the Services.
- Academic background, including self-reported scores.
- Financial information, such as financial aid eligibility and budget.
- Account information, including login credentials you create to use the Services.
- Payment information as processed by our third party payment processor. Waysmith does not store full payment card numbers; we retain only limited billing records such as invoice history.
- Information You provide to us in communications.
- Information derived from any of the information above, which may also be considered sensitive personal information.
Information Collected Automatically
- Usage and device data: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages visited, and referring pages, collected through cookies and similar technologies when you use the Services.
- Analytics: we use analytics tools to understand how users use the Services. See the Cookies and Similar Technologies section below for more detail.
- Error reporting: page information, browser information, Waysmith account identifiers, to enable us to use tools to generate error reports and de-bug any issues with the Services.
How We Use Your Information
- To provide the Services, including processing payments via our third party payment processor and maintaining business records.
- To communicate with you.
- To provide marketing and advertisements regarding our Services, such as sending promotional emails you have subscribed to.
- For analytics purposes, so that we can understand how you are using our Services, and to improve our Services.
- To personalize your experience.
- To publish your reviews and testimonials, at your instruction.
- For our business purposes, including to maintain, secure, de-bug, and improve the Services, to manage accounts, to prevent fraud and misuse, and any other business purpose permitted by applicable law.
- For legal purposes, including to comply with legal obligations, court orders, subpoenas, and verified government requests, to enforce our legal agreements, and any other legal purpose permitted by applicable law.
- Any other purpose you direct us to process your personal information for or otherwise consent to.
Who We Share Information With
We do not “sell” or “share” (as defined by applicable privacy laws) your personal information. We may share personal information in the following limited circumstances:
- With service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as scheduling, payment processing, email delivery, and website hosting, under confidentiality obligations.
- With our third party payment processor, who you will also provide information directly to.
- With colleges, recommenders, or other third parties when you or your Authorized Users specifically direct us to share.
- If you are a Student, with your Authorized Users.
- To comply with applicable law, legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Waysmith or others.
- In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of business assets, subject to the same privacy commitments described here.
- Any other party you direct us to share with.
- A list of our service providers and partners can be found at advisor.waysmith.io/legal/subprocessors.
Categories of Personal Information and Recipients
| Category & Type Examples | Purpose | Who We Share With |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Information: name, email, phone number | To administer your account, communicate with you, and otherwise provide the Services | Our service providers; our third party payment processor; your Authorized Users, as applicable |
| Location Information: zip code, state, country; does not include any GPS or precise location | To personalize college recommendation results and otherwise provide the Services | Our service providers; your Authorized Users, as applicable; third party services as directed by you |
| Month and Year of Birth | Age verification, to provide the Services in compliance with law | Our service providers |
| Personal Preferences and Interests (Which May Include Sensitive Personal Information): school type and interests in certain types of communities and programs | To personalize college recommendation results and otherwise provide the Services | Our service providers; your Authorized Users, as applicable; third party services as directed by you |
| Academic Background: self-reported scores | To personalize college recommendation results and otherwise provide the Services | Our service providers; your Authorized Users, as applicable; third party services as directed by you |
| Financial Information: financial aid eligibility, budget | To personalize college recommendation results and otherwise provide the Services | Our service providers; your Authorized Users, as applicable |
| Account Information: user credentials | To administer your account, communicate with you, and otherwise provide the Services | Our service providers |
| Payment Information: invoice information, transaction history, full payment account information not collected by Waysmith | To process payment for the Services | Our service providers; our third party payment processor |
| Interview answers and other free text you write | Personalize recommendations; safety screening | Our service providers; your Authorized Users, as applicable; third party services, as directed by you |
| Information we create from your answers: your summary, list explanations, fit scores | Provide the Services | Our service providers; third party services, as directed by you |
| Activity in the app: lists, favorites, ratings, comments | Provide the Services | Our service providers; your Authorized Users, as applicable |
| Usage and device data | Analytics, security, fixing errors | Our service providers; our third party payment processor |
| Communications with us | Respond to you | Our service providers |
Children's Privacy
Waysmith's Services are designed for high school students working together with Authorized Users located in the United States, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, consistent with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Children under 13 may not create an account or use the Services. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at the address below and we will promptly delete it.
If a Student is a resident of a country outside the United States, applicable law may set a different threshold for age to provide consent for processing personal information. In such case, Waysmith will comply with the requirements of applicable law.
Sensitive Personal Information
Some personal information you provide to us may be considered sensitive personal information under applicable law, in particular, your preferences and interests as they relate to college communities and groups, such as your interest in religious programs, race/ethnicity, or LGBTQIA+ campus communities. Your provision of this type of sensitive personal information is entirely optional and will only be used to provide the Services and shared as described in this Privacy Policy.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Services may use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and understand how our Services are used. Waysmith does not currently enable the use of third party cookies and similar technologies for advertising purposes, but may do so in the future, and will update this Privacy Policy and your ability to make choices regarding cookies and similar technologies accordingly and as described in the Changes to This Privacy Policy section below.
You can control cookies and similar technologies through your browser settings, including blocking or deleting them; doing so may affect certain features of the Services. We do not currently respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals. Where the provider itself offers the ability to opt out of certain features, you may do so by opting out directly with the provider. Please note that opting out of certain features is specific to the device or browser you have used to opt out with; you will need to opt out on any additional browsers or devices you use.
| Provider | Type | Opt-Out (if available) |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics | tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout |
Artificial Intelligence
Waysmith uses artificial intelligence (“AI”) to analyze your responses to questions within the Services and provide college recommendations based on those responses. Waysmith maintains commercial agreements with AI providers and your information will not be used to train any AI model or services. A list of AI providers Waysmith uses to provide the Services can be found at advisor.waysmith.io/legal/subprocessors. If you do not want Waysmith to use AI to provide the Services, please discontinue use of the Services and request deletion of your account.
Optionally, you may elect to use AI assistants through the Services. You must be 18 or over to use the AI assistants. You will be subject to the terms of the AI assistant and we encourage you to review their privacy policies and terms of use separately. Waysmith is not responsible for the practices of any AI assistants you elect to use. When you ask an AI assistant something that needs them, such as an admission-likelihood or travel question, it may send Waysmith details you gave it, such as grades, test scores, home state or ZIP code. We use those details only to answer that question and do not store them. We keep a record of each request, such as the colleges asked about and search choices like location or price range, for 90 days, without your name. If you answer our optional feedback question, we keep your answer, without your name, for up to one year. If a user turns on list sharing, Waysmith sends that student's college lists to the user's AI assistant under a nickname, along with the student's ZIP code and Waysmith's explanation of why each school fits.
Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Services, unless a longer period is required by applicable law or needed to resolve disputes. Records of requests made through the AI connector are deleted after 90 days, and answers to the optional feedback question after one year, or sooner if you delete your account. Backup copies are deleted within 30 days after that. You may also request deletion of your personal information as described more fully below.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights under applicable privacy laws. These rights may include the rights listed below. Waysmith does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
| Right to Access | The right to request that Waysmith disclose certain information to you about its collection and use of your personal information, including categories of personal information, categories of sources, categories of third parties your personal information was disclosed to, purposes for collecting personal information, and specific pieces of personal information Waysmith collected about you. |
| Right to Correct | The right to request correction or amendment to your personal information. Waysmith relies on you to update or correct inaccurate or outdated personal information. |
| Right to Deletion | The right to request deletion of your personal information. Waysmith will delete personal information as required by applicable law but in some situations Waysmith might be required or permitted to retain your personal information. |
| Right to Object to, Restrict, or Limit Certain Types of Processing | Depending on where you are located, you may have the right to object to, restrict, or limit some of the types of processing activities as mentioned in this Privacy Policy. |
| Right to Opt Out of Sale or Share | Depending on where you are located, you may have the right to opt out of the “sale” and “sharing” of your personal information for the purposes of cross-context behavioral advertising if Waysmith ever engages in a “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information. |
| Right to Portability | Depending on where you are located, you may have the right to request a portable, machine-readable version of your personal information. |
| Right to Opt Out of or Limit the Processing of Sensitive Personal Information | Depending on where you live, and whether Waysmith processes your sensitive personal information, you may have the right to opt out of or limit Waysmith’s processing of that sensitive personal information. |
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below. We will verify your request before acting on it and will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
To opt out of any marketing messages, please unsubscribe using the directions contained in the message itself or contact us as provided below.
International Users
Our Services are directed at users located in the United States. If you reside outside the United States or otherwise access the Services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those of your home country.
Third-Party Links and Services
Our Site may link to third-party websites, such as college websites or our scheduling provider. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies separately. Waysmith is not responsible for the practices of any such third parties.
Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal or operational reasons. We will post the updated policy on this page and revise the "Last Updated" date above. If changes are material, we will provide additional notice where appropriate, such as by email or within the Waysmith Advisor app.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or would like to exercise your privacy rights, please email us at the address listed below or select the dropdown option to exercise your privacy rights within the Waysmith Advisor app’s bug reporting feature.
Email: support@waysmith.io
Version 2026-10-29, in effect from October 29, 2026.