Your data and account access

Privacy policy

Effective October 14, 2026 · Attendance OCR version 2.1

Attendance OCR is a Windows app developed by Saif Alotaibi. It helps authorized course staff review handwritten attendance and save confirmed bins to a Google Sheet. Privacy contact: saifmkhalotaibi@gmail.com.

What the app accesses

When you connect Google, the app receives authorization tokens and reads your account email to show the connected account. It reads the files you select, including PDF content, file names and identifiers, roster names and any student identifiers or aliases present in the roster. It also reads and updates attendance dates, bins and review progress in your selected Google Sheet.

Why Google asks for permission

The app requests one permission: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file. This covers files selected through Google Picker or created through the app. It does not request unrestricted access to your Drive.

This permission can allow viewing, editing, creating and deleting selected files. Attendance OCR uses it to read selected PDFs and read and write the chosen spreadsheet, including hidden recovery tabs. Access applies to the selected spreadsheet as a whole, not just its attendance cells. Your Google sharing permissions and organizational restrictions still apply.

How records are used

The app runs handwriting recognition on your computer, suggests roster matches and records the names and bins you confirm. Recovery information includes review position, confirmations, crop coordinates and pending save jobs. It is used to continue a review and retry saves.

Attendance data is not sold, used for advertising, used to determine creditworthiness or used to train a generalized AI model. The app does not send attendance content to a developer-operated processing server or an external AI service.

Where data is stored

• In Google: the original PDFs, roster and attendance results stay in your Drive and Sheets. The app saves recovery information in hidden tabs of the selected spreadsheet. Hidden tabs have the same sharing permissions as that spreadsheet; they are not private from other people who can access it.
• In computer memory: selected PDF bytes, roster names, handwriting crops and the working queue are processed in RAM. Version 2.1 does not intentionally write these student records to local files.
• On local storage: the app, recognition model, settings, selected sheet details, account email and non-student model support files remain on the computer. Google authorization tokens are encrypted using Windows account protection.

The memory-only approach is not a guarantee that no student data can ever reach device storage. Windows paging, browser behavior and crash dumps are outside the app’s control. Use an approved, secured computer. Changes not yet saved to Google can be lost if the app or computer stops.

Sharing and service providers

Google receives requests needed for sign-in, file selection, file access and spreadsheet saving. Records saved to the sheet are available to people authorized to access that sheet. The app does not automatically share files with the developer or add people to your Google files.

The developer receives information you voluntarily send to support. Do not send student records or credentials. Any access to specific student records for support would require your explicit authorization and the institution’s permission.

Keeping and deleting data

The app does not apply a fixed retention period to your Google records. Instructors or authorized file owners decide how long to retain them under course and institutional rules. Signing out or uninstalling the app does not delete the Google records.

1. Finish saving and close the app before deleting a completed session’s recovery data.
2. An authorized editor can unhide and delete that session’s _AttendanceOCR_ recovery tab in Google Sheets. This removes the app’s ability to resume that session.
3. Manage original PDFs and attendance results separately in Google Drive or Sheets. Google trash, version history and institutional retention policies may retain earlier data.

Sign out removes the app’s saved token file. To revoke the app’s Google authorization, use Google Account third-party connections. Local settings and models may remain after sign-out or uninstall. Your IT staff can help remove them when no longer needed.

Older versions saved student working files locally. The version 2.1 upgrade asks before deleting known legacy files. Finish saving old work first. This is ordinary file deletion, not secure erasure, and does not remove copies elsewhere.

For information you sent directly to support, email the privacy contact to request deletion. Support correspondence is kept while resolving the issue and afterward only as needed for follow-up or legal obligations. The developer cannot delete course-owned files without access and authorization.

Google API Limited Use

Attendance OCR’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

This website

This site is hosted on GitHub Pages. It has no attendance upload form, advertising, analytics scripts or account sign-in. The hosting provider may process request information, including IP addresses and technical logs, under its privacy policy. Email links open your email service.

Changes and questions

Updates will be posted here with a revised date. Material changes to data handling must be explained before affected use, with consent when required. Email saifmkhalotaibi@gmail.com with privacy questions.