Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

Personal Details You Provide

When you interact with our platform, you might share information directly with us. This happens when you register for programs, contact us, or use our services.

• Contact information: Your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address
• Account credentials: Username and encrypted password for accessing our learning platform
• Educational background: Previous qualifications, work experience, and areas of interest
• Payment details: Billing information processed through our secure payment partners
• Communication content: Messages you send us, feedback forms, and support requests

Data We Collect Automatically

Our systems gather certain technical information when you visit our website. This helps us improve your experience and keep things running smoothly.

• Device type, operating system, and browser information
• IP address and general geographic location (city level, not precise tracking)
• Pages you visit, time spent on each page, and navigation patterns
• Referral sources that brought you to our website
• Session timestamps and interaction data with course materials

How We Use Your Information

Everything we collect serves a specific purpose. We don't gather data just for the sake of it.

Primary Uses

• Delivering educational services: Providing access to courses, tracking your progress, issuing certificates
• Communication: Sending program updates, responding to inquiries, sharing relevant educational resources
• Platform improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to enhance course content and user experience
• Administrative purposes: Processing payments, maintaining records, meeting legal obligations
• Security: Protecting against fraud, unauthorized access, and technical issues

Marketing Communications

We might send you information about new programs or relevant updates, but only if you've agreed to receive them. Every marketing email includes a simple unsubscribe option. Essential service communications (like password resets or enrollment confirmations) aren't considered marketing, so you'll still receive those.

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We don't sell your personal information. Period. However, running an education platform means working with certain trusted partners.

Legal Requirements

Sometimes we're legally required to share information with government authorities or regulatory bodies. This only happens when we receive valid legal requests or need to comply with Australian law. We'll notify you about such requests unless prohibited from doing so.

Your Privacy Rights

Under Australian privacy law, you have several rights regarding your personal information. Here's what you can do and how to do it.

Access Your Information

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We'll provide this within 30 days, usually in a common electronic format like PDF or CSV. There's no charge for reasonable requests, though we might charge a small fee for excessive or repetitive requests.

Correct Inaccurate Data

Found something wrong in your profile? You can update most information directly through your account settings. For data you can't change yourself, contact us and we'll fix it promptly.

Request Deletion

You can ask us to delete your personal information. We'll honor this request unless we need to keep certain records for legal reasons (like tax records or fraud prevention). Even after deletion, some data might remain in encrypted backups for up to 90 days before permanent removal.

Withdraw Consent

For activities that rely on your consent (like marketing emails), you can withdraw that consent anytime. This won't affect the lawfulness of processing that happened before you withdrew consent.

Lodge a Complaint

If you're not satisfied with how we handle your privacy concerns, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). We'd appreciate the chance to address your concerns first, though.

Data Security Measures

We take security seriously because your trust matters. Our approach combines technical safeguards with organizational policies.

• Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers uses TLS 1.3 encryption. Stored passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms.
• Access controls: Only authorized staff can access personal information, and only when necessary for their work. Access logs are maintained and reviewed regularly.
• Regular security audits: We conduct vulnerability assessments and update our systems to address potential threats.
• Secure infrastructure: Our data is hosted with reputable Australian providers who maintain ISO 27001 certification.
• Backup procedures: Encrypted backups are created daily and stored in separate secure locations.

Despite these measures, no system is completely invulnerable. If we detect a data breach that might affect you, we'll notify you and the OAIC as required by law.

Data Retention Periods

We don't keep your information longer than necessary. Different types of data have different retention requirements.

Active Account Data

While your account is active, we maintain your profile information, course progress, and interaction history. This lets you access your learning materials and pick up where you left off.

Financial Records

Australian tax law requires us to keep financial records for seven years. This includes payment transactions, invoices, and related documentation.

Closed Accounts

When you close your account, most personal information is deleted within 90 days. We keep minimal records (like transaction history) for legal compliance purposes, but these are isolated from identifying information where possible.

Marketing Data

If you unsubscribe from marketing communications, we keep just enough information to honor that request (your email address and preference status). This prevents us from accidentally contacting you again.

International Data Transfers

We primarily store data within Australia. However, some of our service providers operate internationally, which means your data might be processed in other countries.

When we transfer data overseas, we ensure:

• The recipient country has adequate privacy protections, or
• We have contractual agreements requiring equivalent safeguards, or
• You've explicitly consented to the transfer

Most of our international partners are based in countries with strong privacy frameworks, including the EU (covered by GDPR) and the US (service providers with appropriate safeguards).

Children's Privacy

Our services are designed for individuals aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you're a parent and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

For educational programs involving younger participants, we require verifiable parental consent and implement additional safeguards appropriate for minors.

Changes to This Policy

We review and update this privacy policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we'll notify you through email or a prominent notice on our website.

The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy shows when we last revised it. We encourage you to review this policy occasionally to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Continued use of our services after changes become effective indicates your acceptance of the updated policy. If you disagree with changes, you can close your account by contacting us.

Specific Australian Privacy Considerations

As an Australian organization, we comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) outlined in the Privacy Act 1988. This includes:

• Open and transparent management: Making our privacy practices clear and accessible
• Anonymity and pseudonymity: Allowing you to interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym where practicable
• Collection limitations: Only collecting information that's reasonably necessary for our functions
• Data quality: Taking reasonable steps to ensure information is accurate and up to date
• Security safeguards: Protecting information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorized access

You can make a privacy complaint to us first. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at 1300 363 992 or visit oaic.gov.au.