Privacy Policy

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when registering for an account or using the App, including but not limited to:

• Account Information: Full name, email address, username, password, and profile picture
• Role Information: User type (student or parent), student ID, parent ID
• Contact Information: Phone number and email address
• Educational Information: Academic records, grades, courses enrolled, institution details, and subject preferences
• Booking Information: Tutor session bookings, scheduling preferences, and payment details

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the App, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information
• Usage Data: App features accessed, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Location Data: General location information based on IP address (we do not collect precise GPS location)
• Biometric Data: Biometric authentication preferences (Face ID/Fingerprint) are processed locally on your device and not transmitted to our servers

2.3 Information from Third-Party Services

We may receive information about you from third-party services we integrate with, including:

• Authentication Services (Clerk): Account verification status, authentication tokens
• Firebase Services: Chat messages, session data, and analytics
• Educational Institutions: Academic records and enrollment status (with your consent)

3.1 Provide and Improve Services

• Create and manage your user account
• Facilitate student-parent account linking
• Enable course browsing and enrollment
• Provide personalized career matching recommendations
• Connect students with tutors for booking sessions
• Deliver chat and messaging functionality between students and tutors
• Process tutoring session bookings and payments
• Store bookmarks and recently viewed resources
• Send notifications about courses, sessions, and important updates

3.2 Personalization

• Customize content based on your preferences and academic interests
• Provide tailored course and institution recommendations
• Match careers based on your subject choices and preferences

3.3 Communication

• Send transactional emails and push notifications
• Provide customer support
• Send educational updates and resources
• Notify you of changes to our services or policies

3.4 Security and Compliance

• Protect against unauthorized access and fraud
• Ensure the security and integrity of our services
• Comply with legal obligations

4.1 With Your Consent

We may share your information when you have given us explicit consent to do so.

4.2 Service Providers

We work with third-party service providers who assist us in operating the App, including:

• Clerk: Authentication and identity management
• Firebase (Google): Database, storage, chat functionality, and analytics
• Expo: App development and update delivery
• Educational Institutions: For verification of academic records (with consent)
• Tutors: Limited information necessary for tutoring services

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

4.5 Parent-Student Linking

If you are a student, your parent or guardian may be able to view certain information about your academic progress and app usage through their linked parent account, as permitted by law and our Terms of Service.

5.1 Data Storage

Your data is stored using secure cloud services, including:

• Firebase Cloud Firestore: For user data, chat messages, and booking information
• Firebase Cloud Storage: For uploaded files and media
• Clerk: For authentication credentials and user metadata
• AsyncStorage: For local device caching of preferences and recently viewed content

5.2 Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Secure authentication with JWT tokens
• Biometric authentication options (Face ID/Fingerprint)
• Screen capture protection for sensitive screens
• Regular security assessments and updates

5.3 Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes, such as resolving disputes or enforcing our agreements.

6.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to request access to your personal information and receive a copy of the data we hold about you.

6.2 Correction

You can update your account information at any time through the App's profile settings. You may also request that we correct any inaccurate information.

6.3 Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal information. Please note that some information may be retained as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

6.4 Opt-Out

You may opt out of:

• Marketing communications by adjusting your notification preferences
• Push notifications through your device settings
• Biometric authentication through the App settings

6.5 Data Portability

You may request a copy of your personal data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

7.1 Age Requirements

The App is intended for use by students and their parents/guardians. If you are under 18 years of age, you should use the App only with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian.

7.2 Parental Controls

Parents and guardians with linked accounts may:

• Monitor their child's academic progress
• View tutoring session history
• Manage notification preferences

7.3 COPPA Compliance

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without proper consent, we will take steps to delete that information.

10.1 Local Processing

When you enable biometric authentication (Face ID or Fingerprint), your biometric data is processed and stored locally on your device using the device's secure enclave. We do not have access to or store your actual biometric data.

10.2 Opt-Out

You can disable biometric authentication at any time through the App settings and use password-based authentication instead.