Privacy Policy

Linguaverse ("we", "our", "us") is a premium online language tutoring platform operating at linguaverse.org. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data collected through our website and platform services. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us at: privacy@linguaverse.org.

We collect the following categories of personal data:

Account Information: First name, last name, email address, profile photo, phone number, and country of residence — collected when you create an account.

Learning Profile: Your chosen languages, CEFR level assessments, learning goals, age group, and schedule preferences — collected during onboarding and updated as you progress.

Payment Information: Stripe customer ID, payment method details (processed and stored securely by Stripe — we never store full card numbers), transaction history, and subscription status.

Class Data: Class schedules, Zoom meeting IDs, attendance records, and tutor session notes.

Progress Data: Assessment scores, test results, CEFR level progression, hours completed, skill evaluations (speaking, listening, reading, writing), and vocabulary practice data.

Communications: Messages exchanged through the platform and testimonials you submit.

Class Recordings: When you participate in live sessions, recordings may be made with your consent. Recording URLs are stored and may be made accessible to you for review.

Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time on platform, device type, IP address, and browser information — collected via cookies and server logs.

Referral Data: Your unique referral code, the identities of people you refer, referral status, and any rewards earned.

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

Service Delivery: To create and manage your account, process payments, schedule and deliver live tutoring sessions, and provide access to study materials and recordings.

Personalisation: To tailor course recommendations, vocabulary, exercises, and study materials to your CEFR level, learning goals, and progress history.

Progress Tracking: To generate monthly progress assessments, maintain your learning history, and provide visual progress dashboards.

Communication: To send class reminders, progress reports, Word of the Day emails, and important account notifications. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time.

Referral Programme: To track referrals you make, calculate and attribute rewards, and process payout requests.

Legal & Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, prevent fraud, and enforce our terms of service.

Improvement: Anonymised usage data helps us improve our platform, curriculum, and teaching quality.

Recording for Your Review: Live class sessions may be recorded and made available to you within your student dashboard for personal review and study. This is part of the core service.

Promotional Use: With your explicit, separate consent (provided during account setup and revocable at any time), we may use clips or excerpts from class recordings for promotional, educational, or social media purposes. We will always obtain fresh consent before using any recording publicly.

Withdrawing Consent: You may withdraw consent for promotional recording use at any time through your Account Settings > Privacy tab, or by emailing privacy@linguaverse.org. Withdrawal does not affect recordings already published.

Retention: Class recordings are retained for up to 12 months after your last active class, after which they are permanently deleted unless you have specifically requested extended access.

When you submit a testimonial, you may choose to have it published under your name or anonymously. You will be asked to provide explicit consent before publication. Once published, you may request removal at any time by contacting us at privacy@linguaverse.org.

We will never publish a testimonial without your prior consent. Consent to publish a testimonial does not constitute consent for recording use, and vice versa — these are separate consent checkboxes.

We share your data with trusted third-party service providers who process it on our behalf:

Clerk (Authentication): Manages user authentication, session management, and user identity. Data processed: email, name, profile photo. Privacy policy: clerk.com/privacy

Stripe (Payments): Processes all payment card transactions and manages subscription billing. Stripe is PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant. Data processed: payment details, billing address. Privacy policy: stripe.com/privacy

Zoom (Video Conferencing): Hosts live tutoring sessions and may record them when enabled. Data processed: name, email, session data, video/audio content. Privacy policy: zoom.us/privacy

Cloudinary (File Storage): Stores study materials, profile images, and class-related files. Data processed: uploaded file content and metadata. Privacy policy: cloudinary.com/privacy

Neon (Database): Serverless PostgreSQL hosting provider. Data processed: all platform data stored in our database. Privacy policy: neon.tech/privacy

All processors are contractually bound to handle your data only as directed by us and in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

Essential cookies: Session management, authentication tokens, and security. These cannot be disabled as they are required for the platform to function.

Analytics cookies: Anonymised usage statistics to help us understand how our platform is used. You may opt out via our cookie banner.

Preference cookies: Remembering your language and display preferences.

We do not use advertising or tracking cookies for third-party advertising purposes.

Under GDPR and applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights:

Right of Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.

Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations (e.g. we may need to retain payment records).

Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format.

Right to Restriction: Request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.

Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.

Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@linguaverse.org with "Data Request" in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days.

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary:

- Active accounts: For the duration of your account existence plus 90 days after deletion request. - Payment records: 7 years to comply with financial regulations. - Class recordings: 12 months after your last active class. - Test results and progress data: For the duration of your account. - Marketing communications: Until you unsubscribe.

After applicable retention periods, data is permanently and securely deleted.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

- Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) - Encrypted data storage - Access controls and authentication requirements - Regular security reviews - Minimal data principle — we only collect what is necessary

Despite these measures, no system is 100% secure. If you become aware of any security concern, please contact security@linguaverse.org immediately.

Linguaverse offers Kids French and other courses for children aged 4–18. When enrolling a child, the parent or legal guardian must create and manage the account. We do not knowingly collect data directly from children under 13 without verified parental consent.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child without appropriate consent, please contact us at privacy@linguaverse.org and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will notify you of significant changes by email or via a prominent notice on the platform. Your continued use of our services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns:

Email: privacy@linguaverse.org Phone: +234 813 506 5600 Website: linguaverse.org

We aim to respond to all privacy enquiries within 5 business days.