1. Introduction

Studo Guide ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website studoguide.co.za, use our mobile application, or interact with our services. Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site or use our services.

Studo Guide (Pty) Ltd is a company registered in South Africa. This policy applies to all users of our platform, including students, tutors, parents, sponsors, and visitors.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you provide when registering an account, completing assessments, or using our services. This includes your full name, email address, phone number, date of birth, gender, grade level, school name, province, city, and suburb. For tutors, we additionally collect qualification details, teaching subjects, and banking information for payments.

Academic Information

We collect your academic results, assessment scores, subject choices, and career preferences to provide personalised education guidance, tutor matching, and progress tracking services.

Usage Data

We automatically collect information about how you interact with our platform, including pages visited, features used, time spent on the platform, device type, browser type, IP address, and general location data. This helps us improve our services and user experience.

Communication Data

We may collect information from communications you send to us, including emails, support tickets, and chat messages with our AI coach, for the purpose of responding to your enquiries and improving our services.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your account and provide our services to you
• To provide personalised education guidance, academic assessments, and AI coaching
• To match you with suitable tutors based on your academic needs and location
• To process payments and manage your subscription
• To communicate with you about your account, updates, and promotional materials
• To analyse platform usage and improve our services and user experience
• To comply with legal obligations and protect against fraud
• To provide aggregated, anonymised data for research and analytics purposes

4. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With matched tutors to facilitate tutoring sessions (limited to your name, grade, subjects, and learning needs)
• With payment processors to process subscription and tutor payments securely
• With bursary providers and universities only with your explicit consent
• With law enforcement or regulatory authorities when required by law
• With trusted service providers who assist us in operating our platform (subject to confidentiality agreements)

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encryption of data in transit and at rest, secure authentication mechanisms, regular security assessments, and access controls that limit who can access your personal data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain certain information for legal or regulatory compliance purposes. Anonymised usage data may be retained for analytical purposes indefinitely.

7. Your Rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa, you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information we hold
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Object to the processing of your personal information
• Withdraw consent for any consent-based processing
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@studoguide.co.za or WhatsApp +27 79 036 8318.

8. Children's Privacy

Our platform is designed for students aged 13 and above. If you are under 18, you should use our platform with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

9. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our platform. Essential cookies are necessary for the platform to function properly. Analytics cookies help us understand how users interact with our platform. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our platform.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our platform and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of our platform after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Email: info@studoguide.co.za
• WhatsApp: +27 79 036 8318
• Address: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa