Tapi Learn Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how the Africa Climate Leadership Academy (ACLA) collects, uses, and protects your information when you use the Tapi Learn mobile application (the "App"). By downloading and using the App, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

ACLA is committed to protecting your privacy. We follow the Google Play Store Data Safety guidelines, the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information you provide

When you create an account or use certain features, you may provide:

• Account information: name, email address, and password (stored as a one-way hash).
• Profile information: profile photo, headline, bio, phone number, country, organization, education history, work experience, skills, certifications, languages, and CV/résumé file.
• Mentor information: if you register as a mentor, your professional title, areas of expertise, and a short bio — visible to other users in the Network tab.
• Feedback and support requests: any information you submit via the in-app feedback form or email to info@acla.io.

1.2 Information collected automatically

When you use the App, we may automatically collect:

• Device information: device type, operating system version, and unique device identifiers (used only for crash reporting and app stability).
• Usage information: courses enrolled in, lessons completed, learning progress, certificates earned, and features used (used to personalize your experience and improve the App).
• AI Coach conversations: the messages you send to the AI Career Coach are sent to our LLM provider to generate responses. We do not store these conversations on our servers beyond the session — they are not used to train the model.

1.3 Information we do NOT collect

We want to be clear about what we don't do:

• We do not collect precise location data (GPS).
• We do not read or upload your contacts.
• We do not access your photos, camera, or microphone unless you explicitly choose to upload a profile photo or CV.
• We do not sell your personal data to third parties — ever.
• We do not use your data for targeted advertising.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the App — account creation, authentication, and course access
• Track your learning progress and issue certificates upon course completion
• Personalize your experience — recommend courses, show relevant opportunities
• Enable mentorship and networking — display your profile to other users (if you're a mentor)
• Power the AI Career Coach — your questions are sent to our LLM to generate responses
• Send you notifications about course deadlines, new opportunities, and messages (if enabled)
• Respond to your feedback, support requests, and inquiries
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, and security problems
• Comply with our legal obligations

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

3.1 Service providers

We use third-party services to operate the App. These providers may access your data solely to perform services on our behalf:

• LLM provider — processes your AI Coach messages to generate responses. Messages are not stored by the provider beyond the request.
• Google Play services — for app distribution, in-app updates, and crash reporting (subject to Google's privacy policy).
• Expo / Application services — for push notifications and app updates.

3.2 Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

3.3 Business transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred. We will notify you via the App or email before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) between the App and our servers
• Password hashing — we never store passwords in plain text
• Secure session tokens stored in the device's secure storage (not in plain text)
• Regular security reviews of our codebase and dependencies
• Limited access to personal data — only authorized ACLA team members can access user data

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services:

• Account data: retained until you request deletion
• Course progress & certificates: retained for the life of your account
• AI Coach conversations: not retained server-side — they exist only in your device's local storage
• Profile photo & CV: stored in your device's local storage; removed when you delete your account
• Crash reports: retained for 90 days, then automatically deleted

You may request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by emailing info@acla.io. We will process your request within 30 days.

6. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: request deletion of your account and personal data
• Restriction: request that we limit the processing of your data
• Data portability: request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection: object to our processing of your personal data
• Withdraw consent: withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent

To exercise any of these rights, email info@acla.io with the subject line "Privacy Request". We will respond within 30 days.

If you are in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Kenya, you have additional rights under the GDPR or the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 respectively. You may lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not addressed your concern.

7. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at info@acla.io and we will promptly delete such information.

Learners aged 13-17 may use the App with the involvement of a parent or guardian. By allowing your child to use the App, you consent to the collection and use of their information as described in this policy.

8. AI Career Coach — Special Notice

The App includes an AI Career Coach feature that uses a large language model (LLM) to provide career guidance. When you send a message to the coach:

• Your message and conversation history (up to the last 10 messages) are sent to our LLM provider
• The provider processes the request to generate a response and returns it to you
• The conversation is not stored on our servers — it exists only in your device's local memory
• Your conversations are not used to train the AI model
• If the device is offline, the coach falls back to a local response generator that does not send any data anywhere

Do not share sensitive personal information (such as government ID numbers, financial details, or passwords) with the AI Coach. The responses are AI-generated and may not always be accurate — use your judgment when acting on advice.

9. App Permissions

The App requests the following device permissions:

• Photos/Media (optional): Used only when you choose to upload a profile photo or CV. We do not access your gallery at any other time.
• Camera (optional): Used only if you choose to take a photo for your profile picture. The camera is not activated without your explicit action.
• Notifications (optional): Used to send you learning reminders, course updates, and mentor messages. You can disable these in your device settings.
• Network access: Required to download courses, sync progress, and use the AI Career Coach and networking features.
• Storage (local): Used to store your profile, learning progress, and downloaded lessons on your device for offline access.

You can manage these permissions at any time in your device's Settings → Apps → Tapi Learn → Permissions.

10. Offline Data & Local Storage

Much of your data — including your profile, learning progress, AI Coach conversation history, and downloaded course content — is stored locally on your device. This data:

• Is not uploaded to our servers unless you explicitly sync
• Is not accessible to other apps on your device
• Will be permanently deleted if you uninstall the App or clear its data
• Can be exported or deleted at any time from the Profile → Edit Profile screen

11. Third-Party Links

The App contains links to external websites — including scholarship, job, and grant opportunity listings, mentor profiles, and course resources. These external sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their content or practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any website you visit.

12. International Users

The App is designed for learners across Africa and may be used globally. If you are accessing the App from outside Kenya, please be aware that your data may be transferred to and processed in Kenya or other countries where our service providers operate. By using the App, you consent to such transfers.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify you via the App or email if the changes are material
• Keep the previous version available on request

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the App after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

15. Google Play Store Listing

For Google Play Store compliance, here is the data safety summary for the Tapi Learn app (package: com.tapilearn.myapp):