Introduction

At Akademus, we are committed to fostering a global community dedicated to practical education that bridges thought and action. As part of Team Humanity, our mission extends from foundational learning in ancient arts like poetry, drawing, and meditation to advanced explorations in physics and beyond. We believe in transparency, respect for individual dignity, and the responsible stewardship of personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains, in clear and straightforward terms, how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal data when you interact with our website (https://akademus.io/), our online professional training courses, and related services (collectively, the "Services").

We designed this policy to be comprehensive yet accessible—avoiding excessive legal jargon where possible, while providing the detail needed for informed understanding. If anything is unclear, please reach out to us; we're here to help.

By using our Services, you consent to the practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our Services.

1. Who We Are and Scope of This Policy

Akademus is operated by the Akademus Education Consortium, with our principal place of business in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data under applicable laws, such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in South Africa, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, and similar regulations worldwide.

This Policy applies to all users of our Services, including visitors, registered learners, instructors, and partners. It covers personal data processed through our website (https://akademus.io/), mobile apps (if applicable), email communications, and any integrated third-party tools.

It does not apply to third-party websites or services linked from our site (including social media platforms like LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Facebook), which have their own privacy practices. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide, improve, and personalize our educational offerings. We only gather what is necessary and relevant, always with your growth and privacy in mind. Here's what we collect and why:

a. Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Submit an enrollment or admissions inquiry
• Fill out a contact form
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Create an account or register for training programs
• Participate in courses, forums, or community discussions
• Submit assignments, quizzes, or user-generated content

This information may include:

• Account and Profile Data: Name (first and last), email address, username, password, date of birth (for age verification), country of residence
• Educational and Professional Details: Program of interest, educational background, professional certifications, career goals
• Payment Information: Billing details, credit card information (processed securely via third-party payment processors—we do not store full payment card details)
• Content You Create: Forum posts, assignments, quizzes, drawings, meditative reflections, or any user-generated content submitted during courses in subjects like poetry, meditation, physics, or other disciplines
• Communications: Messages sent via contact forms, support tickets, surveys, feedback, or any additional information you choose to provide in notes

b. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website or use our Services, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns:

• Usage Data: Pages viewed, courses accessed, time spent on modules (e.g., physics simulations or drawing exercises), search queries, completion rates, and interactions with content
• Device and Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, referring website, user agent information
• Geolocation Data: Approximate location based on IP address (unless you opt into precise location for features like local events)

c. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons, and pixels to remember your preferences, track session activity, and analyze trends:

• Essential Cookies: Enable core functions (e.g., logging in, maintaining session state)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us improve content by understanding how you use our Services
• Marketing Cookies: Support personalized recommendations and targeted communications

You can manage these via your browser settings or our consent banner. See Section 6 for details.

d. Information from Third Parties

• Integrated Services: If you log in via social media (e.g., Google or LinkedIn), we may receive basic profile information with your consent
• Partners and Analytics Providers: Aggregated data from tools like Google Analytics to understand user demographics and enhance our consortium's offerings
• Public Sources: Publicly available information to verify accounts or enrich profiles (e.g., professional certifications)

Note on Sensitive Data: We do not collect sensitive personal data (e.g., racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health data) unless you voluntarily provide it in course contexts (e.g., a meditation journal), and even then, only with explicit consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

Our use of data is grounded in principles of practical utility and human-centered education. We process your information based on legal grounds such as your consent, contract performance (e.g., delivering courses), legitimate interests (e.g., improving services), or legal obligations.

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and Personalize Services: Deliver online training, track progress in subjects like physics or ancient arts, recommend courses, facilitate interactions in our learning community
• Communicate with You: Send enrollment confirmations, course updates, newsletters on Team Humanity initiatives, responses to your inquiries (you can opt out of non-essential emails)
• Process Transactions: Handle enrollment applications, admissions requests, payments, and account management
• Improve and Innovate: Analyze usage patterns to refine content, such as enhancing meditation modules or drawing tools, ensuring education is tailored to thought and action
• Security and Compliance: Detect fraud, prevent abuse, comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms (e.g., investigating unauthorized access)
• Marketing and Research: With consent, promote new programs or conduct anonymized research to advance global education
• Analytics: Conduct geographical insights and regional program offerings based on country data
• Administrative Purposes: Manage user accounts, handle disputes, maintain records

Data Retention

We retain data only as long as necessary—for active users, up to the duration of your account plus a reasonable period for backups (typically 30 days post-deletion). Inactive accounts may be archived after 2 years, with data deleted upon request. When your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

4. Sharing Your Information

We share data sparingly, only when it serves our educational mission or is required by law. We never sell your personal information.

Service Providers

We share your information with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf under strict confidentiality agreements, including:

• Email delivery services (Resend)
• Database and hosting providers (Supabase, AWS Amplify)
• Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Payment processors (e.g., Stripe—when applicable)
• Cloud infrastructure services

Within the Akademus Consortium

Among our affiliated entities (e.g., future Kindergarten or Higher Learning branches) for seamless service delivery and coordinated educational experiences.

Educational Collaboration

In collaborative courses, your name or contributions may be visible to instructors or peers for peer learning and community engagement.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, subpoena, or to protect rights, safety, or property (e.g., responding to authorities in fraud cases, complying with valid requests by public authorities).

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity, with notice provided to you.

With Your Consent

For any other sharing, such as partnerships with educational organizations, we will obtain your explicit consent.

All recipients are bound by data protection standards equivalent to ours.

5. Data Security

Protecting your data is paramount to us as stewards of human knowledge. We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest
• Regular security assessments, vulnerability scanning, and updates
• Access controls and multi-factor authentication
• Secure database infrastructure with Row Level Security (RLS) policies
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse and brute-force attacks
• CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) protection on all forms
• Employee training on data protection and privacy
• Incident response plans and regular audits

While no system is infallible, we commit to notifying you and authorities promptly in case of a breach, as required by law (e.g., within 72 hours under GDPR). However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Empowering you is core to our philosophy. Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information under laws like POPIA, GDPR, and similar regulations:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Rectification/Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Restriction: Request restriction or limitation of processing of your information in certain cases
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable, transferable format
• Objection: Object to processing of your personal information based on legitimate interests or for marketing purposes
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting prior lawful processing
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time via unsubscribe links

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@akademus.io. We will respond to your request within 30 days (extendable if the request is complex).

You can also:

• Manage cookies via browser settings or our consent banner
• Opt out of emails via unsubscribe links in any marketing communication
• Delete your account through account settings, which removes personal data (though anonymized aggregates may remain for research)

If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (e.g., Information Regulator in South Africa, or your national supervisory authority under GDPR).

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our website. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us:

• Remember your preferences and settings
• Understand how you use our website and courses
• Improve website functionality and performance
• Provide personalized content and recommendations
• Track session activity and analyze usage trends

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features of our website.

8. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms (LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Facebook) and integrated services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

9. Children's Privacy

Our current focus is professional training for adults. Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn of such collection, we delete it immediately.

Parents or guardians who discover unauthorized use should contact us immediately. As we expand to younger learners (e.g., Kindergarten levels as part of our educational consortium), we will implement enhanced protections, including parental consent mechanisms.

10. International Data Transfers

As a global consortium, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence (e.g., to servers in the United States or European Union). These countries may have different data protection laws.

We use safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), adequacy decisions, or other approved transfer mechanisms to ensure equivalent protection for your data. By using our services, you consent to the transfer of your information to our facilities and service providers wherever they are located.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page, updating the "Effective Date" at the top, and sending you an email notification or prominent site notice.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Continued use of our Services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.