1. Introduction
Aazad Academy ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website aazadacademy.com (the "Website") and our online educational services, courses, and test series (collectively, the "Services"). Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal information.
By using our Website and Services, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Website or Services.
2. Information We Collect
We collect several types of information from and about users of our Services, including:
2.1 Personal Information
This is information that can be used to identify you directly or indirectly. Personal information we may collect includes:
- Contact Information: Name, email address, postal address, phone number.
- Account Information: Username, password, profile details, course enrollment history, test scores, learning progress.
- Payment Information: Billing address, payment card details or other payment method information (Note: We may use third-party payment processors, and we do not directly store your full payment card details on our servers).
- Demographic Information: Age, gender, educational background, location (optional).
- Communications: Records of your communication with us, including emails, chat logs, and support requests.
- User-Generated Content: Any content you submit or post on our platform, such as forum posts, comments, or assignments.
2.2 Usage Data and Technical Information
We also collect information about your interactions with our Website and Services that is generally anonymous or does not directly identify you. This may include:
- Log Data: Information about your browser, IP address, device type, operating system, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs.
- Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your Browse activity and preferences. Please see Section 6 for more information about cookies.
- Analytics Data: We may use third-party analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to collect and analyze usage data to improve our Services.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information for various purposes, including:
- Providing and Maintaining Services: To operate our Website and Services, provide you with access to courses and test series, process enrollments, and manage your account.
- Personalization and Improvement: To personalize your learning experience, recommend relevant content, track your progress, and improve our Services based on user behavior and feedback.
- Communication: To communicate with you about your account, course updates, important announcements, technical issues, and to respond to your inquiries and support requests.
- Marketing and Promotions (with consent): With your consent, we may send you promotional emails about new courses, special offers, or other information we think may be of interest to you. You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications at any time (see Section 7.3).
- Payment Processing: To process payments for course enrollments and test series purchases.
- Research and Analytics: To conduct research and analyze usage patterns to understand and improve our Services, and to develop new features and offerings.
- Legal Compliance and Safety: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, and to protect our rights, property, and safety, and the rights, property, and safety of others.
4. Disclosure of Your Information
We may disclose your personal information to the following categories of recipients:
- Service Providers: We may share information with third-party service providers who assist us in providing and supporting our Services, such as payment processors, hosting providers, analytics services, email marketing services, and customer support platforms. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and only use it to provide services to us.
- Instructors and Educators: If you enroll in a course, we may share your relevant information (e.g., enrollment details, progress) with the instructors or educators for the purpose of course administration, grading, and providing educational support.
- Legal Authorities: We may disclose information to legal authorities or government agencies if required by law or legal process, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to: (a) comply with a legal obligation, (b) protect our rights or property, (c) prevent fraud, (d) protect the safety of users or the public, or (e) defend against legal claims.
- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our Website of any such change in ownership or control and the choices you may have regarding your information.
- With Your Consent: We may share your information with third parties with your explicit consent.
- Aggregated and Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated or anonymized data that does not directly identify you with third parties for research, analytics, marketing, or other purposes.
We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your explicit consent.
5. Data Security
We take reasonable and appropriate security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption: We use encryption technologies to protect sensitive information during transmission and storage.
- Access Controls: We implement access controls to restrict access to personal information to authorized personnel only.
- Regular Security Assessments: We conduct regular security assessments and audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
However, please understand that no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach, we will take appropriate steps to notify affected users as required by applicable law.
6. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your Browse activities and preferences on our Website.
6.1 What are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your browser or device by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, as well as to provide website usage information to the website owners.
6.2 How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
- Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the Website to function properly and enable you to use our Services, such as logging into your account and accessing course content.
- Performance and Analytics Cookies: These cookies help us analyze how users interact with our Website, track website performance, and improve our Services. We may use third-party analytics cookies like Google Analytics.
- Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow the Website to remember your preferences and provide enhanced features, such as language preferences or personalized content.
- Marketing and Advertising Cookies (with consent): With your consent, we may use cookies to deliver targeted advertisements and marketing communications that are relevant to your interests.
6.3 Your Cookie Choices
You can control and manage cookies in several ways:
- Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically configure your browser to block or delete cookies, or to notify you when cookies are being set. Refer to your browser's help documentation for instructions on how to manage cookie settings.
- Cookie Consent Banner: Our Website may display a cookie consent banner allowing you to manage your preferences for non-essential cookies (e.g., marketing and analytics cookies).
- Third-Party Tools: You can also use third-party browser extensions or tools to manage cookies and tracking technologies.
Please note that blocking or deleting essential cookies may affect the functionality of our Website and Services, and you may not be able to access certain features.
7. Your Rights and Choices
We respect your rights regarding your personal information. You have the following rights, subject to applicable law:
7.1 Access and Correction
You have the right to access and review the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections of any inaccuracies or incomplete information in your account profile. You can access and update some of your profile information directly through your account settings. For other requests, please contact us at privacy@aazadacademy.com.
7.2 Data Deletion (Right to be Forgotten)
In certain circumstances, you have the right to request the deletion of your personal information that we hold. Please note that we may need to retain certain information for legal compliance, contractual obligations, or legitimate business purposes (e.g., record keeping, dispute resolution). To request data deletion, please contact us at privacy@aazadacademy.com. We will evaluate your request in accordance with applicable law and our data retention policies.
7.3 Opt-out of Marketing Communications
If you have consented to receive marketing communications from us, you have the right to opt-out at any time. You can do so by:
- Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email you receive from us.
- Contacting us at privacy@aazadacademy.com and requesting to be removed from our marketing lists.
Please note that even if you opt-out of marketing communications, we may still send you essential transactional and administrative emails related to your account and Services.
7.4 Grievance Redressal
If you have any grievances or concerns regarding our privacy practices or the handling of your personal information, you may contact our Grievance Officer (see Section 12 for contact details). We will endeavor to address and resolve your concerns in accordance with applicable law.
8. Data Retention
We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including:
- To provide you with our Services and operate our business.
- To maintain your account and learning history.
- To comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
- To resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.
- For other legitimate business purposes, such as improving our Services and research and analytics.
When we no longer need to retain your personal information for these purposes, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data retention policies and applicable law.
9. Third-Party Websites and Services
Our Website and Services may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by Aazad Academy. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party websites and services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of those third parties before providing them with your personal information. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party websites or services linked to or from our Website.
10. Grievance Officer
In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and rules made thereunder, the contact details of the Grievance Officer for Aazad Academy are provided below:
Aazad Academy
340/B1, 2nd Floor, SBI Upstairs, Courtallam Main Road, Near Yanaipalam, Tenkasi 627811
Email: grievanceofficer@aazadacademy.com
Phone: +91 90802 53288
The Grievance Officer can be contacted for any complaints or grievances relating to the processing of personal information or any concerns regarding this Privacy Policy.
11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
This Privacy Policy and the processing of your personal information shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes arising under this Privacy Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu.
12. Policy Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post any changes on this page and update the "Effective Date" at the top of this Privacy Policy. For significant changes, we may also provide more prominent notice, such as via email or website banner. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our Website and Services after the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Aazad Academy
340/B1, 2nd Floor, SBI Upstairs, Courtallam Main Road, Near Yanaipalam, Tenkasi 627811
Email: privacy@aazadacademy.com
Phone: +91 90802 53288