We collect information you provide directly, information generated as you use our platform, and limited information from third parties. We are committed to collecting only what we genuinely need to deliver a meaningful, safe experience.
Information You Provide
Account registration: Name, email address, password, role (student, facilitator, or donor), country, and institution.
Profile information: Profile photo, biography, academic field, skills, and social links.
Content: Messages, posts, project descriptions, comments, and uploaded files.
Mentorship & donations: Session requests, payment details (processed by secure third-party providers), and transaction records.
Communications: Emails or support messages you send to us.
Information Generated Automatically
Usage data: Pages visited, features used, time spent, and actions taken on the platform.
Device data: Browser type, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language settings.
Log data: IP address, timestamps, referring URLs, and error logs.
Online status: Whether you are currently active on the platform (used only to show presence indicators to your connections).
Information from Third Parties
If you connect a third-party account (e.g., Google for login), we receive your name and email from that provider.
Payment processors may share limited transaction confirmation data.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
Account & service delivery: Creating and managing your account, personalising your experience, and connecting you with relevant students, educators, and donors.
Communication: Sending you notifications, updates, and transactional emails. You can manage notification preferences in Settings.
Safety & trust: Verifying educators, detecting fraud, enforcing our Community Guidelines, and resolving disputes.
Platform improvement: Analysing aggregate usage patterns to improve features, fix bugs, and develop new capabilities.
Mentorship matching: Using your academic field, country, and interests to suggest relevant mentors and chatrooms.
Legal obligations: Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and lawful governmental requests.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for targeted advertising by third-party advertisers.
3. Information Sharing
We share your information only in limited circumstances:
With other users: Profile information you make public (name, photo, bio, role, projects) is visible to other NiaConnect members according to your privacy settings.
Service providers: We work with trusted third-party vendors for hosting, payment processing, email delivery, and analytics: all bound by data processing agreements.
Business transfers: If NiaConnect is acquired or merges with another entity, your data may be transferred. We will notify you in advance.
Legal requirements: We may disclose data if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect the rights and safety of our users.
With your consent: In any other circumstances, we will ask for your explicit consent before sharing.
4. Data Storage & Security
Your data is stored on secure servers. We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures including:
Encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest for sensitive data
Hashed passwords using state-of-the-art algorithms (never stored in plain text)
Access controls limiting which team members can view personal data
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Automatic session expiration and JWT token rotation
No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly to [email protected].
Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time. After account deletion, we retain minimal data for up to 90 days for legal compliance and fraud prevention, after which it is permanently erased.
5. Cookies & Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember preferences, and understand how users interact with the platform. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.
You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality.
6. Your Rights & Choices
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.
Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information via your profile settings.
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data.
Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Objection: Object to certain processing activities, including profiling.
Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your data while a dispute is resolved.
Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, withdraw it at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
Privacy Settings
You can control who sees your profile, posts, and online status directly from Settings → Privacy. Every profile is private by default: you must actively choose to make it public.
7. Children's Privacy
NiaConnect is intended for users aged 16 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If we discover that a child under 16 has registered, we will promptly delete their account and associated data.
If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us at [email protected] immediately.
8. International Transfers
NiaConnect operates across 54 African nations. Your data may be processed in countries other than your own, including countries that may not have the same data protection laws. Where transfers occur, we implement appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses to protect your information.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify you by email and/or a prominent notice on the platform. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.
Continued use of NiaConnect after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out:
Privacy Team
We take every privacy enquiry seriously and respond within 30 days.