1. Introduction
MWETANA ("we," "our," or "us") operates the SchooLink Cx mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our App. By downloading, accessing, or using SchooLink Cx, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the App.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Personal Information You Provide
When you register for and use SchooLink Cx, we may collect the following personal information:
- Account Information: Full name, student ID, email address, phone number, mailing address, and profile photograph.
- Academic Information: Program of study, enrollment status, course registrations, grades, GPA, and academic records.
- Financial Information: Tuition charges, payment history, billing records, account balances, and financial statements.
- Communication Data: Messages sent and received within the in-app chat feature, uploaded notes and study materials.
- Admission Data: Admission letter content and related enrollment documentation.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use the App, we may automatically collect:
- Device Information: Device type, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information.
- Usage Data: App features accessed, pages viewed, interaction timestamps, session duration, and crash reports.
- Push Notification Tokens: Device tokens required for delivering push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) and Apple Push Notification service (APNs).
- Log Data: IP address, browser type, access times, and referring URLs when connecting through the app.
2.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from the educational institution's backend systems (the COMO platform), including updated academic records, financial data, and institutional announcements.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information for the following purposes:
- Core App Functionality: To provide student profile management, course registration, billing, grade reporting, chat, notes, and notification services.
- Authentication & Security: To verify your identity using JWT-based authentication, manage login sessions, and protect your account.
- Communication: To deliver push notifications (urgent, important, and informational alerts), enable in-app messaging, and send system notifications.
- Academic Services: To display grade sheets, GPA calculations, financial ledgers, and generate downloadable statements and admission letters.
- App Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, diagnose technical issues, and improve app performance and user experience.
- Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and institutional policies.
4. Data Sharing & Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:
- Educational Institution: Your academic and financial data is shared with your enrolled institution through the COMO backend system, as they are the data controller for educational records.
- Service Providers: We use third-party services for push notification delivery (Google FCM, Apple APNs), cloud storage, and analytics. These providers are bound by contractual obligations to protect your data.
- Chat Participants: Messages you send in course-section chat channels are visible to other enrolled students in that section.
- Notes Sharing: Notes and materials you upload are accessible to other students enrolled in the same course section.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of MWETANA, our users, or others.
5. Data Storage & Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:
- All data transmitted between the App and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS protocols.
- Authentication tokens (JWT) are securely stored with session expiry enforcement.
- Local data on your device is stored in encrypted storage.
- Access to backend systems is restricted through role-based access controls.
- We conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability testing.
While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as:
- Your student account remains active with the educational institution.
- It is necessary to provide you with the App's services.
- Required by applicable law or institutional policy.
Upon account deactivation or graduation, your data may be retained in accordance with the educational institution's data retention policies. Chat messages and uploaded notes may be retained for the duration of the academic term in which they were created.
7. Your Rights & Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data held by us.
- Correction: Update or correct inaccurate personal information through the Profile section of the App.
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal and institutional retention requirements.
- Notification Preferences: Manage push notification categories (Urgent, Important, Informational) through the App's notification settings.
- Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Opt-Out: You may opt out of non-essential notifications through device or in-app settings.
To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below.
8. Push Notifications
SchooLink Cx uses push notifications to deliver time-sensitive information. Notification types include:
- Urgent: Emergency closures, safety alerts (persistent banner, sound, and vibration).
- Important: Schedule changes, grade postings (standard notification with sound).
- Informational: General announcements (silent, visible in notification center).
You can manage notification preferences within the App. Note that disabling urgent notifications may cause you to miss critical safety information from your institution.
9. Children's Privacy
SchooLink Cx is designed for use by enrolled students of post-secondary educational institutions. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.
10. Third-Party Services
The App integrates with the following third-party services:
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM): For Android push notification delivery, operated by Google.
- Apple Push Notification service (APNs): For iOS push notification delivery, operated by Apple.
- Cloud Storage Providers: For storing uploaded notes and documents.
These third-party services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services.
11. Offline Data Access
SchooLink Cx caches certain data locally on your device to provide limited offline access. This cached data includes your last-fetched academic and financial information. Cached data is encrypted and automatically synchronized when your device reconnects to the internet.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes through:
- An in-app notification.
- An updated "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
MWETANA
Email: privacy@mwetana.com
Subject Line: SchooLink Cx Privacy Inquiry