Privacy Policy

We collect information in several ways when you use our platform:

Information You Provide Directly:

• Account Information: Name, email address, password (encrypted), country, phone number (optional)
• Profile Data: Learning preferences, language level, study goals
• Test Submissions: Written responses, speaking recordings, practice answers, and evaluation results
• Payment Information: Billing details processed securely by our payment partners (Instamojo and PayPal). We do not store credit card numbers on our servers
• Communications: Messages sent to our support team, contact form submissions, and feedback

Information Collected Automatically:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, test scores, time spent on platform, navigation patterns
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, screen resolution, device type
• Log Data: IP address, access times, referring URLs, error logs

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To provide, operate, and maintain the Languagecert Academy platform and its features
• Personalization: To track your learning progress, provide personalized study recommendations, and tailor your experience
• AI Evaluation: To process your writing and speaking submissions through our AI evaluation system and generate feedback
• Communication: To send account-related emails (verification, password resets, security alerts), service updates, and (with your consent) marketing communications
• Payment Processing: To process subscription payments and manage your billing
• Analytics: To analyze platform usage, improve our services, and develop new features
• Security: To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

Under the GDPR, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contract Performance: Processing is necessary to fulfill our contract with you (providing the Languagecert Academy service)
• Legitimate Interest: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (improving services, security, analytics) and does not override your rights
• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent (e.g., marketing emails, optional analytics)
• Legal Obligation: Processing is required to comply with applicable laws

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share your data only in the following circumstances:

• Payment Processors: Instamojo (India) and PayPal (International) to process payments. Their use of your data is governed by their respective privacy policies
• AI Service Providers: OpenAI, Groq, and HuggingFace for AI-powered evaluation features. Only the minimum necessary data is transmitted for evaluation
• Email Service: SMTP providers for transactional and notification emails
• Analytics: Server-side analytics for platform improvement (no third-party advertising analytics)
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or governmental regulation
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (you will be notified of any change in ownership or data practices)

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

• Account Data: Retained for the lifetime of your account plus 30 days after deletion request
• Test Submissions: Retained for 12 months to enable progress tracking and analytics
• Speaking Recordings: Retained for 90 days, then automatically deleted
• Payment Records: Retained for 7 years as required by tax and financial regulations
• Activity Logs: Retained for 6 months for security monitoring
• Session Data: Cleared after 30 days of inactivity

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

• Right of Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we process your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at Support@languagecertacademy.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for session management, authentication, and security. These cannot be disabled
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences (timezone, language, region) to enhance your experience
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the platform to improve services

We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. No data is shared with advertising networks.

You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Disabling essential cookies may prevent the platform from functioning properly.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS)
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with a cost factor of 12
• Session management with periodic regeneration and browser fingerprinting
• Rate limiting and brute-force protection on authentication endpoints
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal data
• File upload validation with MIME type checking and execution prevention

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will promptly notify affected users in the event of a data breach.

Languagecert Academy is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at Support@languagecertacademy.com.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from the laws of your country.

We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• Adequacy decisions where applicable
• Contractual obligations on service providers to protect your data

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top. For significant changes, we will also notify you via email or a prominent notice on our platform. Your continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us:

• Email: Support@languagecertacademy.com
• Data Protection Officer: dpo@languagecertacademy.com

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.