SkillForge Academy Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 26, 2023

At SkillForge Academy, located in the vibrant educational hub of Berkeley, California, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share information when you use our website, www.skillforgeacademy.com , and our online learning platform. SkillForge Academy provides online courses designed to elevate your career skills, focusing on technology, business, and design. This policy is designed to comply with California privacy laws and is easily accessible to our students and visitors alike.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services:

1.1. Information You Provide Directly

  • Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, password, and other contact details.
  • Profile Information: You may choose to provide additional information for your profile, such as your educational background, work experience, skills, and a profile picture.
  • Payment Information: When you enroll in a paid course, we collect payment information, such as your credit card details or other payment method information. This information is processed through secure third-party payment processors.
  • Communications: We collect information when you communicate with us, such as through email, chat, or phone calls.
  • Course Participation: We collect information about your participation in our courses, including your progress, assignments, and interactions with instructors and other students.
  • Surveys and Feedback: We may collect information when you participate in surveys or provide feedback on our courses and services.

1.2. Information We Collect Automatically

  • Log Data: We automatically collect log data, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring website, pages visited, and the dates and times of your visits.
  • Cookies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing activity on our website. Please refer to our Cookies Policy for more information.
  • Device Information: We may collect information about the device you use to access our services, including the device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

  • Providing and Improving Services: We use your information to provide you with access to our courses, personalize your learning experience, and improve the quality of our services.
  • Account Management: We use your information to manage your account, process payments, and provide customer support.
  • Communications: We use your information to communicate with you about our courses, promotions, and other updates.
  • Research and Analytics: We use your information for research and analytics purposes to understand how our services are used and to improve our offerings.
  • Personalization: We use your information to personalize your learning experience and provide you with tailored recommendations.
  • Legal Compliance: We may use your information to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
  • Security: We use your information to protect the security and integrity of our services.

3. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

  • Encryption: We use encryption to protect sensitive information, such as payment details, during transmission.
  • Access Controls: We restrict access to your personal information to authorized personnel only.
  • Regular Security Assessments: We conduct regular security assessments to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
  • Data Minimization: We only collect and retain the information necessary to provide our services.
  • Secure Storage: We store your personal information on secure servers located in controlled environments.

Despite our best efforts, no security measures are perfect, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal information. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please notify us immediately.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share your information with the following categories of recipients:

  • Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers who assist us in providing our services, such as payment processors, email marketing providers, and analytics providers. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
  • Instructors: We may share your information with instructors for the courses in which you are enrolled to facilitate your learning experience.
  • Other Students: In certain courses, your profile information and course participation may be visible to other students.
  • Legal Authorities: We may disclose your information to legal authorities if required by law or legal process.
  • Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you.
  • Rectification: You have the right to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
  • Erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Restriction of Processing: You have the right to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
  • Objection: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Withdraw Consent: If we are processing your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the contact information provided below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide you with our services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. The exact period will depend on factors such as the nature of the data, the purpose of processing, and relevant legal or regulatory requirements. For example, we typically retain account information for as long as your account is active, and we may retain payment information for a longer period to comply with tax and accounting regulations.

7. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will take steps to delete such information as soon as possible. If you believe that we may have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, please contact us immediately.

8. Changes to this Privacy Policy

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 our website and update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

SkillForge Academy
Privacy Office
555 Innovation Drive
Berkeley, CA 94704
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (510) 555-0141

Our Data Protection Officer is Dr. Amelia Chen, who oversees our privacy practices and ensures compliance with applicable laws. She can be reached at the email address listed above.

10. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

11. International Data Transfers

Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside of your country of residence, including the United States. These countries may have data protection laws that are different from the laws of your country. We will take appropriate measures to ensure that your personal information is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

12. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

As a California-based organization, SkillForge Academy adheres to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). California residents have specific rights regarding their personal information, including:

  • Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, the purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Opt-Out: SkillForge Academy does not sell your personal information, therefore, there is no need for an opt-out option.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: You have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise your CCPA rights, please contact us using the contact information provided above. We will verify your request using information associated with your account, including your email address and phone number. Government identification may be required for certain requests.

13. GDPR Compliance

SkillForge Academy is committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users residing in the European Economic Area (EEA). In accordance with GDPR, we ensure that personal data is:

  • Processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
  • Collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes.
  • Adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary.
  • Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
  • Kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary.
  • Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data.

If you are an EEA resident, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data.
  • Rectify inaccurate personal data.
  • Erase your personal data (right to be forgotten).
  • Restrict the processing of your personal data.
  • Data portability.
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
  • Withdraw consent at any time (if processing is based on consent).

To exercise your GDPR rights, please contact us at [email protected] .