ADVISORS ACADEMY PRIVACY POLICY

•  Purposeful Collection: We only collect the information necessary to process your requests and provide tailored content or support based on your interests.
• Data Retention: We retain your data only for as long as necessary. If the data is no longer required and you request its removal, we will delete it promptly.
• Transparency: We are committed to transparency. You will always be informed about how we collect, use, and store your data - no hidden practices or confusing language.
• Your Control: You decide how and what you hear from us. We will only communicate with you according to your preferences.
• No Unauthorised Sharing: We will never share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes without your explicit knowledge and consent.

1. INTRODUCTION
   Advisors Academy is a platform duly registered under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and operating in accordance with applicable Nigerian regulations governing data protection and online services.
   
   We provide Advisors and referral services for students seeking educational opportunities internationally. Our platform is designed to guide students through their entire study abroad journey from inquiry, to exploring available courses and programs, to selecting the most suitable course(s) in the preferred universities, and tracking progress. We provide access to a vast range of courses from multiple universities worldwide and offer personalised guidance based on specific university requirements and student preferences.
2. DATA COLLECTION
   You can explore the Advisors Academy platform without providing personal data. However, using our services will require certain information to be provided and/or collected. For example:
   Account information: When you create an account or use our Services (such as applying to schools, creating a student profile, using counselling or payment features, or submitting an application), we ask for details like:
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     • Identity Information: Full name, date of birth, nationality.
     • Contact Information: Email address, phone number, residential address.
     • Academic Information: Educational background, transcripts, intended program and institution of study.
     • Referral Details: Details of your preferences for referral purposes, including study destination and course.
     • Documentation: Copies of government-issued identification, academic records, and other necessary documents to support the application process; registration, accreditation and agreement preparation.
   • Sensitive information: Some applications may require or include sensitive Personal Information such as:
     
     
     • Ethnic Origin
     • Generic or biometric data,
     • Location.
     • Financial information: Bank and credit account information, credit history (as applicable), and details of transactions carried out using our Services. 
     • Health information: Vaccination records, such as information about the date and type of vaccines you received and your personal health number.
   • This data helps us:
     • Guide your course selection based on eligibility and interests
     • Connect you with suitable educational institutions
     • Facilitate application processes and student support services
     • (For Agents) Draft and prepare referral agreements and supporting documentation
   • Communications: Data contained within any interactions with Advisors Academy, be it via email accounts, live chat sessions, or online support services.
     Feedback & engagement: We collect information when you participate in surveys, contests, or explore partnership opportunities.
     Professional & employment Information: If you request career-related services, such as submitting employment applications, we may require you to provide job histories or related employment information.
     
     Information regarding additional services: Advisors Academy offers various additional supporting services, delivered either by ourselves or through affiliate companies, such as language tests, visa processing assistance, student loans, foreign exchange, accommodation, and additional banking and financial services. Relevant information will be collected to provide such services with your consent.
     
     
   • While using our services or navigating our platform, Advisors Academy also collects some information automatically. These may include:
     
     
     • Usage data: We track and log how you interact with the platform, such as through your posts, uploaded documents, submitted applications, support communications, web pages you view, links you click, and how you use our website and our Services. 
     • Device & Technical data: We collect your domain name, your browser type and operating system, IP addresses, device IDs through cookies, web beacons, log files, and other technologies. 
     • Location data: Approximate location helps us tailor educational options and meet compliance requirements.
     • Marketing email and other communications: We may collect information when you choose to sign up for Advisors Academy’s marketing and promotional communications. 
       
       
   • Due to the robustness of value that Advisors Academy provides and seeks to continue to provide, we also collect Information from third parties. These include:
     
     
     • Partners & affiliates: Counsellors, agents, financial institutions, marketing affiliates, and service providers may share data with us to verify identity, prevent fraud, and provide personalised services.
     • Entities for identity validation, for additional services, risk assessment, and fraud prevention: We receive Personal Information about you from banking references, credit reporting agencies, website hosts, live chat and online support providers, and event vendors. 
     • Linked services: If you connect external accounts (i.e. Facebook or Google), those providers may share profile and usage details.
       
       
3. HOW WE USE YOUR DATA
   We only use your personal information where we have a legal basis to do so. These purposes include:
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     • To create and manage your account on our platform
     • To guide your study journey and educational planning
     • To personalise and improve the services we offer you.
   • We also use your data for the following purposes:
   • Business Operations: Carrying out our core business operations, such as application processing and submission, account administration, accounting, auditing and compliance, business analytics, forecasting, consolidated management and reporting, product strategy and revenue planning. We also provide additional supporting services such as language tests, visa processing assistance, student loan applications, foreign exchange, housing, and additional banking and financial services, and collect and process Personal Information to enable us to provide these services.
     
     Safety & Security: Your information helps us verify your identity, detect fraudulent activity, as well as prevent, detect, and investigate security incidents. Such information assists us in maintaining the security of our platform, Services, websites and accounts, and protecting the health and safety of our employees, visitors and our properties.
   • Measure & enhance:
     We analyse data to understand what works, identify improvements, and refine features based on user feedback and behaviour. Providing, optimising and maintaining our Services and platforms, including debugging and troubleshooting.
     Facilitating Purchases: We use your information to assist, where applicable, with completing transactions, processing payments, and communicating with you about purchases.
     Communicate with you: We send updates, answer questions, respond to complaints, share promotions, or administer contests if you’ve opted in. The information we collect helps us to improve customer service quality and provide customer support, including responding to your requests and communicating with you about your account and use of the Services.
     Research and Development: Where allowed by law and supported by consent, we may use your information for surveys, research, and developing new features or Services.
     Cookies and tracking: Understanding how customers are using our platform and Services by deploying cookies and other tracking technologies in accordance with your online settings, and understanding how visitors navigate our websites, and tracking and optimising the performance of our advertising activities.
     
     
     Training and Services improvement: Developing or improving our services, including anonymising, de-identifying, pseudonymizing and aggregating personal data for this purpose. We may use Personal Information to train and improve our Artificial Intelligence models in accordance with applicable laws. We will take steps to ensure that the data is relevant and accurate.
     
     Compliance with applicable legal obligations and requirements: Your data is used in our bid to comply with legal and regulatory obligations. Protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals, meeting legal or regulatory obligations, including complying with valid court orders, disclosure requests, subpoenas, and other appropriate legal mechanisms and preventing, detecting, or investigating abuse or misuse of our platform or services.
     Employment Opportunities: Identifying potential job candidates, conducting interviews, background checks, and screening, to communicate with you regarding your referral process and application progress, to prepare and share agreements and documentation related to your referral.
     
     
4.  DATA SHARING AND DISCLOSURE
   Advisors Academy values your privacy and is committed to ensuring that your personal data is only shared when absolutely necessary and in line with applicable legal standards. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing or commercial purposes.
   
   However, we may disclose or share your personal data to third parties in limited circumstances in order to provide the Services and to otherwise run our business. These circumstances may include:
   • With educational institutions: We may disclose your personal information to universities, colleges, or other educational bodies for the purpose of processing your application, verifying credentials, facilitating communication, or meeting specific admission requirements. This is essential to enable the services you have requested through our platform.
   • With service providers: We may engage third-party vendors and partners to provide specific services such as document storage and processing, customer support, IT services, application hosting, and communication tools. These third parties are contractually bound by strict confidentiality and data protection obligations to ensure your information remains secure and is used solely for the intended purpose.
   • With legal or regulatory authorities: We may disclose your data where required by applicable law, legal processes, or regulatory obligations. This includes responding to court orders, legal claims, or requests from government authorities to comply with legal duties and protect the rights, property, or safety of Advisors Academy and its users.
   • With successors or business affiliates: In the event of a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of all or a portion of our business or assets, your personal data may be transferred to the acquiring organisation. In such cases, we will ensure that the new entity honours this Privacy Policy or a policy of equal or greater protection, and you will be notified of any significant changes affecting your data.
   • Research and Innovation: We are committed to advancing education through research and innovation. We may conduct internal research to improve our Services, and with consent, share our findings with external partners for research and development. We generally use aggregated, anonymised and de-identified data derived by Advisors Academy from your Personal Information for this purpose, and this is generally not considered Personal Information under data protection law as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. We may use and disclose de-identified, anonymised or aggregated data to third parties.
     
     We take all reasonable steps to ensure that any third parties with whom we share your personal information comply with data protection laws and uphold high standards of privacy and security.
     
     
5. DATA RETENTION AND DESTRUCTION
   Advisors Academy will maintain your Personal Information only for as long as it is needed to provide our Services to you or for other valid purposes. The duration depends on factors such as the risk of harm from unauthorised use or exposure, and the amount and type of data we have.
   Typically, we will retain your personal data:
   
   
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     • For as long as your account remains active.
     • For up to 12 months after your last interaction with us, unless a longer period is required by law.
     • As needed to comply with legal, regulatory, or contractual obligation
   • We may retain certain data longer for the following reasons:
     • Legitimate business purposes: Such as auditing, account recovery.
     • Legal requirements: If laws or regulations require us to keep it.
     • Preventing fraud or misuse: To protect against fraudulent activities or future abuse.
     • Contractual obligations: As agreed upon with you, a partner or an institution.
   • How Advisors Academy will destroy Personal Data
     Where we no longer need to process personal data for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice, we will delete the personal data from our system/storage.
     Note that you may request early deletion of your personal data by contacting our support team.
     
     
6. MULTIMEDIA CONTENT
   As part of our promotional activities, Advisors Academy may collect and process personal data, including images, audio, and video recordings, based on your explicit consent. These activities support our mission to inform and inspire prospective students throughout their study abroad journey. 
   
   Below are the typical scenarios where multimedia data may be collected and how it is used:
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     • Student-Focused Events: During events organised or attended by Advisors Academy, such as seminars, webinars, exhibitions, or workshops, photos and videos may be taken for live streaming, documentation, or promotional use. These materials may later be published on our website, blog, newsletters, or shared on our social media platforms to promote future events or showcase our impact.
     • Promotional Content for Partner Institutions: Occasionally, Advisors Academy collaborates with universities and educational institutions to produce video or photographic content highlighting campus facilities, academic programs, and student life. These materials are used to promote specific universities or programs on our platform and affiliated channels.
     • Student Testimonials and Review Videos: We may invite you to share your personal experiences through video reviews or testimonials, either recorded by our content team or submitted directly by you. These are aimed at helping future students make informed decisions. Before recording or collecting such content, we will obtain your consent and provide a release form with clear details about the nature and use of the material.
     • Social Media Engagement: Advisors Academy uses social media platforms to connect with users and amplify educational opportunities. You may engage with our posts by liking, commenting, or sharing content. However, please refrain from posting personal data in public comments. If you need specific support, we encourage you to contact us via direct message. Any private messages sent to us through social media will be kept for a period of one (1) year and will remain confidential within our organisation.
   • Note: When interacting with us via social media, we recommend that you review the privacy policies of those platforms to understand how your data may be used outside of our control.
7. Your choice regarding marketing communications: If you prefer  that we don’t use your information to market to you or share it with third parties for marketing purposes, you have the following options:
   • Contact us: Let dating Your Info, Opting Out” section.
   • Unsubscribe from emails: Click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any marketing email you receive from us.
   • us know by using any of the communication methods listed in the “Contact us, Questions, Up
8. Posting personal data on our Social Media Platforms
   We are present on various social platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn e.t.c, to disseminate information meant for public consumption. Notwithstanding:
   • We do not encourage the posting of unvetted and unapproved personal data on our social media platforms.
   • We shall not be responsible for any personal data uploaded on our social media platforms.
   • For removal of personal data from social media platforms contact us. Where there are any impediments to the removal, the complainant shall be informed accordingly.
9. YOUR RIGHTS
   As a user, you have several rights under the Data protection laws in relation to personal data held by the us. They include:
   • Right to be informed - about how Advisors Academy will use your Personal Data
   • Right of access – You have a right to request access to your Personal Data that we hold. This is called a subject access request. However, after a certain time, and depending on the circumstances, Advisors Academy may only 
   • Right to rectification - If the data that we are holding is incorrect, you can request for correction of the inaccurate data. You are to forward the accurate data while making the request.
   • Right to erasure/deletion/to be forgotten - You have the right to request that Advisors Academy delete your data without undue delay. We will do this without undue delay, provided that we have no compelling reason to keep it.
   • Right to restrict processing - You have the right to request restriction from processing your data. Requests can be made for a number of reasons, such as if the accuracy of the personal data being processed is contested by you or the processing is unlawful.
   • Right to data portability - You have the right to receive your personal data from the Advisors Academy (a data controller) and transmit the same data to another data controller without hindrance (e.g. difficulty in the structure or format of the data) to the new data controller.
   • Right to object - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data if the processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Advisors Academy or a third party, and there is something about your position that necessitates the objection.
   • Rights related to automated individual decision-making, including profiling - You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling.
   • You can exercise these rights by contacting the Data Protection Officer/Support Unit of Advisors Academy. Such a request would be dealt with as soon as practicable. In certain cases, we may require further information before we can process the your request.
   • In certain situations, we may be required by law to still hold/retain the personal data or may need to retain the data in order to continue providing a service.
   • Furthermore, the scope of certain rights may be subject to certain restrictions or exceptions provided for under the Data Protection laws.
   • To exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
     
     
10. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
    Our website may use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve user experience, analyse usage, and provide tailored content. You may modify your browser settings to manage cookie preferences.
11. CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY
    We employ industry-standard security measures (including but not limited to firewalls and data encryption) to ensure the security of all data in Advisors Academy. Users’ Personal Data is protected by physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards in compliance with applicable laws as well as further administrative, managerial, and technical safeguards.
12. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA DURING SHARING/TRANSMISSION 
    The safety of your data is paramount to the Advisors Academy. Hence, we deploy both physical and technological measures to protect your data from unauthorised access both upon receipt and during transmission.
    
    However, it is important to note that no method of sharing/transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Hence, we cannot guarantee absolute security of any personal data.
    
    We shall transmit personal data using our existing infrastructure, and the policy guiding the protection of personal data to be transmitted/shared.
    
    For further information, please contact our Data Protection Officer.
    
    
13. STATUS OF CHILDREN
    This Privacy Notice does not cover the personal data of children under 16 years old. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with his or her personal data without their consent, the parent or guardian should contact us immediately to request the deletion of the data. Furthermore, if we become aware that a child has provided us with his or her personal data, without a parent or guardian’s supervision or approval, we shall delete such data immediately.
    
    
14. ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH THE DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS
    Advisors Academy is a Data Controller and Data Processor by virtue of interpretation under the Regulation. Advisors Academy, through the relevant department, is responsible for compliance with the Regulation. The Data Protection Officer appointed by Advisors Academy handles the day-to-day issues related to data protection.
    
    
15. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
    We may review and update this Privacy Policy periodically. Any changes will be posted on this page with the updated date. Your continued use of our platform after such updates signifies your acceptance of the revised policy.