Privacy policy

This policy explains what personal information Swahili Tutors collects, why, who we share it with, and the rights you have. We run a platform where students book and take Swahili lessons with teachers, pay through a wallet, message each other and meet over video, so it covers the data across all of that, including our website and apps. We’ve kept it in plain language.

1. Who we are

Swahili Tutors is operated by Afrika Imara Swahili Tutors, a business registered in Kenya (business registration number BN-KDS3ROML), based in Nairobi, Kenya (“Swahili Tutors”, “we”, “us”, “our”). We are the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

For anything to do with your data or this policy, email us at privacy@swahili-tutors.com.

2. The information we collect

We collect information you give us, information created as you use the platform, and a small amount your device shares automatically.

• Account and profile: your name, email address, a password (stored only as a secure hash by our authentication provider), whether you’re a student or teacher, your profile photo, time zone and the languages or learning level you tell us about.
• Teacher application and verification: if you apply to teach, we collect your experience, qualifications, bio, phone number, date of birth and gender. These help us review applications and run teacher accounts.
• Payout details (teachers): to pay you, we collect the bank or mobile-money (M-Pesa) details you provide. These are used only to send your earnings, and shared only with our payment provider.
• Bookings and lessons: the lessons you book, when they happen, how long you’re both in the call, lesson notes, and any reviews or ratings you leave.
• Payments and wallet: your wallet balance and your top-up and spending history, plus payment references from our payment provider. We do not store your full card number or card security details. Those are handled by our payment provider, Paystack.
• Messages: the messages you send to other users and to our support team, including any files you attach.
• Video lessons: lessons take place as live video and audio through our video provider, Daily. We do not record your lessons.
• Contact and support: if you use our contact form or support widget, we collect your name, email, an optional phone number and your message.
• Technical and usage data: your IP address, device and browser type, approximate location, and the pages and features you use. We also use your IP address briefly to protect the platform from abuse, such as rate-limiting sign-in attempts.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Create and run your account and keep you signed in
• Schedule lessons, connect you over video, and meter lesson time
• Process wallet top-ups, charge for lessons, and pay teachers
• Let students and teachers message each other about lessons
• Review and approve teacher applications
• Send you confirmations, reminders and other service emails
• Respond to your questions and support requests
• Keep the platform secure and prevent fraud and abuse
• Understand how the site is used so we can improve it
• Meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations

4. Our legal basis for using it

Under Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 (and the equivalent grounds in the UK and EU GDPR for users in those regions), we rely on:

• Performing our contract with you: running your account, delivering and charging for lessons, and paying teachers.
• Our legitimate interests: keeping the platform secure, preventing abuse, and improving our service, balanced against your rights.
• Your consent: where we ask for it, such as analytics cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligations: keeping financial records and responding to lawful requests.

5. When we share your information

We don’t sell your personal information. We share it only where it’s needed to run the platform.

When you book a lesson with, or message, another user, they see your name, photo and the details needed for that lesson. Teachers can only be contacted by, and contact, students connected to them through a booking or lesson.

We also rely on service providers who process data on our behalf:

• Supabase provides our database, sign-in and file storage.
• Vercel hosts the website and app.
• Paystack processes payments for top-ups and teacher payouts.
• Daily provides the live video and audio for lessons.
• Resend sends our service emails.
• Upstash supports security and rate-limiting.
• Google Analytics gives us website analytics, only if you accept analytics cookies.

Each provider processes your data under its own terms and only as needed for the service it provides. We may also share information where the law requires it, to protect our rights or users’ safety, or as part of a business sale or reorganisation.

6. Sending data outside Kenya

Some of the providers above store and process data outside Kenya, including in the United States and Europe. When we transfer your information abroad, we rely on the safeguards the Data Protection Act requires, such as the provider’s own data-protection commitments and contractual protections, so your information stays protected wherever it is handled.

7. How long we keep it

• Account, profile, lesson and message data: while your account is active, and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Payment and wallet records: kept longer where tax and accounting law requires it, generally up to seven years.
• Contact form submissions: up to 2 years. Teacher applications: up to 3 years.
• When you delete your account: we delete or anonymise your personal data, but keep a limited audit record as the law requires. You can ask us to refund an unspent wallet balance before you delete your account; any balance left at deletion is forfeited, and we record that for our accounts.

8. Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2019 (and the GDPR where it applies), you have the right to:

• Be told how your data is used, which is what this policy is for
• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct data that’s wrong or incomplete
• Ask us to delete your data
• Object to, or ask us to restrict, certain uses of your data
• Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent you’ve given, at any time

To use any of these rights, email privacy@swahili-tutors.com and we’ll respond within the time the law allows. If you think we’ve mishandled your data, you can also complain to Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner at www.odpc.go.ke, or to your local data-protection authority if you’re in the UK or EU.

9. Cookies and analytics

We use a small number of essential cookies to sign you in and keep you signed in across the site. These are needed for the platform to work. We also use Google Analytics to see how the site is used, but those analytics cookies load only after you accept them in our cookie banner. Until then, analytics stays off. Separately, we count visits to the site as a number per day, with no cookie and nothing about you. We don’t use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. You can change your choice at any time by clearing the cookie in your browser.

10. How we protect your information

We use standard security measures: encrypted connections (HTTPS), row-level security in our database so each person can only reach their own data, hashed passwords, restricted staff access, and careful handling of API keys and payout details. No system is ever completely secure, so we can’t promise perfect security. If a breach affects your data, we’ll notify you and the Data Protection Commissioner as the law requires.

11. Children

Swahili Tutors is intended for adults. The platform is not directed at people under 18, and we don’t knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe someone under 18 has given us their data, contact us and we’ll delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the platform changes or the law requires. When we do, we’ll update the date at the top, and for significant changes we’ll tell you directly.

13. How to contact us

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, email privacy@swahili-tutors.com. For other legal matters, email legal@swahili-tutors.com. You can also write to us at Afrika Imara Swahili Tutors, Nairobi, Kenya.