POLICY
Content Guidelines & Community Standards
Welcome to Hekma Academy (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, share, and safeguard your data when you use our online education and training platform at hekma-academy.com (the “Platform”).
This policy has been prepared in accordance with the Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020 and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR — Regulation 2016/679). Regardless of where you reside, we strive to provide all users with the highest standard of data protection.
By accessing or using our Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of our services immediately.
1. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of personal information to provide and improve our educational services:
1.1 Account Information
When you register for an account on Hekma Academy, we collect:
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Country of residence
- Username and password (stored in encrypted form)
- Profile photograph (if voluntarily provided)
1.2 Payment Information
When you purchase a course or service, payment transactions are processed through our third-party payment provider, Paymob. During this process:
- Paymob collects and processes your payment card details, billing address, and transaction data
- Hekma Academy does not store, access, or retain your credit/debit card numbers or financial account details
- We receive only transaction confirmation data, including the amount paid, transaction reference, and payment status
1.3 Course Enrollment and Progress Data
- Courses enrolled in and date of enrollment
- Course progress, completion status, and quiz/assessment results
- Certificates earned
- Learning preferences and history
1.4 Communication Records
- Emails and messages exchanged with our support team
- Feedback, reviews, and survey responses
- Notification preferences
1.5 Device and Browser Information
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Operating system and version
- Browser type and version
- Screen resolution and language settings
1.6 IP Addresses and Location Data
- IP address used to access the Platform
- Approximate geographic location derived from your IP address
- Time zone settings
1.7 Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience. Please refer to Section 6 (Cookies Policy) for further details.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
2.1 Educational Service Delivery
- Creating and managing your user account
- Providing access to purchased courses and training materials
- Tracking your learning progress and issuing certificates
- Personalizing your learning experience
2.2 Payment Processing
- Facilitating payment transactions through Paymob
- Generating invoices and transaction records
- Processing refund requests in accordance with our Refund Policy
2.3 Communication
- Sending enrollment confirmations and course updates
- Responding to your inquiries and support requests
- Providing important announcements regarding policy changes or platform updates
- Sending promotional communications (only with your consent, which you may withdraw at any time)
2.4 Platform Improvement
- Analyzing usage patterns to improve our courses and user interface
- Conducting internal research and analytics
- Identifying and resolving technical issues
2.5 Legal Compliance
- Complying with applicable Egyptian and international laws and regulations
- Responding to lawful requests from governmental and regulatory authorities
- Enforcing our Terms & Conditions
3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
For users located within the European Economic Area (EEA), we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:
| Legal Basis | Description |
|---|---|
| Consent | You have given clear, informed consent for us to process your personal data for specific purposes, such as receiving marketing communications. |
| Contract Performance | Processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to you, including providing access to purchased courses and managing your account. |
| Legitimate Interests | Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our Platform, preventing fraud, and ensuring platform security, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights. |
| Legal Obligation | Processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations under Egyptian and/or EU law, such as tax record-keeping and responding to regulatory authorities. |
4. Third-Party Data Sharing
Hekma Academy does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third parties for marketing or commercial purposes.
We may share limited personal data with the following categories of third parties, strictly for the purposes outlined in this policy:
4.1 Payment Processor — Paymob
We share the following information with Paymob to process your payment transactions:
- Your name and email address (for transaction identification)
- Transaction amount and currency
- Order reference number
Paymob processes your payment card details directly and is independently responsible for the security of that data in accordance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS). For more information, please review Paymob’s Privacy Policy.
4.2 Hosting and Infrastructure Providers
We use trusted hosting providers to store and serve our Platform data. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and process it only on our instructions.
4.3 Analytics Providers
We may use third-party analytics tools to understand how users interact with our Platform. Data shared with these providers is aggregated and anonymized wherever possible.
4.4 Legal and Regulatory Authorities
We may disclose personal data when required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or when necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Hekma Academy, our users, or the public.
5. Cookies Policy
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our Platform. We use the following categories of cookies:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Cookies | Required for the Platform to function correctly, including user authentication, session management, and security features. | Session / 30 days |
| Analytics Cookies | Help us understand how users interact with our Platform, which pages are most visited, and how users navigate the site. | Up to 2 years |
| Functional Cookies | Remember your preferences such as language, region, and display settings to provide a personalized experience. | Up to 1 year |
You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law:
- Account data: Retained for the duration of your active account, plus 3 years after account deletion for legal compliance purposes.
- Transaction records: Retained for a minimum of 5 years as required by Egyptian tax and commercial law.
- Course progress data: Retained for the duration of your active account.
- Communication records: Retained for up to 2 years from the date of the communication.
- Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymized data may be retained indefinitely for statistical analysis.
Upon expiry of the relevant retention period, your personal data will be securely deleted or anonymized.
7. Your Rights Under GDPR
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: You may request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
- Right to Restriction of Processing: You may request that we limit the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances.
- Right to Data Portability: You may request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
- Right to Object: You may object to the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@hekma-academy.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
8. Your Rights Under Egyptian Law
Under the Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020, you are entitled to the following rights:
- Right to be Informed: You have the right to know what personal data is being collected, the purposes of processing, and the identity of any recipients.
- Right to Access: You may request access to your personal data held by Hekma Academy.
- Right to Correction: You may request the amendment or correction of inaccurate personal data.
- Right to Deletion: You may request the deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
- Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to Revoke Consent: You may revoke your consent to data processing at any time.
- Right to File a Complaint: You have the right to file a complaint with the Egyptian Data Protection Center (DPC) if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.
9. Data Security
We implement robust technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:
- SSL/TLS Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our Platform is encrypted using industry-standard SSL/TLS protocols.
- Secure Storage: Personal data is stored on secure servers with encryption at rest.
- Access Controls: Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis, with multi-factor authentication and role-based permissions.
- Regular Security Audits: We conduct periodic security assessments and vulnerability testing to identify and address potential risks.
- Incident Response: We maintain a data breach response plan and will notify affected users and relevant authorities within the timeframes required by applicable law.
While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and safeguard your account credentials.
10. International Data Transfers
Hekma Academy is based in the Arab Republic of Egypt. If you access our Platform from outside Egypt, please be aware that your data may be transferred to and processed in Egypt or other jurisdictions where our service providers operate.
When we transfer personal data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
- Data processing agreements with all third-party service providers
- Compliance with applicable data transfer regulations under both Egyptian and EU law
11. Children’s Privacy
Hekma Academy does not impose age restrictions on the use of our Platform. Our educational content is designed to be accessible to learners of all ages.
However, we are committed to responsible data handling for minors:
- We recommend that minors (individuals under the age of 18) use the Platform under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.
- Parents and guardians are responsible for any data provided by minors and for any purchases made on their behalf.
- If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a minor without appropriate parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.
- Parents or guardians who believe that their child has provided personal data without their consent may contact us at info@hekma-academy.com to request deletion.
12. Changes to This Policy
Hekma Academy reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes:
- The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will be revised.
- We will notify registered users via email about significant changes.
- A prominent notice may be displayed on the Platform for a reasonable period following any update.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
