Privacy Policy

1. What is this Privacy Policy and what does it cover?

At edsoQ, we want you to understand what information we collect, why we use it, when it may be shared, and how you can manage it. This Privacy Policy explains how edsoQ handles personal information when you visit our website, use our platform or applications, create an account, interact with other users, or use our learning services.

edsoQ is a social learning platform designed to connect students, parents and guardians, teachers, and educational organisations. Its features may include profiles, posts, comments, messages, QSquads, learning sessions, payments, the wallet and Creds, and educational discovery.

In this Policy, “edsoQ,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the operator of the edsoQ platform, [Operator legal entity — to be confirmed]. To reach us about this Policy, use the details in Section 19 or the form at edsoq.com/contact.

This Policy should be read with our Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, Cookie Notice, and any feature-specific notices. If a feature has a separate privacy notice, that notice will explain how information is handled for that feature.

2. What information do we collect?

The information we collect depends on how you use edsoQ, which features you use, the permissions you give, and applicable law.

2.1 Information you provide

We may collect your name, username, profile image, email address, phone number, date of birth or age information, country, language, time zone, account type, and account preferences. We may also collect information you submit in forms, surveys, support requests, complaints, applications, or verification processes.

Teachers may provide experience, subject areas, professional profiles, bank details and, voluntarily, qualifications. Organisations may provide business details, contact information, and information about authorised representatives.

For teacher onboarding, we process the identity details and copy of an accepted national ID card or passport you provide, your profile photo, identity-review status and related review records. Your profile photo is used on your profile; identity-document copies are not public profile content. We use these records to review identity, manage teacher access and handle related security enquiries. Identity evidence is handled through authorised review and service-provider access under this Policy. We do not ask teachers for a separate selfie, liveness capture or biometric template in this process, and we do not require a teaching licence, degree or teaching certificate.

2.2 Profile, social, and communication information

Depending on your use of edsoQ, we may collect profile descriptions, educational interests, posts, comments, reactions, ratings, reviews, photographs, videos, documents, messages, and other content you create, send, receive, or upload. We may also process information about who you follow or interact with, and how you use social features.

Other users may be able to view content you choose to share, depending on the visibility settings and feature design. Please take care before sharing personal information publicly or in a group.

2.3 QSquad and learning information

When you create, discover, or join a QSquad, we may process its title, subject, category, description, learning outcomes, language, schedule, teacher or organisation details, membership, attendance, participation, booking, joining or withdrawal activity, session feedback, and related communications. We may use these records to organise learning, provide support, administer bookings, and maintain platform integrity.

2.4 Payment, wallet, and Creds information

We may process payment and transaction records, deposits, refunds, account balances, edsoQ Creds, QSquad fees, applicable platform fees, teacher or organisation earnings, payout requests, and transaction references. Payment providers may separately collect payment card or bank details under their own privacy policies.

For teacher subscriptions, we process enrolment, billing, payment-provider references and acceptance records, and use them to administer subscriptions and handle related payment enquiries. Card details are handled through the payment-provider integration; edsoQ does not retain card verification codes for recurring billing.

We do not intend to store full payment-card details or security codes unless a specific lawful arrangement requires it and suitable safeguards are in place. The actual payment data collected depends on the payment methods and providers edsoQ uses.

2.5 Device, log, and usage information

When you use edsoQ, we may collect technical information such as IP address, device and browser type, operating system, application version, identifiers, login records, timestamps, pages and features accessed, searches, interaction events, crash reports, diagnostics, network information, and security logs. We may use cookies and similar technologies as explained in Section 9.

2.6 Information from others

Where lawful, we may receive information from payment providers, identity verification providers, educational organisations, authorised account administrators, referral partners, other users, and security or service providers. For example, a user may report content or activity that they believe violates our rules.

2.7 Information we do not ask you to provide

Do not submit passwords, full payment-card security codes, or sensitive personal information unless a feature clearly requires it and provides an appropriate explanation. Please do not upload another person’s personal information unless you have a lawful basis and any required permissions.

3. What if you do not provide certain information?

Some information is necessary to create an account, verify access, complete a transaction, join a QSquad, or use a particular feature. If you do not provide required information, that feature or service may not be available.

Other information is optional. You can choose whether to provide it, but your experience may be less personalised or some functions may not work as intended. Where consent is required by law, we will request it before processing the relevant information.

4. How do we use your information?

We use personal information for specific purposes connected with operating edsoQ, supporting learning, protecting users, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, our reasons for processing may include providing a service you request, performing a contract, complying with law, protecting safety, pursuing legitimate operational interests, or obtaining your consent.

4.1 To provide, personalise, and improve edsoQ

We use information to create and maintain accounts; display profiles; enable posts, comments, and messaging; allow users to create and join QSquads; coordinate sessions; process bookings and payments; provide customer support; remember preferences; troubleshoot problems; and develop and test features.

We may use activity and preference information to organise search results and recommend relevant QSquads, subjects, teachers, learning resources, or other platform features. Recommendations may be automated and may use information such as your selected subjects, interactions, searches, and participation. Available controls may vary by feature.

4.2 To administer payments and Creds

We use transaction records to process payments, deposits, refunds, payouts, QSquad fees, applicable charges, edsoQ Creds, teacher subscriptions, and teacher and organisation earnings; maintain account balances; resolve payment questions; and prevent financial abuse. We may keep records where needed for accounting, tax, audit, dispute, or legal purposes.

4.3 To promote safety, security, and integrity

We may use information to verify accounts, detect suspicious activity, prevent fraud and spam, investigate reports, enforce our Terms and Community Guidelines, identify security incidents, protect users, and maintain platform reliability. This may involve automated tools and, where appropriate, review by authorised personnel.

4.4 To communicate with you

We may send account verification messages, login and security alerts, booking confirmations, session reminders, transaction notices, service announcements, policy updates, and responses to your enquiries. Where permitted, we may also send marketing messages. You can opt out of non-essential marketing communications, but essential service and security messages may still be sent.

4.5 To measure and understand our services

We may analyse usage, performance, support trends, and feedback to understand how edsoQ is used, diagnose technical issues, measure service quality, plan improvements, and produce aggregated statistics. Where practical, we use aggregated or de-identified information for reporting and analysis.

4.6 To comply with law and protect rights

We may process information to comply with legal obligations, respond to lawful requests, enforce agreements, investigate suspected unlawful activity, establish or defend legal claims, and protect the rights, safety, and property of edsoQ, our users, or others.

5. How is your information shared on edsoQ?

5.1 With other users

Information you make public—such as public profile details, posts, comments, reviews, or public QSquad details—may be visible to other users and, depending on the feature, people outside edsoQ. Information shared in a private QSquad or restricted area may be available to its participants and authorised administrators.

Private settings do not guarantee absolute confidentiality. A recipient may copy, screenshot, download, or redistribute information they can access.

5.2 With teachers and educational organisations

We may share relevant information with a teacher or organisation when needed to administer a QSquad, deliver a learning session, confirm participation, provide support, process a payment, or manage a booking. We aim to limit such sharing to information reasonably needed for the relevant purpose.

5.3 With service providers

We may share information with providers that help us host, maintain, secure, and operate edsoQ, including cloud hosting, payment processing, email and notification delivery, customer support, identity verification, analytics, fraud prevention, security, and software maintenance providers. They should process information only under appropriate instructions and contractual or legal safeguards.

5.4 With related entities and partners

Where relevant, information may be shared with an affiliated entity or partner supporting edsoQ operations, but only for a stated and legitimate purpose and subject to applicable law. We will not assume that a partner may use personal information for its own marketing merely because it provides a service to edsoQ.

5.5 For legal, safety, and security reasons

We may disclose information where we reasonably believe it is necessary to comply with applicable law or a valid legal request; protect users or the public; investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents; enforce our terms; or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. We will assess requests and disclose only what is appropriate and legally permitted.

5.6 Business transfers

If edsoQ or a relevant part of its business is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of the transaction where legally permitted. We will take steps required by law to protect information and notify users where required.

5.7 At your direction

We may share information when you choose to connect a third-party service, request that information be sent to another person or organisation, or otherwise direct us to share it. The recipient’s own privacy policy may apply after information is transferred.

6. Do we sell your information?

edsoQ does not sell personal information in exchange for money. We may use service providers and share limited information as described in this Policy to operate, secure, measure, and improve the platform.

If edsoQ introduces advertising, sponsored content, or other data-sharing practices that are regulated as “selling,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising under applicable law, we will update this Policy and provide any required notices and controls before implementing those practices.

7. Children, students, and parent or guardian access

edsoQ is a learning platform and may be relevant to students of different ages. However, educational purpose does not automatically remove legal requirements concerning children’s online accounts, personal data, consent, age assurance, or social-media access.

Where a student account may lawfully be created or managed with parent or guardian involvement, the platform may process the information necessary to establish authority, manage permitted account settings, coordinate learning, administer bookings and payments, and provide appropriate oversight. The actual access available to a parent or guardian depends on the permissions granted, the student’s age, and applicable law.

A person under 18 registers on edsoQ only through a valid invitation from a parent or guardian’s account, and their account is linked to that parent or guardian. From their 18th birthday, a person may register independently without a parent or guardian invitation, subject to the other account eligibility requirements. Linking an existing student account requires the student’s approval; until the student approves, the parent or guardian sees nothing about the student’s learning. A linked parent or guardian can see the student’s sessions, attendance, payments and marks, but not the student’s submitted work. No photo of a person under 18 is stored as a profile picture, and recording is not permitted while anyone under 18 is present.

We will take steps required by applicable law to protect children’s information, including appropriate age-related controls, privacy settings, consent processes, access restrictions, and safeguards for content and communications. We will not knowingly process a child’s personal information in a way that violates applicable law. If you believe information has been collected improperly, contact us using Section 19.

8. Public information, private QSquads, and user content

You control what you choose to publish through available platform settings, but not every feature will necessarily have the same privacy options.

• Public content: may be viewable, searchable, or shareable by other users.
• Private or restricted content: may be available to invited participants, authorised staff, or service providers who need access to operate the feature.
• Messages and group discussions: may be accessible to their participants and may be reviewed when reasonably necessary for safety, support, dispute handling, or legal compliance, subject to applicable law.
• Deleted content: may remain in recipients’ copies, backups, or records that must be retained for legal or security reasons.

Do not post personal contact details, financial information, identity documents, or other sensitive information publicly. Report content or behaviour that creates a safety or privacy concern.

9. Cookies and similar technologies

edsoQ may use cookies, local storage, pixels, software development kits, and similar technologies to keep users signed in, remember settings, secure accounts, prevent fraud, understand feature performance, and measure usage. If advertising or other optional tracking technologies are used, they may have additional purposes.

Where required by law, we will request consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies. You may also be able to manage cookies through your browser or device settings. Blocking essential technologies may affect platform functionality.

The Cookie Notice describes the cookies edsoQ uses.

10. How do we handle analytics and aggregated information?

We may create statistical reports about platform usage, QSquad participation, feature performance, and user trends. Where information is genuinely anonymised so that individuals are no longer identifiable, we may use it for research, planning, reporting, and service improvement.

We do not attempt to re-identify genuinely anonymised information except where permitted by law for testing or validation purposes under appropriate safeguards. Information that is merely coded or pseudonymised may still be personal information.

11. How long do we keep information?

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes explained in this Policy. Retention depends on the type of information, the feature involved, whether the account remains active, and legal or operational requirements.

For example, account and profile data may be retained while an account is active; transaction records, including teacher subscription records, may be kept for accounting, tax, audit, and legal requirements; identity-review evidence is kept only for the identity-review, security and legal purposes described in the Data Retention policy; support records may be retained to resolve issues; and security logs may be retained for a limited period to investigate suspicious activity. Content may remain in other users’ copies after you remove it from your profile.

When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to delete it, anonymise it, or securely dispose of it, subject to lawful retention obligations, dispute holds, and backup cycles.

12. How do we protect information?

We use reasonable technical, organisational, and administrative safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. Depending on the system and risk, safeguards may include access controls, authentication, encryption where appropriate, monitoring, backups, staff confidentiality requirements, vendor controls, and incident-response procedures.

No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Users should protect their login credentials, use secure devices, and notify us promptly if they suspect unauthorised access.

If a personal data breach occurs, edsoQ will assess and respond to it and provide notifications to affected individuals or authorities where required by applicable law.

13. International data transfers

edsoQ may use service providers or support users in multiple countries. As a result, personal information may be processed or stored outside the country where it was collected.

Where cross-border transfers are regulated, we will use a lawful transfer mechanism and safeguards required by the applicable law. This may include contractual protections, recognised adequacy arrangements, or consent where legally valid and appropriate. The countries involved will depend on the actual hosting and service-provider arrangements used by edsoQ.

To ask where your information is processed, contact us using Section 19.

14. Your privacy rights and choices

Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to request access to personal information, correct inaccurate data, request deletion, restrict or object to certain processing, withdraw consent where processing relies on consent, request a portable copy of certain information, or complain to a relevant data protection authority.

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions. We may need to verify your identity or authority before responding. We will respond within the time period required by applicable law.

You may also be able to manage profile details, notifications, privacy settings, cookie preferences, and account status through the platform, where those controls are available. You can opt out of non-essential marketing communications using the unsubscribe option or by contacting us.

15. Access, correction, download, and deletion

You may request a copy of your personal information or ask us to correct or delete it by using available account controls or contacting us. We may retain some information where necessary to complete transactions, comply with law, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, or protect safety.

Deleting your account does not necessarily delete information already copied by other users, records we are legally required to keep, or data that remains temporarily in backups. Where a request cannot be fulfilled fully, we will explain the applicable reason where required by law.

16. Automated processing and recommendations

edsoQ may use automated tools to help recommend QSquads, rank search results, detect suspicious activity, identify spam, or support platform security. These tools may consider information such as selected interests, platform activity, technical signals, or transaction patterns.

Where applicable law gives you rights relating to decisions made solely by automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects, we will provide the safeguards required by law. We will not claim that a decision is solely automated unless that accurately describes the process.

17. Third-party services

edsoQ may link to or integrate with third-party websites, payment services, video-conferencing tools, educational providers, or other services. Those services may collect information directly from you and apply their own privacy terms. We do not control third-party privacy practices and encourage you to review their policies before providing information.

18. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in edsoQ, our services, technology, or legal obligations. We will update the “Last Updated” date and provide notice of material changes where required by law. Where a change requires consent, we will seek that consent before processing information on the new basis.

The revised Policy will apply from its stated effective date, subject to any mandatory legal requirements.

19. How to contact edsoQ

edsoQ is operated by [Operator legal entity — to be confirmed], whose registered address is [Registered address — to be confirmed]. For privacy questions, requests, complaints, or concerns, contact:

Privacy contact email: support@edsoq.com

You can also use the form at edsoq.com/contact, which works without signing in and gives you a reference number.

Please explain your request clearly. Do not include passwords, full payment-card details, or unnecessary sensitive information in your message. If you are contacting us on behalf of a student or another person, we may ask you to demonstrate your authority to make the request.

Where applicable law provides a right to complain to a data protection authority, you may exercise that right independently of contacting us.

20. Applicable law

edsoQ will handle personal information in accordance with data protection and privacy laws that apply to its operations and users. Depending on the circumstances, these may include the UAE Personal Data Protection Law and other national or regional laws.

The specific laws that apply may depend on the operator’s establishment, the user’s location, the services offered, and the type of data processed. Nothing in this Policy is intended to reduce any mandatory rights granted to individuals by applicable law.

21. Our commitment

At edsoQ, we believe learning should be accessible, collaborative, and empowering. We aim to build a trusted learning community by handling personal information responsibly, explaining our practices clearly, and applying appropriate safeguards to support users and their educational interactions.

edsoQ — Split the Fee, Multiply the Knowledge!

22. Verification scope and independent responsibility

Verification refers only to the particular checks described for that verification process. Reviewing a submitted identity document, licence or certificate is not the same as confirming every statement with an issuer. Verification is not accreditation, a quality rating, an assurance of authorisation in every jurisdiction or a guarantee of future conduct. Providers must keep submitted details current and must not describe an edsoQ badge as official educational approval.

Teachers and organisations are independently responsible for their profiles, qualifications, affiliations, listings, materials, teaching delivery and conduct. Each user is responsible for their own content and behaviour. Learners and parents should review suitability, syllabus, schedule, price and relevant credentials before joining. edsoQ does not guarantee teaching quality, every user statement, accreditation, future conduct or learning outcomes. edsoQ remains responsible for its own platform processes and any duties that cannot lawfully be excluded.