CourseMate Privacy Policy

Scope and who we are

CourseMate is an education platform provided by Syntrix Tech Ltd (“CourseMate”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). It helps students, student experts, instructors, tutors, and other education participants discover and share learning content, manage academic activities, take part in discussions and live sessions, and receive relevant updates.

This policy applies to the CourseMate mobile application, our websites, and related services that link to it (together, the “Services”). It does not apply to a third-party service that has its own privacy policy, even when you reach that service from CourseMate.

Syntrix Tech Ltd generally determines how CourseMate account and platform information is used. Where a university or another organization manages a programme or provides information through CourseMate, that organization may also have privacy responsibilities for its own processing.

Information we collect

The information we process depends on the features you use, the account type you choose, and the permissions you grant.

Information you provide

• Account and profile information: name, username, email address, telephone number, profile photo, authentication credentials, account role, and communication preferences.
• Academic and institutional information: university or institution, programme, course, year or semester, student or university identification number, enrolled units, grades, study preferences, and academic progress.
• Verification and application information: student identification images, transcripts, certificates, qualifications, introduction videos, course expertise, verification details, and information submitted when applying for a student-expert, instructor, or tutor role.
• Content and activity you submit: lecture notes, summaries, tutorials, books or documents, course materials, assessments, calendar entries, study plans, discussions, comments, replies, reactions, reports, and feedback.
• Communications: messages and information you send to support, feedback, moderation, or verification channels.
• Transaction information: if paid features are available, we may receive the item purchased, amount, currency, transaction reference, payment status, and limited billing details. Payment providers process payment credentials under their own terms.

Information collected when you use the Services

• Learning and usage activity: screens viewed, courses and files opened, searches, downloads, assessment attempts and results, attendance, reactions, reports, notification interactions, and feature engagement.
• Device and technical information: a CourseMate-generated device identifier, device type, operating system, app version, language, network information, IP address, timestamps, diagnostic events, and push-notification token.
• Reliability and security information: crash reports, performance data, error logs, suspected security events, and authentication activity.
• Live-session information: audio, video, session participation, call identifiers, duration, and network quality information when you join a live discussion or video call. Camera and microphone access occurs only with device permission.
• Cookies and similar technologies: our websites may use cookies or local storage for sign-in, preferences, security, measurement, and performance.

Information from other sources

We may receive information from supported sign-in providers, universities and programme administrators, other users, app stores, and service providers. This can include profile details you authorize a sign-in provider to share, enrolment or course information, group activity, and delivery, security, or transaction status.

How we use information

We use information to provide and personalize accounts and learning features; enable uploads, discussions, assessments, live sessions, and collaboration; verify eligible education roles; send service and security messages; provide support; measure and improve the Services; protect users and prevent abuse; process enabled purchases; and comply with legal obligations.

AI-assisted features

If CourseMate enables an AI-assisted feature, information you deliberately submit may be processed to generate the requested output and to operate and protect the feature. Before using it for model training or another materially different purpose, we will provide appropriate notice and seek consent where required. AI output may be incomplete or inaccurate.

Why we are allowed to process information

Depending on the information and context, we rely on a contract with you, your consent, our legitimate interests in operating and protecting the Services, compliance with legal obligations, or protection of vital or public interests where applicable law permits it.

How information is shared

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may disclose information to people you choose to interact with; authorized institutions and programme participants; providers that support hosting, analytics, notifications, communications, live sessions, security, and payments; competent authorities where required by law; or another party at your direction or with your consent.

Public and shared content

Course content, discussions, community posts, profile details, reactions, and live-session participation may be visible to the audience identified in the feature. Content shared to a course or community should not be treated as private unless the interface clearly says it is.

Other people may download, screenshot, record, quote, or re-share what they can see. Deleting your account or original post may not remove copies already shared by others or records retained for safety and legal compliance.

Service providers and other services

CourseMate uses providers for Google sign-in, Firebase analytics, crash diagnostics, configuration and messaging; Agora live audio and video; cloud hosting and content delivery; app distribution; email, SMS, and WhatsApp communications; and payments if enabled.

When you leave CourseMate or use a third-party service, that provider’s own terms and policy apply. Review the policies of Google, Apple, Agora, and WhatsApp.

Your choices and rights

You can update eligible profile information, manage notifications and device permissions, unsubscribe from marketing, and control website cookies through your browser.

Subject to applicable law, you may ask us to access, correct, delete, restrict, or provide a portable copy of eligible personal information; object to certain processing; withdraw consent; or review a relevant complaint. We may verify your identity and retain or decline part of a request where law permits.

Retention and deletion

We keep personal information only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described here. The period depends on the information, feature, account status, academic and transaction requirements, safety and dispute needs, contracts, and applicable law.

When information is no longer required, we delete it, anonymize it, or isolate it until deletion is practicable. Limited information may remain in protected backups or be retained to prevent abuse, preserve academic integrity, resolve disputes, or comply with law.

International processing

CourseMate and its providers may process or store information in Uganda and other countries where they operate. Where required, we use contractual, organizational, and technical measures intended to provide appropriate protection for international transfers.

How we protect information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards, including access controls, protected credential storage, secure transport, monitoring, and service-provider controls. No online service, device, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Younger users

CourseMate is designed primarily for people in tertiary and professional education. If you are not old enough under the law where you live to consent to the processing needed for the Services, use CourseMate only with authorization from a parent, guardian, institution, or another legally permitted person.

Policy changes and business transfers

We may update this policy when our Services, providers, or legal obligations change. We will publish the updated version and change the effective date. We will provide additional notice for material changes and seek consent where required.

If CourseMate is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, insolvency, or sale of assets, information may be reviewed or transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.

Contact us

Questions, complaints, and requests about this policy or your personal information can be sent to:

Do not email passwords, payment PINs, identification documents, or verification codes. We may request limited additional information through a secure process to verify your identity.