Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

EdLight Initiative ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Give Us

We only collect personal information that you type into one of our forms. There are four:

• Contact form: your name, email address, the subject and area of interest you select, and your message
• Newsletter signup: your email address only
• ESLP notification list: your name, email address, and phone number if you choose to give one, so we can tell you when applications open
• Website quote request: your name, email address, organisation, existing website, and the project details you describe

All four forms are delivered to our inbox as email by Resend, our email provider. Subscribing to the newsletter or a notification list also sends you a confirmation email. Nothing you submit is written to a database or stored on this website; the record is the message in our inbox, and you can ask us to delete yours at any time.

We do not ask for payment information anywhere on this site, and we never see your card details. Donations are handled entirely by PayPal, as described in section 4. Payments for paid features of EdLight Code are taken on code.edlight.org, not here, and are covered by that site's privacy policy.

Automatically Collected Information

We use Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads conversion measurement to understand how this site is used and whether our Google Ad Grants advertising reaches the people it is meant for. When you visit, these Google tools set cookies on your device and record the pages you view, how you arrived (for example from a Google search or ad), your device and browser type, your approximate location (country or city, which Google derives from your IP address), and actions such as clicking a donate button, following a link to one of our programmes, or successfully submitting a form. We never send Google your name, your email address, or anything you type into a form. Ad personalisation and remarketing are switched off: we do not use this data to show you ads, and Google signals is disabled. Google processes this data as a third party under its own privacy policy (see section 4). Separately, our hosting provider automatically logs basic technical information with each request (your IP address, browser type, and the page requested), which is used to serve the site, keep it secure, and diagnose faults.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide, operate, and maintain our services
• To process registrations and applications
• To send you newsletters and updates (with your consent)
• To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• To acknowledge and keep a record of donations
• To improve our website and services
• To comply with legal obligations
• To protect against fraud and ensure security

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Resend: our email provider, which delivers every form submission and every email we send you on our behalf
• PayPal: which processes donations on its own site. You enter your payment details with PayPal, not with us; we receive only the donation record PayPal shows us, never your card or bank details
• Coursera: for learners selected as EdLight Scholars Program, we share the details needed to create your Coursera account under our Social Impact partnership. This applies only if you apply and are selected; Coursera then handles your account under its own privacy policy
• DataCamp: for learners selected as EdLight Scholars on DataCamp, we share your EdLight Scholars email address so that DataCamp can give you access through our DataCamp Donates partnership, and we receive your course progress from DataCamp to follow your cohort. This applies only if you apply and are selected; DataCamp then handles your account under its own privacy policy
• Google: which provides Google Analytics and Google Ads measurement on this site and receives the usage data described in section 2. Google processes it as a third party under its own privacy policy (policies.google.com/privacy). We use the results in aggregate to measure the site and our Ad Grants campaigns, and we do not allow the data to be used for ad personalisation
• Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
• With Your Consent: When you have given us explicit permission

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

This site uses cookies set by Google Analytics (such as _ga and _ga_ followed by an identifier) to count visits, tell new visitors from returning ones, and attribute visits that come from our Google ads. Advertising cookies are not used: ad storage and ad personalisation are set to denied for every visitor, and a visit from one of our ads is attributed from the link itself rather than from a cookie. We also set one cookie of our own, NEXT_LOCALE, only if you use the language switcher; it remembers the language you picked and nothing else. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings and the site will keep working normally. You can also opt out of Google Analytics on every website by installing Google's opt-out browser add-on (tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). Note that PayPal, Coursera and DataCamp use cookies on their own sites once you follow a link to them.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. How Long We Keep Information

We keep information for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected for.

• Programme participants. If you are selected for one of our programmes, including the EdLight Scholars Program and ESLP, we keep your participation record after your cohort ends. We use it to follow your progress, to report the programme’s impact to our funders and partners, and to keep you part of the EdLight alumni network. Taking part in a programme includes agreeing to this.
• Enquiries and messages. Kept while we handle your message and for a reasonable period afterwards as a record of the exchange.
• Notify lists. Kept until you unsubscribe, or until the cycle you signed up for has passed.
• Donation records. Kept for as long as Canadian charitable and tax record-keeping rules require.

You can ask us to stop sending you communications at any time. We will act on that without deleting your participation record.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access to your personal information
• Correction of inaccurate information
• Deletion of your personal information
• Restriction of processing
• Data portability
• Objection to processing
• Withdrawal of consent

These rights are not absolute. Where we have a continuing legitimate interest or a legal obligation (for example the record that you took part in and completed a programme, or records we must keep for charitable reporting), we may retain some information after a deletion request. If that happens we will tell you what we kept and why.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at info@edlight.org, or write to us at the address in section 13.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. Some of our programmes accept participants aged 16 and over. Where a participant is under the age of majority, we rely on their school or the parent or guardian to confirm they may take part and that their information may be shared with us. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us: