Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

At a Glance: Summary of Key Points

Before we dive into the details, here is a quick overview of how we handle your privacy:

-            What personal information do we collect? We collect basic account details (like your name, email, and grade level), payment information for your subscription, and data about how you use our study tools.

-            Do we process any sensitive personal information ? We do not collect sensitive data like race, religion, or health information. We only process what we need to help you study.

-            Do we collect information from third parties? We receive basic confirmation from our payment processors when your monthly subscription goes through, but that's about it.

-            How do we use your information ? We use it to run the Study Genius app, power your AI Tutor, send your daily study reminders, and keep your account secure.

-            Who do we share your personal information with? We share data only with essential service providers (like our secure hosting, payment processors, and our AI API provider). We never sell your personal data.

-            What are your privacy rights? You have the right to see, update, move, or delete your data at any time. Parents have full control over their children's accounts.

-            How can you contact us ? You can always reach our friendly team at desk@studygenius.co.za .

1. INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Study Genius! We're thrilled to have you on board. Whether you're a Grade 1 learner just starting out or a tertiary student tackling complex subjects, our goal is to give you the best study tools and techniques possible.

We know that reading privacy policies isn't exactly as fun as acing a quiz on our app, but we want to be completely transparent with you. When you use Study Genius, you're trusting us with your personal information. We take that responsibility seriously. We've written this policy to be as clear and human-readable as possible, so you know exactly what we collect, why we need it, and how we protect it. We proudly comply with major privacy laws, including South Africa's POPI Act, the GDPR, the CCPA/CPRA, and COPPA.

If you ever have questions after reading this, don't hesitate to drop us a line at desk@studygenius.co.za.

2. WHAT WE COLLECT & WHY

To give you a seamless learning experience, we need to collect a little bit of information. We organize this based on how we get it and why we need it.

-            Information you give us directly

When you sign up for Study Genius, we ask for your name, email address, and current grade or education level. If you're paying for our R65.99 monthly subscription, you'll also provide payment details.

-            Why we need it : We need this to create your account, tailor the interactive subjects panel to your grade, and process your subscription.

-            Legal basis : We process this to fulfill our contract with you.

Information we collect automatically

As you use the app, we automatically note things like which quizzes you take, how you interact with the AI Tutor, and basic device information (like whether you're using a phone or tablet).

-            Why we need it : This helps us track your progress, send your daily study reminders at the right time, and fix any bugs you might run into.

-            Legal basis: We rely on our legitimate interest in improving our app and providing a smooth user experience.

Information from third parties

We don't buy data from data brokers. The only third-party information we receive comes from our secure payment processors, who simply let us know if your monthly R65.99 payment was successful so we can keep your premium features active.

-            Why we need it : To ensure your subscription remains active.

-            Legal basis : Fulfilling our contract with you.

3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We don't collect data just for the sake of it. Every piece of information we gather has a specific job to do. Here is exactly how we put your data to work:

-            Core service delivery : We use your data to run the app. This includes setting up your interactive subjects panel, loading your exercise and quiz panels, and connecting your questions to our AI Tutor. (Legal basis: Contract)

-            Service improvement : By looking at how learners use our tools, we can figure out which features are a hit and which need a little more work. (Legal basis: Legitimate interest)

-            Communication : We'll use your email to send you priority support replies, password reset links, and important account updates. (Legal basis: Contract)

-            Security and fraud prevention : We monitor accounts for unusual activity to keep hackers out and your study progress safe. (Legal basis: Legitimate interest)

-            Legal compliance : Sometimes the law requires us to keep certain records, like tax information for your subscription payments. (Legal basis: Legal obligation)

-            Marketing : If you've said it's okay, we might occasionally email you about new study features. You can opt out of this at any time with one click. (Legal basis: Consent)

4. WHEN WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION

Let's get the most important thing out of the way first: we will never sell your personal data. We only share your information when it's absolutely necessary to run Study Genius.

Here is who we share data with and why:

-            Essential service providers : We use trusted partners to help run our business. This includes our secure cloud hosting providers, the payment gateways that process your monthly fee, and the third-party provider that supplies the API key for our AI Tutor feature. We only share the minimum amount of data they need to do their jobs.

-            Legal requirements : If a court or government authority legally forces us to hand over data, we have to comply. We will always try to notify you first if the law allows us to.

-            Business transitions : If Study Genius ever merges with another company or is acquired, your data would be transferred as part of that business deal.

-            With your consent: If we ever need to share your data for a reason not listed here, we will ask for your explicit permission first.

5. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

You own your data, and you should have total control over it. Because we serve international customers and comply with the POPI Act, GDPR, and CCPA/CPRA, you have some powerful rights:

-            Access your data : Want to know exactly what we have on file? Just ask, and we'll send you a copy within 30 days.

-            Correct inaccuracies: If you change your email or notice we have your grade level wrong, you can update it right in the app settings.

-            Delete your data : You can ask us to erase your account and personal data at any time. We'll wipe it clean, keeping only what we are legally required to hold onto (like past billing receipts).

-            Opt out of marketing : Tired of our promotional emails? Hit the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any marketing email, and we'll stop immediately.

-            Withdraw consent: If you gave us permission to do something and changed your mind, you can take that permission back at any time. (This won't affect anything we did while we still had your consent).

To exercise any of these rights, just email desk@studygenius.co.za . If you live in South Africa and feel we haven't respected your rights, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

6. DATA SECURITY

Keeping your study data and payment info safe is a top priority for us. We use industry-standard encryption to protect your data while it's traveling between your phone and our servers, and we strictly limit which of our employees can access user information.

Here's the honest truth, though: no system on the internet is 100% hacker-proof. While we work incredibly hard to protect your information, we can't guarantee absolute security.

You play a big role in your own security, too! Please use a strong, unique password for your Study Genius account and keep your devices locked. If we ever experience a data breach that puts your personal information at risk, we promise to notify you and the relevant authorities as quickly as possible, in line with legal requirements.

7. DATA RETENTION

We don't want to hold onto your data forever. We only keep it for as long as it's actually useful. Here is our general timeline:

-            Active account data : As long as you have an active Study Genius account, we keep your profile and study history so you can pick up right where you left off. If you delete your account, we delete this data within 30 days.

-            Financial records : By law, we have to keep records of your R65.99 monthly payments for about 7 years for tax and accounting purposes.

• Marketing preferences: We keep a record of your marketing choices (especially if you opt out) indefinitely, so we never accidentally spam you.

• Technical logs: We keep background system logs for 12 months to help us track down bugs and monitor app performance, after which they are automatically deleted.

8. COOKIES &  TRACKING

Because Study Genius is a mobile app and web platform, we use a few digital trackers (like cookies or local storage) to make things work smoothly.

We use these primarily to keep you logged in, remember your dark mode/light mode preferences, and track app crashes. We don't use invasive tracking cookies that follow you around the internet to show you ads on other websites.

You can usually manage or clear these trackers right from your device's settings or your web browser. Just keep in mind that if you block all cookies, some parts of Study Genius (like staying logged in) might not work properly.

 9. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

Because Study Genius is built for learners from Grade 1 all the way through tertiary education, we frequently handle the data of minors. We take this incredibly seriously and strictly comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the POPI Act's rules regarding children.

If a user is under the age of 13, we require verifiable parental consent before they can create an account. Here is how it works:

-            During sign-up, we ask for the user's age.

-            If the user is a minor, we require a parent or guardian's email address.

-            We then contact the parent to explain exactly what data we collect and ask for their explicit permission to create the child's account.

-            Parents have the absolute right to review their child's data, request that we delete it, or tell us to stop collecting further information at any time.

If you are a parent and have any questions about your child's account, please email us immediately at desk@studygenius.co.za .

10. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Study Genius is based in South Africa, but we serve international customers and use global service providers. This means your data might take a trip across borders—for example, to servers hosted in the United States or Europe, or to the servers of our third-party AI Tutor API provider.

Don't worry, your data doesn't lose its protection when it travels. We ensure that any international data transfers are protected by strong legal safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or adequacy decisions, meaning your data is treated with the same high level of care no matter where it goes.

11. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

As we add new features to Study Genius or as privacy laws evolve, we might need to update this policy.

When we make significant changes, we won't just quietly change the text. We will notify you via an email or a prominent pop-up inside the app before the changes take effect. Your existing data will always be treated under the promises we made when we collected it, unless you agree otherwise. You can always find the most current version of this policy right here, with the "Last Updated" date at the top.

12. CONTACT US

We love hearing from our users! If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat about how we handle your privacy, we're here for you.

-            Privacy Email: desk@studygenius.co.za (This is the fastest way to reach us for data requests!)

-            Website :  www.studygenius.co.za

We do our best to respond to all privacy-related emails within 48 hours. Grab a cup of coffee, send us your questions, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

---

Generated by PolicyForge — AI-Powered Compliance Platform

https://policyforge.co