Privacy Policy

1. Data We Collect

We collect information that identifies, relates to, or describes you or your child (“Personal Data”). This includes:

• Account Information: Full name, email address, date of birth, and account passwords.
• Minor Data: First name, age, and academic progress metrics of children under 18 (collected only via verified parent or guardian registration).
• Billing & Transaction Data: Mobile wallet details, payment reference numbers, billing addresses, or uploaded bank transfer receipts. We do not directly store credit card numbers; these are handled by authorized local payment processors.
• Usage Data: IP addresses, browser types, and learning material engagement metrics.

2. Legal Basis for Processing

Under Ethiopian law, we process your personal data under the following legal frameworks:

• Consent: Your explicit agreement given during registration.
• Contractual Necessity: To provide access to learning materials, manage your recurring subscription, and complete payment workflows.
• Legal Obligation: To comply with financial reporting, data retention, and anti-fraud mandates under the Computer Crime Proclamation No. 958/2016.

3. Strict Protection of Minors (Under 18)

In compliance with Article 11 of the Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024, we implement enhanced protections for children:

• We never knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 without explicit parental or legal guardian consent.
• Parents or legal guardians hold all data privacy rights on behalf of their registered minors.
• Minor data is strictly used to evaluate learning progress and will never be shared, sold, or targeted for commercial advertisements.

4. Data Storage and Localisation

In compliance with Ethiopian data localization policies, all primary student data, account credentials, and transactional records collected within Ethiopia are stored on secure servers located locally within the territory of Ethiopia.

5. Cross-Border Data Transfers

If your data must interact with international systems (such as cross-border cloud infrastructure or third-party web-hosting systems), we ensure that the recipient jurisdiction maintains an adequate level of data protection equivalent to Ethiopian laws, backed by certified Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).

6. Cookies and Strictly Necessary Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your computer or mobile device by our web servers when you visit. Our platform uses cookies to ensure the secure and efficient delivery of learning materials. We deploy only Strictly Necessary Cookies, which are essential for:

• Managing authenticated sessions and remembering login states.
• Preventing cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and unauthorized data access.
• Balancing server traffic to maintain platform stability.
• Tracking active subscription sign-ups and billing states during checkout.

The legal Basis for using cookies on Astemarian is in compliance with the Ethiopian Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024, and prior user consent is not required to deploy strictly necessary cookies. The processing of these minimal identifiers is legally justified on the grounds of Contractual Necessity, as our platform cannot technically deliver the account-based learning materials or process your subscription payments without them.

These cookies do not collect, aggregate, or store personal information for marketing, behavioral tracking, or advertising profile generation. Most of the cookies we use are "session cookies," which are automatically erased from your device the moment you close your web browser. A limited number of security cookies may persist for up to 30 days to protect your account against repeated automated login attempts.

Because these cookies do not profile users or track cross-site behavior, their automated deployment on devices used by minors complies fully with the strict security mandates of Ethiopian law.

While you cannot opt out of these essential cookies through our website, you can configure your internet browser (such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge) to block or alert you about these cookies. However, please note that blocking strictly necessary cookies will cause significant portions of our platform to break, and you will be unable to log in, process payments, or view the learning materials.

7. Your Rights Under Ethiopian Law

The Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024 grants you specific statutory rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: You can request a clear copy of all personal information we hold about you or your child.
• Right to Rectification: You can update or correct inaccurate or incomplete registration profiles at any time.
• Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): You can demand the permanent deletion of your data when your subscription ends or if you withdraw your consent.
• Right to Object: You can object to your data being processed for optimization analytics.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information provided in Section 9.

8. Data Security and Breach Notification

We use administrative and technical security measures (including TLS encryption, system firewalls, and restricted database permissions) to safeguard against unauthorized data exposure, theft, or hacking. In the event of a significant data breach impacting your information, we are legally required to notify the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) and affected users without undue delay.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to match technological updates or changes in Ethiopian law. Any amendments will be signaled by updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after updates constitutes acceptance of the modified policy.