Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data SydCrest Launchpad collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it and the rights you have under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) of Ghana. We have tried to write it in plain language. If anything is unclear, ask us using the contact details at the end.

Who we are

SydCrest Launchpad is run by SydCrest, a company limited by guarantee registered in Ghana. We are a social enterprise that helps people in Ghana find a path into tech through free roadmaps, a learning community and mentors. In this policy, “SydCrest”, “we” and “us” mean SydCrest. For the purposes of Act 843, SydCrest is the data controller for the personal data described here.

SydCrest is registering with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana as a data controller. We will show our registration number on this page once it is issued.

What we collect

When you create an account

• Your name and email address.
• Your password. Our sign in provider stores it only in a scrambled (hashed) form that no one at SydCrest can read.
• Your date of birth, so we can check that you are 18 or over. We use it only for that check and for keeping a record that the check was done.
• A record that you agreed to our Terms and this policy, the version you agreed to and when.
• If you sign in with Google: the name, email address and profile picture Google shares with us. Google does not share your date of birth, so we ask for it separately.

If you choose to add them

• Your phone number.
• Your region in Ghana, so we can connect you with your local chapter and events.

When you use the platform

• Your learning progress, such as the roadmap steps you have completed.
• How many questions you ask the AI tutor each day, so we can keep it free and fair for everyone.
• Analytics about how the platform is used: which pages are opened, which features are used and whether they worked, how fast pages load, and errors. These never include your name, email address, phone number or anything you type. The Analytics section below explains exactly what we record.

We do not ask for and do not want sensitive data such as your health, religion or finances.

Why we use it, and our legal basis

Act 843 requires a lawful reason for each use of your data. Ours are:

• To run your account and the service you asked for, such as saving your progress and signing you in. This is necessary to provide the service under our Terms.
• To check your age. SydCrest is only for adults, and keeping a record of the check is part of meeting our legal and safeguarding duties.
• To send you messages about your account, such as confirming your email address. If you give us your phone number, we may send text message reminders about cohorts and events once that feature is switched on. You can ask us to stop at any time.
• To improve SydCrest using analytics: finding what is slow, confusing or broken, and reporting how the programme is going in totals. This is in our legitimate interest in running a useful service, and you can turn it off (see Analytics).
• To keep the community safe and to comply with the law.

When you create an account you give your consent to this policy. You can withdraw that consent at any time by asking us to delete your account.

Analytics

We run our own analytics. Nothing goes to an advertising network or a third party analytics company, and there are no third party trackers on SydCrest.

What we record

• What happened: the name of an event, such as a page being opened, a quiz being passed or a booking being requested, with the time, and simple details such as a score, a count or whether it worked.
• Which kind of page: for example “a roadmap topic” or “a public profile”, never which person’s profile, and never the rest of the web address.
• Your device type: phone, tablet or computer. We do not keep your internet address or the details of your browser with your analytics.
• If you are signed in: your account number (a random code, not your name), and at the time of the event your role on SydCrest (for example learner, mentor or expert), the track you are following, your region, your chapter and your cohort. This lets us count people rather than clicks and see which groups a change helps.
• If you are not signed in: a random visitor code kept in a cookie on your device, so we can count visits without knowing who you are.
• Page speed: on about a quarter of visits, how quickly pages load and respond.
• Forms: whether a form, such as an application, was started and whether it was sent. Never what you typed into it.
• Errors: when something breaks, a short description of the error with emails, numbers and links removed.

Who can see it

Analytics are stored in our own database. Only SydCrest administrators can read them, mostly as daily totals. We never sell them or share them with advertisers.

Cookies we use for analytics

• sc_aid: the random visitor code, kept for up to a year.
• sc_sid and sc_route: a code for this visit and the kind of page you are on. They are deleted when you close your browser.
• sc_analytics: remembers if you turned analytics off.

Turning analytics off

If your browser sends Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control, we record no analytics from it. You can also turn analytics off for this browser here. Signing in or out does not change it.

Who we share it with

We never sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers who help us run SydCrest, and only what each one needs:

• Supabase hosts our database and handles sign in.
• Vercel hosts the website and app.
• Anthropic provides the AI behind the AI tutor. The questions you type are sent to Anthropic to produce an answer, so please do not include private details in them.
• Twilio sends text messages, only once text reminders are switched on and only if you have given us your phone number.
• Google, only if you choose to sign in with Google.

Some of these providers store data on servers outside Ghana. We choose providers with strong security commitments and we share only what is needed. We may also disclose data where the law requires it.

How long we keep it

• Account details, date of birth, consent record and progress: for as long as your account is open. When you ask us to delete your account, we delete this data within 30 days, apart from anything the law requires us to keep.
• AI tutor usage counts: up to 12 months.
• Analytics events: 13 months, then deleted automatically. Daily totals made from them, which do not identify anyone, are kept so we can see trends over time.
• Backups: our hosting provider keeps backups for a limited time, after which deleted data is gone from them too.
• Refused sign ups: if you are under 18 and try to sign up, we do not save your date of birth.

Your rights

Under Act 843 you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you and get a copy.
• Correct data that is wrong or out of date. You can change your name, region and phone number yourself on your profile page.
• Delete your account and personal data.
• Object to how we use your data, or withdraw your consent.
• Stop marketing messages at any time.
• Complain to the Data Protection Commission of Ghana if you are unhappy with how we handle your data.

To use any of these rights, contact us at [contact email to be confirmed before publication]. We may ask you to confirm who you are before we act. We aim to reply within 21 days.

Children

SydCrest accounts are for people aged 18 and over. We ask for your date of birth when you sign up and we refuse accounts for anyone under 18. If we learn that someone under 18 has an account, we will close it and delete their data. If you think this has happened, please tell us.

How we protect your data

Data travels between your device and SydCrest over encrypted connections. Access to our database is limited by rules that only let each person see their own private data, and only a small number of SydCrest staff can reach it, for running the service.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy we will update the version and date at the top. If a change affects how we use your data in an important way, we will tell you and, where needed, ask for your agreement again.

Contact us

For any question about your data or this policy, email [contact email to be confirmed before publication]. You can also read our Terms.