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Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 24, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Abshir China (“we”, “our”, or “us”), a company registered in Kenya, collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use the Abshir China platform — including the website at abshirmandarin.com, the iOS and Android mobile applications, and all related services (collectively, the “Platform”).

The Platform is an educational service for Mandarin Chinese language learning and university admissions facilitation. By using the Platform, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy.

1. What Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

DataWhen collectedPurpose
Full nameAccount registrationPersonalise your experience and identify you in the community
Email addressRegistration, payments, notificationsLog in, send receipts and status updates
Password (hashed)Account securityAuthenticate your identity — stored using industry-standard hashing, never in plain text
Profile photoOptional, profile settingsDisplay your avatar in the community and dashboard
Country / locationOptional, student profileTailor content and display your flag in community
Date of birth / ageOptional, student profileAge verification and content recommendations
Passport scanAdmissions applications onlyRequired by Chinese university application process
Academic transcriptsAdmissions applications onlyRequired by Chinese university application process
Language test scoresAdmissions applications onlyRequired by Chinese university application process
Financial documentsAdmissions applications onlyRequired by Chinese university application process
Payment detailsStripe-processed paymentsProcess course fees and admissions fees — card details never touch our servers
M-Pesa phone numberM-Pesa STK Push paymentsInitiate mobile money payment requests
Application detailsAdmissions formProcess your university application
Community posts & commentsWhen you post in the communityDisplay your contributions to other platform members
Organisation detailsPartnership applicationsReview and process your partnership request
Partnership proposal (PDF)Partnership applicationsEvaluate your partnership proposal

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

DataWhen collectedPurpose
Course progress & completionAs you watch lessons and complete quizzesTrack your learning journey and enable auto-resume
Quiz scores and attemptsWhen you attempt quizzesCalculate your leaderboard rank and display your progress
Lesson timestampsDuring video playbackResume playback from where you stopped
Device type and browserSession metadataEnsure the platform works correctly on your device
IP addressServer logsRate-limiting, fraud prevention, and payment security
Authentication tokensWhen you log inKeep you securely logged in across sessions
App version and OSMobile app usageEnsure compatibility and deliver updates

1.3 Local Storage

The Platform uses browser local storage and cookies to store authentication tokens, user preferences, and form draft data (so you can resume incomplete forms). This data is stored on your device and is not transmitted to our servers unless explicitly submitted. You can clear this data at any time through your browser or app settings.

2. Legal Basis for Processing

In accordance with the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

  • Contract performance: Processing necessary to deliver the educational services you signed up for — course access, progress tracking, admissions facilitation, payments
  • Consent: Where you voluntarily provide optional information (profile photo, location, community posts) or opt in to notifications. You may withdraw consent at any time
  • Legal obligation: Retention of financial records as required by Kenyan tax and financial regulations
  • Legitimate interest: Fraud prevention, platform security, and service improvement — balanced against your privacy rights

3. How We Use Your Information

All data we collect is used exclusively to provide and improve the educational services on the Abshir China platform. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing or advertising purposes. We do not use your data for profiling, automated decision-making, or targeted advertising.

  • Provide access to courses, lessons, quizzes, and learning materials you have enrolled in or purchased
  • Process payments for courses, materials, and admissions fees via Stripe and M-Pesa
  • Track your learning progress and enable auto-resume across devices
  • Send transactional emails and push notifications — enrolment confirmations, payment receipts, application status updates, lesson reminders
  • Process and manage your university admissions application
  • Review and manage partnership applications from organisations
  • Maintain the community feed and display your public profile to other members
  • Calculate leaderboard rankings based on lesson completions and quiz scores
  • Prevent fraud and abuse through rate limiting and IP-based security checks
  • Respond to your support requests and account enquiries

4. Data Storage, Security, and International Transfers

4.1 Where Your Data Is Stored

Your data is stored on Supabase infrastructure (PostgreSQL database and file storage), hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Our web application is deployed on Vercel. These services may store and process your data in data centres located outside your country of residence, including the United States and the European Union.

By using the Platform, you consent to the transfer of your personal data to these jurisdictions. We ensure that all third-party service providers maintain appropriate data protection standards and contractual safeguards.

4.2 Security Measures

  • Passwords are stored using industry-standard cryptographic hashing — we never store plain-text passwords
  • Database access is protected by Row-Level Security (RLS) — you can only access your own data
  • Uploaded documents (passports, transcripts, proposals) are stored in private, auth-gated storage buckets
  • Payment card details are processed directly by Stripe and never pass through our servers
  • All data is transmitted over HTTPS with TLS encryption
  • API routes are rate-limited to protect against brute-force attacks and abuse

4.3 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that may affect your personal information, we will notify affected users and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner of Kenya within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, in accordance with the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the Platform. Each operates under its own privacy policy. We do not share your data with any third party beyond what is necessary to deliver the Platform services described in this policy.

Supabase

Database, authentication, and file storage

Stripe

International card payment processing

Safaricom M-Pesa (Daraja)

Mobile money payments for East African users

Vimeo

Video hosting for course lessons

Resend

Transactional email delivery (receipts, notifications)

Vercel

Web application hosting and deployment

Apple App Store

iOS app distribution and in-app purchases

Google Play Store

Android app distribution and in-app purchases

6. Push Notifications

The mobile application may send push notifications for educational purposes — including course reminders, lesson updates, quiz deadlines, and application status changes. You can enable or disable push notifications at any time through your device settings. Disabling notifications will not affect your access to the Platform or its educational content.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy:

  • Account data (profile, progress, community posts): retained while your account is active, deleted within 30 days of account deletion request
  • Payment and transaction records: retained for up to 7 years as required by Kenyan tax and financial regulations
  • Admissions documents (passports, transcripts): retained only for the duration of the active application process, then deleted
  • Partnership proposals: retained for the duration of the partnership review process and any resulting partnership period
  • Server logs (IP addresses, device info): retained for up to 90 days for security and fraud prevention purposes

8. Your Rights

Under the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 and applicable international privacy laws, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Request deletion of your account and associated personal data (see Section 9)
  • Withdraw consent for optional data processing (e.g. profile photo, location, push notifications)
  • Object to processing where we rely on legitimate interests as our legal basis
  • Request a copy of your data in a portable, machine-readable format
  • Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner of Kenya

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at abshirafc@gmail.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

9. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account at any time by using the account deletion option in your account settings or by emailing us at abshirafc@gmail.com. Upon deletion:

  • Your personal profile, community posts, and learning progress will be permanently deleted within 30 days
  • Payment records will be retained for up to 7 years for legal and financial compliance
  • Active admissions applications will be withdrawn and associated documents deleted
  • Access to all paid courses and materials will be permanently revoked
  • This action is irreversible — deleted data cannot be recovered

10. Children's Privacy

The Platform is intended for users aged 17 and older for independent account creation. Users aged 13 to 16 may use the Platform only under a parent or guardian-managed account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, contact us immediately and we will delete it. All content on the Platform is educational in nature and appropriate for users aged 13 and older.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify registered users by email and/or in-app notification and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns:

Abshir China

Nairobi, Kenya

Email: abshirafc@gmail.com