Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

The Academy, which is a joint initiative of The People Business (Pty) Ltd (TPB), and The Kamva Leadership Institute (Pty) Ltd (Kamva), cares about the confidentiality and security of Personal Information. It is currently the pilot site for the permanent Academy site, which will launch in 2022. Together these two entities jointly provide courses, leadership tools and an active community for leaders to engage in peer learning, mentoring and growth.   The Academy site (hereinafter referred to as the site) is current housed on the following domain www.bevhancock.com/com.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected by the Academy and will be used only for its intended purpose in line with South African and international privacy legislation. Your Personal Information is received and controlled by The Academy based on this Privacy Policy. By signing up, you permit The Academy. If you do not accept the terms of this Privacy Policy, then please do not register to be part of the portal.  

Should you choose not to disclose certain information required to provide you with various products and services offered on The Academy, you may not be able to establish a user account or obtain those products or services.

As a participant in the community, you hold yourself to the highest ethical standard, treat others with respect and afford others the same level of protection.

This Privacy Policy is organised as follows:

• Information that H2 collects from you (including Personal Information)
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies on the H2 Site
• How your information is used
• How your information is shared
• How to manage your Personal Information
• Storage & Security
• Privacy Policy updates
• Contact information
• Glossary

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND STORE

The Academy directly collects information when you:

• sign up for a user account and create a user profile
• enrol and participate in online courses
• send email messages to The Academy (including messages to learner support)
• participate in user surveys
• participate in public forums, webinars, and other interactive experiences within The Academy portal

The Academy also indirectly collects usage information about your visit to the site, as explained in the Cookies and Tracking Technologies section below.

The Academy does not store financial account data  

The Academy only uses identification numbers issued by a governmental entity, employer, or other authority for certification purposes  that would allow us to confirm the completion of studies.

All Payments for purchases will be processed through a secure third-party payment system that will authenticate your identity and process payment.  

You may voluntarily choose to share additional Personal Information on the H2 site, for example:

• in your account profile
• when participating in a course, forum, webinar, or other interactive experiences

• We encourage you to use discretion before voluntarily sharing additional Personal Information on The Academy site. (If you later choose to delete your account, it will be subject to the process and limits outlined below.
• The Academy and its two primary partners, TPB and Kamva, will have access to your information only once you have enrolled in a course with the Academy and will only use this data as outline below.

COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES ON THE ACADEMY SITE

In line with accepted practice, The Academy uses Cookies and other common Tracking Technologies online and in email communications to better understand your use and needs, the current and future related products and services, and how The Academy can improve its offering. For example:

• based on your cookie settings, The Academy tracks information indicating, among other things, when and which pages you visit, in what order and which hyperlinks and other user interface controls you used
• The Academy may log the IP address, operating system, and browser software (including mobile use and device type when you use The Academy native mobile apps) you used when accessing the site and may be able to determine from an IP address your Internet Service Provider and the geographic location of your point of connectivity; and
• The Academy may track and collect information from emails, such as whether you opened the email or clicked on any links.
• The Academy may also partner with third parties to help us track and understand your activity on the site, how you interact with our social media, and how you find or may be referred to the site.  

The Academy uses Cookies and other Tracking Technologies for the following purposes:

• When necessary for system administration, security, and integrity to ensure the site works properly for you.
• To enable analytics, performance and functionality, to help gather information about how visitors use the site, monitor site performance and enhance your experience by recognising and remembering any personal preferences
• To support marketing by enabling The Academy to deliver content relevant to your interests based on how you interact with advertisements or content. The Academy uses “first-party” cookies, which means cookies served by The Academy, and “third-party” cookies, which means cookies served by third parties that help track this information.

You have some options for managing Cookies and other Tracking Technologies. These include:

• Modifying your browser settings: You should be able to control how and whether your web browser accepts Cookies by adjusting its privacy and security settings. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new Cookies, receive notifications of new Cookies, and disable existing Cookies. If you reject The Academy Cookies, many functions and conveniences of the site may not work correctly.

HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED

The Academy uses Information, including Personal Information, to carry out the following purposes:

• Operate and improve The site – This includes creating and improving features that support the learning community and enable usage at scale, so your learning experience is tailored to your interests and needs. 
•       
• Create, administer, provide, and facilitate courses – This includes creating and improving the quality of delivery of online courses and programs. The Academy will also use this data when assessing performance and certification. 
• Offer and improve products and services – This includes enabling you to navigate the site, enrol and participate in courses and programs, learn effectively, and purchase or obtain products and services.
• Develop and maintain the security and performance of the site – which includes tracking site outages and creating software solutions, detecting violations of the Honour Code and Terms of Service, and monitoring uses and potential misuses of the site.
• Communicate with you  – This includes answering your course and platform questions, notifying you of course and site maintenance and updates, and marketing to you about course offerings, programs, news, and related products and services of The Academy and its affiliates as permitted under applicable law. This marketing activity could include sending you communications about products or services of selected business partners that may be of interest to you. 
•      You will have the right to unsubscribe from these communications and manage your subscription.
• Support scientific research, including collaborating to enable and conduct research about how learners access and master course materials online to improve course outcomes. The Academy reserves the right to use the data collected from the learning to contribute to the body of research and resulting publications. The Academy will obtain the relevant permission data is referenced to a particular individual or organisation.
• Exercise, enforce, and comply with legal rights and obligations  – which may include responding to legal processes including, but not limited to, subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes. It could also include investigating, preventing, or taking action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, security or technical issues, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Academy or others, and as otherwise required by applicable law.

The Academy may also seek your consent for other uses of Information, including Personal Information, and will use it only for the purpose described to you. All use of Personal Information is subject to applicable law.

HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS SHARED

The Academy shares information with others for the following purposes:

• With service providers, contractors, and other third parties that help carry out the uses described above – The Academy requires third parties to (1) abide by this Privacy Policy and applicable law; (2) discreetly handle Personal Information and maintain adequate security; and (3) use Personal Information only as needed to fulfil the relevant purpose(s). In some cases, the site and individual courses are integrated with third-party services or contain links to websites published by third parties, including other content providers and service providers. These third parties are responsible for their privacy practices, so you should pay attention anytime you are redirected to a third-party website and be sure to review its privacy policy.
• With other learners in courses or other visitors to the site to create an interactive learning environment, support class participation, and share course information. – This includes sharing comments, coursework, or other information or content you submit to a portion of the site designed for viewing by other class members or for public communication. It also includes providing opportunities for you to communicate with other users who may have similar interests or educational goals, for instance, recommending specific study partners or connecting potential student mentees and mentors. The Academy may use all information collected about you to determine who might be interested in communicating with you but will only provide others with your username (for clarity, no disclosure of your real name or email address ).
• With employers, government organisations, institutions, or other enterprises that sponsor your enrollment for training or other educational purposes. Suppose such an entity pays for or otherwise sponsors your participation. In that case, The Academy will share information with the entity as needed to confirm your enrollment, participation, progress, and completion status in that course.
• With Academy affiliates, successors or in the event of a merger, acquisition, or reorganisation

The Academy may also seek your consent for additional disclosures of information, including Personal Information, and share it only as described to you. In addition, The Academy may share with the public and with third parties, including but not limited to researchers and business partners, Information and Personal Information that is de-identified or aggregated in a manner that does not personally identify you.

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

You can manage your account and profile on the site and through requests to the learner support team, who will address your request. The Academy will provide this support to the extent required by applicable law (for example, learners in the European Union) and, more broadly, as a courtesy in our sole discretion. Should the Academy be unable to meet a request that is not legally required, the Academy will endeavour to notify you. 

Access and correct your Personal Information

Much of your Personal Information is available in your account and profile on the site. Your name, email address, and other identifiable profile information are editable through the profile except as noted below. Your account dashboard lists all current and archived courses. The dashboard also contains copies of your answers and other participation and performance in courses. Please contact learner support to access and update this or other information.

Exceptions:

• User names cannot ever be changed as this is a system restriction that identifies you in courses and elsewhere on the site. 
•      You are encouraged to use discretion in choosing your username. Do not use your real name or a name identifiable to you as your username if you want to protect your identity. 
•      Note, however, that your full name and details are required for certification and record-keeping purposes.
• The site does not track or index your activities when or where a learner may volunteer for personal information, such as in discussion forums or uploaded content. The Academy encourages you to use discretion before volunteering Personal Information on the site.

Delete account and Personal Information

To request deletion of your account and Personal Information, you should click the “Delete my account”  button in your account settings because deletion is a permanent action and cannot be reversed. You may ask to complete a process that aims to confirm your authority to manage the account affected by your request.

Concerning your account, The Academy will permanently:

• deactivate your account,
• remove the active profile
• retire your username
• remove you from email lists.

By erasing the Personal Information in your H2 account profile, the remaining information about your activity on the H2 site will no longer be associated with you, except as noted below.

Exceptions:

• Deletion will not apply to historical activity logs or archives unless and until these logs and data naturally “age-off” the system.
• Course data not related to your personal information will be archived (in a manner and to the extent permitted under applicable law) to enable scientific research.
• The Academy must retain some records of past interactions and transactions for financial and audit requirements.
• The Academy will retain records required for legal reporting, audit, and compliance reasons and as otherwise permitted by applicable law to comply with its legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce its agreements, 

STORAGE & SECURITY

The Academy stores information on its servers  and other service providers’ servers in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and other countries where The Academy or its service providers operate. Suppose you are in the European Union, Switzerland, or other regions with laws governing data collection and use. In that case, you acknowledge that The Academy may transfer, process and store your personal information in South Africa and other countries, the privacy laws of which may be considered less strict than those of your region.

The Academy takes every precaution to secure information, including, but not limited to, a secure server, this privacy policy, strong passwords, antivirus and cyber-security protocols. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and The Academy cannot guarantee or be held liable for absolute security. Learners are encouraged to ensure their systems have up-to-date cyber-security controls.

If the Academy learns of a security breach involving its copy of your Personal Information, it may attempt to notify you electronically so that you may take appropriate protective steps. By using the site or providing Personal Information, you agree that The Academy can communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of the site. If a security systems breach occurs, The Academy may post a notice on its home page or elsewhere on the site and may send an email to you at the email address associated with your account. Depending on where you are located, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach involving your personal information.

Privacy Policy Updates

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed and updated from time to time. When changes are made, the Privacy Policy will be labelled as “Revised (date),” indicating that you should review the new terms, effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the site after any changes have been made, you accept the modified Privacy Policy and any changes. If you miss the notification referenced above, be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

If you have privacy concerns, have disclosed data you would prefer to keep private or want to access the Personal Information that The Academy maintains about you, please contact us at privacy@bevhancock.com.