Privacy Policy

4th February 2024

1. Introduction

Welcome to SimplyEnglish Privacy Policy. This Policy explains how we collect and use your data and how you can control your information.

Transparency is one of our core values at SimplyEnglish. We believe there shouldn’t be any surprises about the data we collect and how we use it. That's why we're upfront with how we process it. For example, we process your information to provide you with a more personalized learning experience, showing you content and information that are most relevant to your learning journey, as well as more relevant collaborative opportunities. Understanding your interests and preferences helps us enhance your learning experience.

Furthermore, we believe a personalized experience should not come at the expense of your privacy. Just like in real life, there are some moments you want to share privately with your close learning community, and others that you want to share publicly. That’s why from day one, our philosophy has been to prioritize user control by providing the tools that allow you to decide what happens with your learning content, such as who to share it with or when to save it.

This Policy covers our SimplyEnglish app, as well as our other products, services, and features, such as collaborative learning spaces, and our initiatives in learning and development. When you read "Services" in this Policy, we're talking about all of them. Also, if you see us refer to our "Terms," we mean the Terms of Service that you agree to when you sign up for our Services. Finally, if you see the term "Learner" we are often using that as shorthand for any user of our Services.

Let’s get started with the controls you have over your information:

Control Over Your Information

Control over your information and settings is a core part of SimplyEnglish experience. Here, we give you more details on the types of settings that are available, link out to our data download tool, and provide instructions on how to delete data or your account.

We want you to be in control of your information, so we provide you with a range of tools, including:

Access and update your information. You can access and edit most of your basic account information right in our Services. Just navigate to your settings and you will see the options available to you.

Delete your information. If you want to delete your account, learn how here. You can also delete some information within our Services.

Change your permissions. In most cases, you can change your permissions at any time. For example, if you provided access to your phone contacts to make learning communities, you can change that later on in your settings. 

2. Information We Collect

This section offers insights into the information we collect through the SimplyEnglish app. We've categorized this information into a few sections: data provided by you, data generated based on your usage of our Services, and data received from others. On occasion, we may also collect additional information, always with your explicit permission.

When you engage with our Services on the SimplyEnglish app, we gather information directly from you, generate data based on your interactions with our platform, and, in certain instances, receive data from external sources. Let's delve into these categories for a more detailed understanding.

  1. Personal Information: We collect personal information to provide and enhance our services. This includes:
    • Name, Email Address, Phone Number: For account registration, personalized communication, and identification purposes.
    • Contact List: Explicitly collected to foster a community learning experience, enabling users to connect with their network for collaborative educational activities.
    • Image Access: For User Profile Personalization
  2. Usage Data: Information on how the App is accessed and used, including lesson interactions and preferences, to improve user experience.
  3. Other Information, With Your Permission:

Additionally, there may be instances when you interact with our Services that we will ask your permission to collect additional information. For example, before accessing your device’s camera roll or Contact Book.

Purpose of Collecting Information

The collection of personal information, including the Contact List, serves to:

  • Enhance Learning Experience: By building a community network, facilitating collaboration and learning.
  • Service Provision: To deliver and refine the services offered, including learning modules and support services.
  • Platform Integrity: Ensuring a safe, secure environment for all users.
  • User Engagement: Informing users about updates, offers, and services.
  • Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Your information plays a crucial role in fortifying the safety and security of our services at SimplyEnglish. We utilize this data to verify learner identities, prevent fraud, and thwart unauthorized or illegal activities, fostering a secure and trustworthy learning environment. Adhering to legal obligations and platform policies.

Analytics and Research at SimplyEnglish

To build and enhance our services at SimplyEnglish, we rely on analytics to comprehend trends and the demand for our features. For instance, we analyze metadata and trends related to learning prompts use to make informed decisions, such as potential adjustments to the maximum size of a learning group. By studying data from learners, we gain valuable insights into how people use our services, inspiring broader improvements to SimplyEnglish.

Analytics serves as a crucial tool for identifying, monitoring, and analyzing trends and usage patterns. This information allows us to create user profiles that aid in understanding the demand for specific features.

In addition to analytics, we actively engage in research to better comprehend general learner interests, trends, and how our services are utilized within the SimplyEnglish community. This research, combined with analytics insights, helps us grasp the intricacies of our community and how our services integrate into their learning experiences. Our research and development efforts aim to introduce new techniques and technologies, such as advanced machine learning models or innovative hardware like Spectacles.

The outcomes of our research sometimes find their way into SimplyEnglish features, and we may publish papers on overarching behaviors and learner trends, always with aggregated data across our user base to ensure privacy, without containing any private information about you specifically.

Usage of Contact List

The Contact List is specifically used to:

  • Enable users to invite their contacts to join the learning community within the App.
  • Facilitate the formation of study groups or networks among users who are already part of the App's community.
  • Provide personalized recommendations for users to connect with their contacts on the platform.

Communication with SimplyEnglish Users

At SimplyEnglish, we may reach out to you occasionally to highlight new or existing features. This communication can occur through the SimplyEnglish app, email, SMS, or other messaging platforms where permitted. For instance, we might use the SimplyEnglish app, email, SMS, or other messaging platforms to share information about our services and promotional offers tailored to your interests.

There are also instances where communication is necessary to provide information, alerts, or messages requested by our users. This could involve sending communications through the SimplyEnglish app, email, SMS, or other messaging platforms where permitted. These communications may include account status updates, security alerts.

Enhancing Features, Algorithms & Machine Learning at SimplyEnglish

At SimplyEnglish, our teams continually brainstorm new features and ways to refine our services. This involves the development and enhancement of algorithms and machine learning models that power our features and services. These include generative AI features, which use artificial intelligence to generate text, images, or other media based on learned patterns.

We leverage algorithms and machine learning for personalization, advertising, safety, security, fairness, inclusivity, augmented reality, and to prevent abuse or violations of our Terms of Service. For instance, our models consider the interactions learners have with My AI to enhance responses.

Your information aids us in shaping improvements, but rest assured, we prioritize privacy, using only the necessary personal information for the development of our features and models.

Data We Receive From Others

We have integrated the third-party API ChatGPT to enhance user interactions on our platform. By leveraging this advanced technology, we aim to provide seamless and intelligent responses to user queries, enriching their experience. Through ChatGPT, users can expect accurate and contextually relevant responses, enabling more engaging and personalized interactions. We are committed to leveraging cutting-edge solutions like ChatGPT to deliver the best possible service to our users

Data Security

We are committed to the security of your data and employ various measures to protect your personal information. However, it's important to recognize that no digital platform can guarantee absolute security.

Information Sharing

Your personal information is not sold, rented, or traded with third parties for marketing purposes. We may share information with trusted service providers to assist in delivering the App's services.

User Rights

  • Editing Information: Users can edit their personal information through their account settings.
  • Deletion Requests: Users can request the deletion of their account and associated data through the support feature in the App.

Children's Privacy

We comply with laws protecting children's privacy. Users under 18 must have consent from a parent or guardian to use the App.We take all reasonable steps necessary to protect the privacy and safety of any child from whom information is collected, as required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

We do not share, collect, or use information from minors unless we are obligated to do so as mandated reporters of abuse and neglect. Use this -We are committed to protecting the privacy of children who use our app. Our app is intended for users of all ages, including children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will take steps to delete such information from our records promptly. Parents or legal guardians who believe that their child has provided us with personal information without their consent can contact us at info@simplyenglish.ai. to request the removal of their child's information from our database.

Amendments to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to amend this policy. Users will be notified of significant changes within the App.

Contact Us

For questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact info@simplyenglish.ai.

Conclusion

By using the Simply English AI Tutor App, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.