Privacy Policy
SERA (Student Empowerment & Resource Access) respects your privacy. This policy explains what we collect when you use our website and student platform, how we use it, and the choices you have.
1. Who we are
SERA is a student empowerment platform based in Tanzania, connecting students with education pathways, opportunities, mentorship, and career resources. For privacy questions, contact us at privacy@sera-access.org.
2. Information we collect
- Account information: email address, display name, and profile photo (if you sign in with Google).
- Profile information you choose to add: education, experience, skills, and achievements on your SERA profile.
- Usage data: opportunities you track, dashboard activity, and submissions you make through the platform.
- Technical data: basic browser and device information needed to run the site securely (handled by our hosting and authentication providers).
We do not sell your personal information.
3. How we use your information
- To create and secure your account
- To provide dashboard, profile, and opportunity-tracking features
- To improve SERA services and respond to support requests
- To comply with legal obligations where required
4. How your data is stored and protected
Account authentication and profile data are stored using Google Firebase (Authentication and Cloud Firestore). Access to your profile is restricted so that only you (and authorised SERA administrators) can read your private data. Public pages such as opportunities and team listings do not expose your account details.
We use industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls in our database rules, and security headers on our website.
5. Sharing with third parties
We may share data only with service providers that help us operate SERA, such as:
- Google Firebase / Google Cloud (authentication and database)
- Our website host (e.g. Vercel) for delivering the site
These providers process data on our behalf under their own privacy and security terms. We do not share your profile with advertisers.
6. Your rights and choices
- Access & update: You can view and edit your profile after signing in.
- Delete: You may request account deletion by emailing privacy@sera-access.org.
- Sign out: You can sign out at any time from the navigation menu.
7. Children and students
SERA serves students, including those under 18. If you are under 18, we encourage you to use SERA with a parent or guardian’s knowledge. We collect only information needed to provide the service.
8. Data retention
We keep your account and profile data while your account is active. If you request deletion, we will remove or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we must retain information for legal or security reasons.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page will change when we do. Continued use of SERA after updates means you accept the revised policy.
10. Contact
Questions about privacy? Email privacy@sera-access.org or visit our LinkedIn page.