Privacy policy

Elaarn is an exam-practice app for primary and secondary school pupils and students in Uganda, from P1 to S6. Most of our users are under 18, so we collect as little as we can, explain it plainly, and never sell anyone's data. This policy covers the Elaarn app, the website at elaarn.com and the browser version of the app.

1. Who we are

Elaarn ("we", "us") runs the app and this website and decides how your information is used. You can reach us about anything in this policy at support@elaarn.com.

2. What we collect

When you sign up

Your phone number, which is how you sign in. We don't need an email address.
Your name or a display name, your class (for example S2), and your school and district if you choose them.
Whether you are a student or a parent.

When you practise

Your answers and the working you write, and the marks they get.
Which topics and skills you are strong or weak in, your streak and daily goal.
Contest scores and leaderboard positions.
Problems you report about a question.

When you hand in a revision paper

Your answers and working are kept on our server only until your results are released, usually within a day. We use them to mark your paper, including with AI, and then we delete them.
We keep your results: the marks for each question, your total, your grade and your marks by topic. We keep them for as long as your account exists.
So that you can claim a mark later, we keep a fingerprint of each answer: a code that can't be turned back into the answer. We delete the fingerprints when claims close, 14 days after your results. Your own copy of your answers stays on your phone.
If you claim a mark, the answer you send is used only to decide your claim, and then deleted.

When you try a question on elaarn.com

What you write on the try page stays in your browser. Only which marking points you earned is sent, never your working.
If you enter your phone number, we don't keep the number, only a code made from it, so the app can find your result when that number signs in. The code can't be turned back into your number. We delete it, with your result, 30 days after you leave it, and we never send anything to the number. An Elaarn account is only created if you sign in to the app.
We count visits and hand-ins per page and advert, without anything that identifies you.

From your device

The app version and basic device details (model, Android version and a device identifier). We use these to keep the app working, send updates and stop one person from running many accounts in contests.
Error reports when the app crashes.

When you pay

Which plan you bought, when, how much and whether the payment worked. Payments are handled by Pesapal. We never see your mobile money PIN or card details.

When you invite friends

Your referral code and which accounts joined with it.

3. Camera and microphone in fair-play mode

Weekly contests can use a fair-play mode. In that mode the app checks, on your phone, that a face is in view and (if switched on) that nobody is talking.

No photos, video or audio ever leave your phone. They are checked on the phone and thrown away straight away.
We receive only your score and a short list of events with times, such as "left the app" or "no face for 15 seconds".
Practice never uses the camera or microphone.
You can say no to camera access. You can still practise and enter contests, but your contest result won't be ranked.

Read the fair-play rules.

4. Why we use it

To run your account and sign you in.
To mark your work and show you what to practise next. This is done automatically by the app.
To run contests and leaderboards fairly, and spot cheating.
To take payments and give premium access and referral rewards.
To fix problems and improve questions, using reports and totals across all students.
To send you messages about your account, payments and contests. We only send marketing messages if you agree, and you can stop them at any time.

We do not sell your data, and we do not show adverts in the app.

5. What other people can see

On leaderboards: your display name, school, class and score. You can use a nickname instead of your real name.
On result cards and challenge links you share: your score and display name.
Nobody else can see your answers, working, weak topics or phone number.

Only with companies that help us run Elaarn, and only what they need:

Pesapal and the mobile money networks (MTN, Airtel), to take payments.
An SMS provider, to send your sign-in code.
The company we rent our servers from, which stores the data for us.

We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect a child's safety. Our servers may be outside Uganda; when they are, we make sure the data is protected as this policy describes.

7. Children and parents

Students under 18 should use Elaarn with a parent or guardian's permission. Primary school pupils should be signed up by a parent or guardian, using the parent's phone number. A parent or guardian can at any time ask us to show, correct or delete their child's data by writing to support@elaarn.com from their phone number or with the child's phone number. If we learn that a child is using Elaarn without permission, we may ask for it or close the account.

8. How long we keep it

Your account and progress: while your account is open.
Revision papers: your answers and working until your results are released (usually within a day); answer fingerprints until claims close, 14 days after your results; your results while your account is open. See revision papers.
When you delete your account: we delete your data within 30 days, including your revision paper results and answer fingerprints. Payment records are kept for as long as tax law requires, without your answers or progress.
Accounts not used for 2 years: we may delete them, after warning you by SMS.

9. Keeping it safe

Data is sent over encrypted connections, access to it is limited to the people who run Elaarn, and contest results are signed so they can't be faked. No system is perfect; if a breach puts your data at risk, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.

10. Your rights

Under Uganda's Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019, you can ask us to:

tell you what data we hold about you and give you a copy,
correct anything that is wrong,
delete your data (see Delete your account),
stop using your data for marketing.

Write to support@elaarn.com. We reply within 30 days. If you are not happy with our answer, you can complain to the Personal Data Protection Office.

11. Cookies and the website

This website doesn't use advertising or tracking cookies, and has no cookie banner because it doesn't need one. The browser version of the app stores your sign-in and offline progress on your device so it keeps working; this is removed when you sign out or clear your browser's data. If we ever add website analytics, we will update this section first.

12. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we update the date at the top. If a change affects how we use your data, we tell you in the app before it applies.