Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 27, 2023

Effective date: January 27, 2023

At Lavatti Union ("Lavatti Union", "we", "us", "our") we respect your privacy rights. We have created this privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") to explain how we treat the information collected and received from your use of our Services (as defined in our Terms of Use or "TOU") provided through the website, www.lavatti.com and any other websites or applications we own, operate, or control (the "Website(s)"). This Privacy Policy applies only to the Services, and we are not responsible for the practices of persons, companies, institutions or websites that Lavatti Union does not control, manage, or employ. Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meanings set forth in the TOU.

Please read this Privacy Policy as well as our TOU carefully, as they govern your use of Lavatti Union. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Services.

Lavatti Union is the data controller of your information. Please see the "Contact Information" section below for additional details. Lavatti Union operates in partnership with Misr El-Kheir Foundation (MEK) as an IT education initiative providing free, high-quality IT education to students across Egypt and the Middle East.

Important Information About Using Our Services

Please understand that by submitting any information to us, you acknowledge that we may collect, use, disclose and retain such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our TOU, and as permitted or required by law. If you do not agree with these terms, then please do not provide any information to us.

What Information We Collect

Information You Provide Us

We collect a variety of information that you provide directly to us. In general, we collect information from you through:

  • Using any of our Services, including registering for a User Account through the Website(s)
  • Registering and enrolling in any Online Course
  • Signing up for email updates
  • Uploading or posting to public forums included through the Services
  • Submitting requests or questions to us via forms or email
  • Requesting customer support and technical assistance

The types of data we collect directly from you include:

  • Name, address, telephone number and email address
  • Log-in credentials, if you register a User Account with us
  • Information about your customer service and maintenance interactions with us
  • Demographic information, such as your gender, socio-economic status, and other personal information
  • Information you provide to us in connection with any application or admissions process, including, for example, educational and work experience, prerequisite knowledge, any pre-assessment you complete, your goals, and other information
  • User-generated content you upload or post to public forums through the Services
  • Information needed in order to comply with any procedures, laws, and regulations which apply to us where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others
  • Any other information you choose to directly provide to us in connection with your use of the Services

Participation in Online Courses

If you desire to participate in an Online Course, you will be asked to provide us with certain information necessary to conduct such an Online Course. This information may include, among other things, your name and email address. Lavatti Union, or its third-party service providers, may also collect certain information from you in conjunction with assignments, exams and other assessments related to the Online Course. Lavatti Union may also collect information from you or about your performance or accomplishments related to the course, such as quiz/exam scores, grades, project evaluations, teacher evaluations and other evaluations of your performance or accomplishments.

Information We Collect Through Automated Means

Analytics Information

When you use our Services, we and our service providers (which are third party companies that work on our behalf) may use cookies, and similar technologies to track, collect and aggregate certain information including, among other things, which pages of our Website(s) were visited, the order in which they were visited, when they were visited, the URLs from which you linked to our Website(s), and which hyperlinks were "clicked." Collecting such information may involve logging the IP address, operating system and browser software used by each user of the Website. Through such information, we may be able to determine from an IP address a user's Internet Service Provider and the general geographic location (city/country) of his or her point of connectivity.

We also use or may use these technologies to help us determine and identify repeat visitors, the type of content and sites to which a user of our Website(s) links, the length of time each user spends at any particular area of our Website(s), and the specific functionalities that users choose to use.

We use third-party web analytics services (such as those of Google Analytics) on our Website(s) to collect and analyze usage information through cookies and similar tools; engage in auditing, research, or reporting; assist with fraud prevention; and provide certain features to you. For more information about our use of cookies and similar technologies, including how you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent Google from using your information for analytics, or otherwise control or disable cookies, please see our Cookies Policy.

Do Not Track Signals

Currently, we do not monitor or take any action with respect to Web browser signals or other mechanisms for the expression of choice regarding collection of information about an individual over time and across third-party web sites or online services (e.g., Web browser "do not track" signals).

Information We Collect from Social Media and Other Content Platforms

If you log-in to, or connect to, a third-party network (e.g., through a social network), or log-in to our Services, through a social network site (e.g., Facebook), you may allow us to have access to and store certain information from your social network profile. This includes your name, gender, profile picture, depending on your settings on such services. If you do not wish to have this information shared, do not use a social networking connection to access the Services. For a description of how social networking sites handle your information, please refer to their privacy policies and terms of use, which may permit you to modify your privacy settings.

How We Use The Information We Collect

We use your information for various purposes depending on the types of information we have collected from and about you and the specific services you use, in order to:

  • Send you information in connection with the Services
  • Respond to your communications and requests
  • Manage and process Online Courses, including but not limited to tracking attendance, progress and completion; administering exams, projects, and other assessments; and monitoring performance
  • Provide Services to you, such as services that you request in conjunction with the Online Courses
  • Contact you by email, postal mail, or phone (including via SMS messages) regarding Lavatti Union products, services, surveys, research studies, promotions, special events and other subjects that we think may be of interest to you
  • Customize the content we provide through the Services
  • Help us better understand your interests and needs, and improve the Services
  • Engage in analysis, research, and reports regarding use of the Services
  • Secure the Services
  • Comply with any procedures, laws, and regulations which apply to us where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others
  • Establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others

Combined Information

For the purposes discussed in this Privacy Policy, we may combine the information that we collect through the Services with information that we receive from other sources, both online and offline, and use such combined information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Aggregate/Anonymous Data

We may aggregate and/or anonymize any information collected through the Website so that such information can no longer be linked to you or your device ("Aggregate/Anonymous Information"). We may use Aggregate/Anonymous Information for any purpose, including without limitation for research and marketing purposes, statistical analyses of Website(s) usage, and may also share such data with any third parties, including promotional partners, and sponsors.

How We Share and Disclose Your Information

Lavatti Union will share your information in the following ways:

Service Providers

We provide access to or share your information with operations and maintenance contractors and other third parties who perform services on our behalf. They have access to perform these services but are prohibited from using your information for other purposes. They provide a variety of services to us, including sales, marketing, product content and features, advertising, analytics, research, customer service, data storage, security, fraud prevention, and legal services.

Partnership with Misr El-Kheir Foundation

As Lavatti Union operates in partnership with Misr El-Kheir Foundation (MEK), we may share certain aggregated and anonymized information about program participation and outcomes with MEK for reporting and program improvement purposes. This information does not include personally identifiable information unless you have explicitly consented to such sharing.

Protection of Lavatti Union and Others

By using the Website, you acknowledge and agree that we may access, retain and disclose the information we collect and maintain about you if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access, retention or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process (e.g. a subpoena or court order) or law; (b) enforce our Terms of Use, this Privacy Policy, or other contracts with you, including investigation of potential violations thereof; (c) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third parties; (d) respond to your requests for customer service; and/or (e) protect the rights, property or personal safety of Lavatti Union, its agents and affiliates, its users and/or the public. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection, compliance with applicable law, and spam/malware prevention, and similar purposes.

Business Transfers

As we continue to develop our business, we may buy, merge, or partner with other companies. In such transactions, (including in contemplation of such transactions) user information may be among the transferred assets. If a portion or all of Lavatti Union's assets are sold or transferred to a third-party, customer information (including your email address) would likely be one of the transferred business assets. If such transfer is subject to additional mandatory restrictions under applicable laws, Lavatti Union will comply with such restrictions.

Aggregate/Anonymous Information

From time to time, Lavatti Union may share Aggregate/Anonymous Information about use of the Services, such as, but not limited to, publishing a report on usage trends or survey results, as well graduation rates, careers studies and success rates, and other demographic information provided to us by our Students. The sharing of such data is unrestricted.

Data Subject Rights and Your Choices

You may have certain rights with respect to your information as further described in this section.

Your Legal Rights

If you would like further information in relation to your legal rights under applicable law or would like to exercise any of them, please contact us using the information in the "Lavatti Union Contact Information" section below at any time. Your local laws, such as in the European Union, may permit you to request that we:

  • provide access to and/or a copy of certain information we hold about you
  • prevent the processing of your information for direct-marketing purposes (including any direct marketing processing based on profiling)
  • update information which is out of date or incorrect
  • delete certain information which we are holding about you
  • restrict the way that we process and disclose certain of your information
  • transfer your information to a third-party provider of services
  • revoke your consent for the processing of your information

If you make a privacy request, we require certain information to help verify your request and prevent fraudulent information and removal requests. To request access to or deletion of your personal information, please contact us using the "Lavatti Union Contact Information" listed below.

We will consider all requests and provide our response within the time period stated by applicable law. Please note, however, that certain information may be exempt from such requests in some circumstances, which may include if we need to keep processing your information for our legitimate interests or to comply with a legal obligation.

Communications & Notification Preferences and Opting Out

We provide our Users with the opportunity to update their information or to opt out of having their contact information used for purposes not directly related to servicing of your account.

If you wish to opt out of any of the communications offered by Lavatti Union, you may do so at any time by contacting us at [email protected]. Please identify the communication methods (e.g., phone, email, or SMS text message) by which you desire to stop receiving messages.

You may unsubscribe from our commercial or marketing email communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions located at the bottom of such emails.

Please note that, regardless of your request, we may still use and share certain information as permitted by this Privacy Policy or as required by applicable law. For example, you may not opt out of certain operational emails, such as those reflecting our relationship or transactions with you.

Retention of Your Information

We keep your information for no longer than necessary for the purposes for which it is processed. The length of time for which we retain information depends on the purposes for which we collected and use it and/or as required to comply with applicable laws.

Third Party Links and Features

The Services contain links to third-party websites such as social media sites, and also contain third-party integrations (such as the Facebook "like" button, Slack/Github integration, or YouTube) and functionalities. If you choose to use these sites or features, you may disclose your information not just to those third-parties, but also to their users and the public more generally depending on how their services function. Lavatti Union is not responsible for the content or practices of those websites or services. The collection, use, and disclosure of your information will be subject to the privacy policies of the third-party websites or services, and not this Privacy Policy. We urge you to read the privacy and security policies of these third-parties.

Children's Privacy

Lavatti Union is intended for general audiences and not for children under the age of 16. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected "personal information" from children under the age of 16 without legally-valid parental consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete it as soon as possible. We also comply with other age restrictions and requirements in accordance with applicable local laws.

International Users

Lavatti Union stores information about visitors to our Website and users on servers located in various locations, which may include servers outside of your country of residence. By using our services, you consent to the storage of your information in such locations. If you are using the services from outside Egypt, please know the information you submit will be transferred to and stored in servers that may be located in other countries. The data protection and other laws of such countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. By submitting your data and/or using our services, you acknowledge the transfer, storing, and processing of your information in and to such locations.

As described above, Lavatti Union also may subcontract the processing of your data to, or otherwise share your data with, service providers and others in countries other than your country of residence, in accordance with applicable law. Such third parties may be engaged in, among other things, the provision of services to you, the processing of transactions and/or the provision of support services. By providing us with your information, you acknowledge any such transfer, storage or use.

If we provide any information about you to any such entities, we will take appropriate measures to ensure such companies protect your information adequately in accordance with this Privacy Policy. These measures include signing Standard Contractual Clauses in accordance with European Union and other data protection laws to govern the transfers of such data where applicable.

How We Protect Your Information

We consider the confidentiality and security of your information to be of the utmost importance. Lavatti Union takes a variety of technical, administrative, and physical measures to protect your information from disclosure to or access by third parties. Please note that we do not guarantee the security of information, as no method of internet transmission or storage is completely secure. Also note that we may retain and store your information in our databases and systems even after your Lavatti Union account is deactivated as long as we have a legitimate purpose to do so and in accordance with applicable law.

Changes To Our Privacy Policy

Please note that we review our privacy practices from time to time, and that these practices are subject to change. Any change, update, or modification will be effective immediately upon posting on our Website(s). You can know if the Privacy Policy has changed since the last time you reviewed it by checking the "Effective Date" included at the beginning of the document. If we make a material change to the Policy, you will be provided with appropriate notice in accordance with legal requirements. By continuing to use the Services, you are confirming that you have read and understood the latest version of this Privacy Policy. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Privacy Policy.

Lavatti Union Contact Information

If you have any questions, comments or complaints about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Address: Cairo, Egypt

Lavatti Union operates in partnership with Misr El-Kheir Foundation (MEK).