Exulto: Online Music Academy is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, create an account, or use any part of our online music education platform.

By registering for an account or using our services, you confirm that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection and use of your information as described herein. If you do not agree, please do not use our platform.

1. Who We Are

Exulto: Online Music Academy is an online platform providing structured, expert-led lessons in piano technique and music theory, accessible via a monthly subscription. References to "we", "us", or "our" in this policy refer to Exulto: Online Music Academy. For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact us at info@exultoschoolofmusic.co.za.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

Information you provide directly:

Full name and email address when you register for an account.
Payment information (processed securely via Kartra — we do not store full card details).
Communications you send to us, including support requests and enquiries.
Any preferences or profile information you choose to add to your account.

Information collected automatically:

Your IP address, browser type, and device information when you access our platform.
Pages visited, lessons viewed, and time spent on the platform.
Progress data, including completed lessons, quiz results, and exercise submissions.
Interaction data with platform tools, including the AI assistant (Presto plan).
Cookies and similar tracking technologies — see Section 8 for more detail.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To create and manage your account and provide access to your chosen subscription plan.
To process payments and manage billing through our platform provider, Kartra.
To track your learning progress and personalise your experience on the platform.
To communicate with you about your account, including billing, updates, and support.
To send you platform-related notifications, such as new lesson releases or changes to our service.
To improve our platform, content, and user experience through aggregated usage data.
To comply with our legal obligations and enforce our Terms and Conditions.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes. Your data is used solely to deliver and improve our educational services.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

Contractual necessity — to fulfil our obligations under your subscription agreement, including providing access to content and processing payments.
Legitimate interests — to improve our platform, prevent fraud, and ensure the security of our services.
Consent — where you have explicitly agreed to receive marketing communications or optional features.
Legal obligation — where we are required by law to process or retain certain data.

5. Sharing Your Information

We only share your personal information with third parties in the following circumstances:

Kartra — our platform and payment provider, who processes subscription billing and hosts member account data.
AI service providers — where you use the AI assistant feature (Presto plan), your queries may be processed by an underlying AI service provider. No personally identifying information is intentionally transmitted.
Legal authorities — where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority.
Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the relevant successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections.

All third-party service providers are required to process your data only in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection laws.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account remains active or as necessary to provide our services. Upon cancellation of your subscription:

Your account data and learning progress will be retained for a period of 12 months, after which it will be deleted or anonymised.
Billing and transaction records may be retained for up to 7 years in accordance with applicable financial regulations.
You may request earlier deletion of your account data at any time by contacting us — see Section 9.

7. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These include:

Encrypted data transmission using SSL/TLS protocols.
Secure password storage using industry-standard hashing methods.
Access controls limiting who within our team can view your personal data.
Regular review of our security practices and platform infrastructure.

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of data transmission or storage is entirely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you use our platform at your own risk in this regard.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our platform uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us recognise you, remember your preferences, and understand how you use our platform.

We use the following types of cookies:

Essential cookies — required for the platform to function, including login sessions and billing processes.
Functional cookies — used to remember your preferences and personalise your experience.
Analytics cookies — used to understand how members use the platform so we can improve our content and features.

You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, doing so may affect the functionality of certain parts of the platform. By continuing to use our platform, you consent to our use of cookies as described above.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure — to request deletion of your personal data, subject to our legal retention obligations.
Right to restriction — to request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@exultoschoolofmusic.co.za. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.

10. Children's Privacy

Our platform is intended for users aged 16 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16 without verified parental or guardian consent. If a parent or guardian registers on behalf of a minor, they accept responsibility for the minor's use of the platform and the accuracy of all information provided.

If we become aware that personal data has been collected from a child under 16 without appropriate consent, we will take immediate steps to delete that information.

11. International Data Transfers

Our platform is hosted and operated through Kartra, whose servers may be located outside of your country of residence. By using our platform, you consent to the transfer of your data to servers in other jurisdictions. We ensure that any such transfers are carried out in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and that appropriate safeguards are in place.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When changes are made, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Your continued use of the platform following any updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please contact us at:

Exulto: Online Music Academy
Email: info@exultoschoolofmusic.co.za
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 business days.