Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 2026

At Darasa Huru (darasahuru.net, “we,” “our,” or “us”), we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in a safe, transparent, and responsible manner. As an independent educational resource center providing access to National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) past papers, Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) books, and other learning materials, we understand the critical importance of protecting student and stakeholder data.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use the Darasa Huru mobile application, and interact with our web or mobile services. By accessing or using Darasa Huru, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.

Important Notice: Darasa Huru is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to NECTA or TIE. This privacy policy governs only our platform’s data practices.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide, maintain, and improve our educational services. This information falls into the following categories:

1.1 Personal Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account, subscribe to newsletters, create study notes, save lessons, participate in forum discussions, download materials, or contact us for support, we may collect:

• Identity Information: Full name, username, and date of birth (optional).
• Contact Information: Email address, and phone number (if voluntarily provided).
• Educational Information: School or university name, current grade level or class (e.g., Form 4, Form 6, Standard 7), examination level (PSLE, FTNA, CSEE, ACSEE, DSEE, DTEE, QT), subject preferences, academic interests, and previous examination results (if shared voluntarily).
• Account Credentials: Passwords, which are securely encrypted at rest using industry-standard salted hashing algorithms (such as bcrypt or Argon2).
• Communication Content: Messages sent through contact forms, support requests, feedback, and community comments left on study materials.

1.2 Information Automatically Collected (Web and Mobile)

When you navigate our website or open our mobile application, our systems and integrated third-party SDKs (including Google Firebase and Google AdMob) automatically collect specific usage and device metrics:

• Device Identifiers: Device model, hardware manufacturer, operating system (OS) version, unique device identifiers, Internet Service Provider (ISP), and the Android Advertising ID (AAID) / Google Advertising ID.
• App Analytics & Diagnostics: App launch frequencies, crash logs and stack traces managed via Firebase Crashlytics, app interaction metrics (lessons viewed, features clicked), and user study streaks.
• Web Technical Data: IP address, approximate geographical location (country and region level dynamically derived from IP), browser type, referring URLs, and navigating paths logged via Google AdSense and Google Analytics.
• Resource Access Logs: Specific NECTA past papers downloaded or viewed (year, level, subject), TIE books and materials accessed, and search queries entered.

1.3 Mobile Device Permissions

When you use the Darasa Huru Mobile Application, we request access to specific device features to enable core educational services. We only access these features with your explicit consent, which you can manage or revoke at any time through your device’s operating system settings:

• Notification Permissions: Used strictly to deliver time-sensitive educational updates, alerts for newly uploaded NECTA past papers or TIE learning materials, examination countdown reminders, and account security alerts. We do not use push notifications for third-party marketing.
• Storage Access (Read/Write Storage): Required to download, save, and access past papers, textbooks, and study guides directly on your device for offline learning. The application only accesses directories required to save and open these downloaded educational documents; it never accesses your personal photos, videos, or unrelated files.

1.4 Cookies and Tracking Technologies (Web)

We use cookies, web beacons, local storage, and similar tracking technologies on our website to enhance system performance and tailor your experience:

• Essential Cookies: Required for core website functionality, including user session authentication, login status maintenance, and cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection.
• Analytics Cookies: Power tools like Google Analytics to help us understand visitor demographics, popular content, and site bounce rates.
• Functional Cookies: Remember your grade level, subject preferences, language choices, dark mode status, and study progress/bookmarks.

2. How We Use Your Information

All data processing is tightly focused on supporting Tanzanian students’ education. We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Provision & Personalization: Providing seamless access to learning materials; tracking your learning progress, study streaks, and completed papers; and customizing recommendations based on your grade level or exam tier.
• Communication & Support: Responding to customer support tickets; alerting you to new resource drops or exam schedules; and sending newsletters or study strategies (only if you opt in).
• Platform Analytics & Troubleshooting: Identifying missing exam years or subjects based on search queries, optimizing website/app speed, and fixing technical bugs via Google Firebase and server logs.
• Advertising & Operations: Serving contextual and interest-based advertisements via Google AdSense and Google AdMob to keep our educational resources free for students.
• Security & Safety: Detecting and preventing hacking attempts, spam, or platform abuse, and moderating user-generated comments for safety.
• Legal Compliance: Complying with applicable Tanzanian laws and enforcing our Terms of Use.

3. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. Your information is only shared under the following restricted scenarios:

3.1 Third-Party Service Providers and SDKs

We share data with trusted infrastructure and service vendors who are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the specific technical tasks they perform for us:

• Cloud Infrastructure & CDNs: Services for cloud database hosting and fast document access.
• Application Development & Analytics: Google Firebase (including Firebase Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, and performance monitoring tools) to optimize app stability and resolve runtime bugs.
• Advertising Networks: Google AdSense (for website monetization) and Google AdMob (for in-app ad delivery). These frameworks access basic device parameters and cookies to serve programmatic ads.
• Communications: Secure email/SMS gateway services for account notifications and verification codes.

3.2 Legal, Safety, and Business Transfers

• Legal Mandates: We may disclose information if required to do so by a valid court order, warrant, or law enforcement request under Tanzanian law.
• Business Transfers: If Darasa Huru undergoes a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may be transferred. We will provide at least 30 days’ advance notice via email or a prominent website banner before this occurs, giving you the opportunity to delete your account.
• Anonymized Reporting: We may share aggregated, non-personally identifiable metrics with educational NGOs, researchers, or public initiatives (e.g., “Mathematics is the most accessed subject for Form 4 students”).

4. Cookies, Ad Networks, and Opt-Out Choices

4.1 Advertising and Monetization Cookies & SDKs

We partner with Google AdSense and Google AdMob to serve advertisements on our platforms to support our free educational services.

• Google and its partners use cookies and unique device identifiers to serve ads to our users based on their visits to Darasa Huru and other sites across the internet.
• Web Opt-Out: Users can opt out of personalized web advertising by visiting Google My Ad Center.
• Mobile App Opt-Out: Mobile application users can reset, clear, or completely disable their advertising identifiers (AAID) at any time via their device’s built-in Android privacy settings menu.

4.2 Cookie Management

You can control cookie preferences through your web browser settings (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari) or via our website’s cookie consent banner. Please note that disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use features like saving study progress, personalized recommendations, or maintaining login states.

5. Your Rights and Choices (Including Account Deletion)

You have full agency over your personal information. We provide comprehensive tools to manage your data:

5.1 Account and Data Deletion (Google Play Compliance)

In compliance with Google Play Store rules, if you have registered an account with Darasa Huru, you have the right to request full account and data erasure at any time. Deletion will wipe your profile, contact details, email address, study history, and learning streaks.

• In-App Deletion: You can initiate a complete account deletion directly within the mobile application by navigating to Settings > Account > Delete Account.
• Web Link Deletion: If you do not have the app installed, you can submit a secure web deletion request without logging in by visiting our dedicated webpage: darasahuru.net/delete-account.
• Note: We may retain certain minimal data exclusively for legal compliance, tax purposes, or fraud prevention as permitted by law. Backup cycles automatically purge remnants within 90 days.

5.2 Access, Portability, and Correction

• Access & Portability: You can request a structural copy of all personal data we hold on you, delivered in standard electronic formats (PDF, CSV, or JSON) within 30 days, by emailing us with the subject line “Data Access Request”.
• Correction: You can edit incorrect profile parameters directly inside your mobile app or web account settings panel.

5.3 Communication Adjustments

You can instantly opt out of promotional newsletters or optional study tips by tapping the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email. Mandatory transactional alerts (such as password resets or account security codes) cannot be muted.

6. Children’s Privacy & Safe Families Policy

Darasa Huru hosts educational materials appropriate for all learning age categories in Tanzania, spanning primary (Standard 1–7) through secondary (Form 1–6) tiers. We strictly regulate our data practices to protect young learners.

6.1 Age Screen and Consent Framework

• Children Under 13: Students under 13 can freely download and read NECTA past papers and TIE materials without creating an account. We do not knowingly collect personal details from users under 13 without verifiable parental consent via a confirmation email link.
• Students Aged 13–17: May create accounts with limited features under parental guidance and monitoring.
• Neutral Age Screen: To comply with Google Play’s Families Policy, our mobile application integrates a neutral age confirmation screen upon initial launch. This ensures younger audiences are automatically placed into appropriate privacy containers.

6.2 Strict Ad Restrictions for Minors (AdMob Compliance)

When our neutral age screen identifies that a user is under the age of 18, the mobile application instantly applies technical restrictions:

• The system invokes the setAgeRestrictedTreatment(AgeRestrictedTreatment.CHILD) setting within the Google Mobile Ads SDK.
• This setting completely blocks personalized advertising, halts remarketing networks, disables third-party tracking pixels, and prevents the transmission of the Android Advertising Identifier (AAID) to ensure an age-appropriate, non-targeted ad experience.

6.3 Parental Rights

Parents or legal guardians maintain absolute rights to review, modify, or demand the immediate deletion of any data or accounts associated with their children. If you find your child has registered an account without your approval, contact us immediately at [email protected] with the subject line “Child Account Removal”.

7. Data Security and Breach Response

7.1 Technical Protections

We deploy comprehensive industry-standard technical measures to safeguard your information, including forcing HTTPS protocol (SSL/TLS encryption) across all web and mobile API connections, regular vulnerability patching, and firewall rate-limiting to prevent platform abuse.

⚠ Security Limitation Notice: While we implement robust security measures, no method of digital transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security against sophisticated, unpredictable cyberattacks beyond our reasonable control.

7.2 Incident Response Plan

In the unlikely event of a security breach that compromises user information, Darasa Huru will act within 24 hours to contain the risk and will notify affected users and relevant Tanzanian regulatory authorities within 72 hours via email transparency alerts.

8. Third-Party Links

Our platforms contain links to external web portals such as official educational authorities (e.g., NECTA at www.necta.go.tz or TIE at www.tie.go.tz). We are not responsible for the independent data privacy practices or content of external websites. We advise reviewing their respective privacy policies whenever you exit our platform.

9. Contact Information

For any privacy-related inquiries, parental consent updates, or to exercise your account deletion rights, please contact our data team at:

Email: [email protected]

Official Website: darasahuru.net