Privacy Policy

1. Data We Collect

When you use CogniNook, we collect the following information:

• Account information: your email address and name when you sign up.
• Chat content: the questions you ask and responses you receive during tutoring sessions.
• Progress data: your learning progress, topics studied, and performance across subjects.
• Usage data: device information, browser type, and general usage patterns to improve our service.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your data to:

• Provide and personalise the CogniNook tutoring service.
• Improve our educational content and user experience over time.
• Track and display your learning progress.
• Communicate with you about your account or service updates.

AI training clarification: Your chat data is NOT used to train AI models. We do not share your conversation data with any model provider for training purposes. If this policy changes in the future, we will notify you by email and provide an opt-out mechanism before any such use begins.

3. Data Retention

We retain your data while your account is active. If you choose to delete your account, we will remove your personal data within 30 days. You may also request deletion at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

4. Minors

CogniNook is intended for users aged 13 and older. For users under 18 years of age, parental or guardian consent is required. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

5. Cookies

We use minimal cookies solely for authentication purposes — for example, to keep you logged in during your session. We do not use tracking cookies or sell data to advertisers. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.

6. Third-Party Services

We use Stripe to process payments securely. Stripe handles your payment information directly — we never see or store your card details. Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant and used by thousands of businesses worldwide. Please refer to Stripe's Privacy Policy for more details on how they handle payment data.

We use Ollama, a third-party AI provider, to power the tutoring responses you receive. When you send a message in the chat, your message content is transmitted to Ollama's servers for processing and to generate a response. Ollama maintains a zero data retention policy — they do not log, store, or train on your prompt or response data. Your conversation content is processed in real-time and discarded immediately after the response is generated. See Ollama's Privacy Policy for more details.

7. Australian Privacy Compliance

CogniNook operates in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). These principles govern how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal information. Under the APPs, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we hold about you and how we use it.
• Request access to your personal information.
• Request correction of inaccurate or outdated personal information.
• Request that your personal information be deleted (subject to legal requirements).
• Complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe we have breached the APPs.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

8. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit and at rest. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].