BFU Privacy Policy

Welcome to Black Founders University ("BFU," "we," "us," or "our"). We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information of our users ("you"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website (including all subdomains), use our mobile applications, access our audiobooks, courses, content, memberships, or otherwise engage with any of our services, features, or functionalities (collectively, the "Services").

Our goal is to be transparent about our data practices and to empower you to make informed decisions. By accessing or using our Services, you signify your understanding and acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Services.

This Privacy Policy is designed to comply with applicable privacy laws in Canada, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and substantially similar provincial legislation.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

"Personal Information" means any information about an identifiable individual, as defined under applicable Canadian privacy laws. This may include, but is not limited to, your name, email address, payment information, IP address, and usage data that can be linked to you.
"Processing" means any operation or set of operations which is performed on Personal Information, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.

We collect Personal Information in various ways to provide and improve our Services:

A. Information You Provide Directly to Us:

Account Registration: When you create an account with BFU, we collect information such as your name, email address, and a password.
Membership and Purchases: If you subscribe to a membership or purchase individual audiobooks, we collect information necessary to process your payment, such as your billing address. Full payment card details are typically collected and processed directly by our third-party payment processors, and we do not store this sensitive information on our servers.
Communications: When you contact us for support, provide feedback, participate in surveys, or otherwise communicate with us, we may collect the information you provide in such communications, including your email address and the content of your messages.
Profile Information: You may have the option to provide additional information for your user profile, which will be collected if you choose to share it.

B. Information We Collect Automatically (Usage Data):

Log and Device Information: When you access our Services, our servers automatically record certain information ("Log Data"). This Log Data may include your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and settings, operating system, device information (such as device type and ID), access dates and times, pages viewed, and the referring or exit pages.
Usage Activity: We collect information about your interactions with our Services, such as the audiobooks you listen to, courses you access, features you use, and your progress.
Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your Browse activities and preferences. This helps us operate our Services, enhance your user experience, analyze usage, and for other legitimate purposes. Please see Section 7 ("Cookies and Tracking Technologies") for more details.

C. Information from Third Parties:

We may occasionally receive Personal Information about you from third-party sources, such as analytics providers or marketing partners, in compliance with applicable laws. If we do so, we will treat this information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We use the Personal Information we collect for the following purposes, based on legitimate interests, contractual necessity, consent (where applicable), and legal obligations:

To Provide and Maintain Services: To create and manage your account, process your subscriptions and purchases, deliver the audiobooks and other content you request, and ensure the proper functioning of our Services.
To Improve and Personalize Services: To understand how our users interact with the Services, personalize your experience (e.g., by recommending content), develop new features and offerings, and enhance the overall quality of our Services.
To Communicate With You: To send you important service-related announcements (e.g., changes to our Terms or this Policy, security alerts), respond to your inquiries and provide customer support, and, with your consent where required, send you marketing communications about BFU products, services, and promotions that may interest you. You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time.
For Analytics and Performance Monitoring: To monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities in connection with our Services to improve their performance and utility.
For Security and Fraud Prevention: To protect the security and integrity of our Services, prevent fraudulent transactions, and investigate and deter unauthorized or illegal activity.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or enforceable governmental requests.

BFU does not sell your Personal Information. We may share your Personal Information with third parties only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers: We may share your Personal Information with trusted third-party companies and individuals who perform services on our behalf (e.g., payment processing, data hosting, email delivery, customer support platforms, analytics providers, marketing assistance). These service providers are contractually obligated to use your Personal Information only as necessary to provide the services to us and are required to maintain the confidentiality and security of your information.
Legal Requirements and Protection of Rights: We may disclose your Personal Information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to: (a) comply with a legal obligation, subpoena, court order, or other lawful governmental request; (b) enforce our Terms and Conditions or other agreements; (c) protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of BFU, our users, or the public; or (d) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, bankruptcy, or other sale or transfer of some or all of BFU's assets, your Personal Information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our Services of any change in ownership or uses of your Personal Information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your Personal Information.
With Your Consent: We may share your Personal Information for other purposes if we have obtained your explicit consent to do so.
Aggregated or De-identified Data: We may share aggregated or de-identified information, which cannot reasonably be used to identify you, for various purposes, including research, analytics, or to improve our Services.

Essential/Strictly Necessary: Required for the operation of our Services (e.g., to keep you logged in, manage your shopping cart).
Performance/Analytics: To help us understand how our Services are being used, measure the effectiveness of content, and improve functionality (e.g., Google Analytics).
Functionality/Preferences: To remember your choices and preferences (e.g., language, display settings) to enhance your experience.
Marketing (if applicable): With your consent, to deliver targeted advertisements or promotional messages.

Your Choices: Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable cookies, some features of our Services may not function properly. For more information on managing cookies, visit the help pages of your browser or consult resources like www.allaboutcookies.org. You may also be able to opt-out of certain third-party analytics tracking through their respective opt-out mechanisms.

BFU takes reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include, but are not limited to, encryption of data in transit, access controls, and regular security assessments. However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

We will retain your Personal Information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as for tax, legal, accounting, or other legitimate business purposes). The criteria used to determine our retention periods include the length of time we have an ongoing relationship with you and provide Services to you, our legal obligations, and our need to resolve disputes or enforce our agreements. When we no longer need your Personal Information, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

Your Personal Information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries other than Canada, where our servers or those of our third-party service providers may be located (e.g., the United States). While your information is in another jurisdiction, it may be accessed by the courts, law enforcement, and national security authorities of that jurisdiction. We will take appropriate contractual and other measures to ensure that your Personal Information is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable Canadian privacy laws when it is transferred internationally.

Under Canadian privacy laws (PIPEDA), you have certain rights regarding your Personal Information. BFU is committed to upholding these rights:

Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the Personal Information we hold about you and to receive an accounting of how it has been used and disclosed.
Right to Correction (Rectification): You have the right to request the correction of any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Information we hold about you.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where our processing of your Personal Information is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Right to Challenge Compliance: You have the right to challenge our compliance with PIPEDA's fair information principles.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 15 ("Contact Us"). We will respond to your request within the timeframes required by applicable law (typically within 30 days). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request, which may require you to provide additional information. There may be limitations on your ability to exercise these rights in certain circumstances as permitted or required by law. If we cannot fulfill your request, we will provide you with an explanation.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or your provincial Privacy Commissioner if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

Our Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18 (or the age of legal majority in their jurisdiction of residence if higher). We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under this age without verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected Personal Information from a child without such consent, we will take steps to delete such information from our records promptly. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with Personal Information without your consent, please contact us.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on our website and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. In some cases, we may provide more prominent notice (such as by adding a statement to our homepage or sending you a notification). We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the Services after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of such changes.

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or BFU's data handling practices, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

Black Founders University [Attn: Privacy Officer] [Insert BFU's Physical Address or Designated Address for Privacy Inquiries - e.g., a PO Box or specific department address] [Insert Designated Email Address for Privacy Inquiries - e.g., privacy@blackfoundersuniversity.com]

Please include "Privacy Inquiry" in the subject line of your communication. We will endeavor to respond to your inquiry promptly and resolve any concerns you may have.

Black Founders University (BFU) Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Our Commitment to Your Privacy

2. Scope of This Policy

3. Definitions

4. Information We Collect

5. How We Use Your Information

6. How We Share Your Information

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

8. Data Security

9. Data Retention

10. International Data Transfers

11. Your Privacy Rights and Choices (PIPEDA)

12. Children's Privacy

13. Third-Party Links

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

15. Contact Us

Who we are

Featured links

Policy Pages

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