Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Maru ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our services, or interact with us in any way.

This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) No. 4 of 2013 and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) No. 2 of 2000 of South Africa.

2. POPIA Compliance Principles

We process personal information in accordance with the eight conditions for lawful processing under POPIA:

• Accountability: We take responsibility for ensuring compliance with POPIA
• Processing Limitation: We only process personal information lawfully and reasonably
• Purpose Specification: We collect personal information for specific, explicitly defined, and lawful purposes
• Further Processing Limitation: We do not process personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected
• Information Quality: We take reasonable steps to ensure personal information is complete, accurate, not misleading, and updated
• Openness: We maintain documentation of all processing operations and provide information about processing
• Security Safeguards: We implement appropriate security measures to protect personal information
• Data Subject Participation: We respect your rights to access, correct, and object to processing

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Personal Information

We may collect the following personal information:

• Name and contact details (email, phone number)
• Company name and job title
• Business information and requirements
• Communication preferences
• Website usage data and analytics

3.2 AI Data Processing

As an AI Academy and service provider, we process specific data related to artificial intelligence services:

• User Prompts & Inputs: Text and data you input into our interactive tools, playgrounds, or chatbots are processed to generate responses. These inputs are stored to provide your interaction history.
• Third-Party Model Processing: Our services utilize third-party AI models (e.g., Google Gemini, OpenAI). Your anonymized prompts may be processed by these providers solely for the purpose of generating responses. We do not allow these providers to use your data for training their public models without your explicit consent.
• Learning Progress: We analyze your interactions with our curriculum, including quiz scores and exercise submissions, to tailor your learning experience.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Providing and improving our AI services
• Communicating with you about our services
• Processing demo requests and inquiries
• Sending newsletters and marketing materials (with consent)
• Analyzing website usage and performance
• Complying with legal obligations

5. Automated Decision Making

In compliance with Section 71 of POPIA, we inform you that we use automated systems to:

• Grade multiple-choice quizzes immediately upon submission.
• Award automated badges and certificates based on completion criteria.
• Assess "AI Integration Audit" scores based on form inputs.

These automated decisions do not have legal or similarly significant effects on you. However, if you believe an automated grading or scoring error has occurred, you have the right to request manual review by contacting our support team.

6. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) No. 4 of 2013, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access (Section 23): Request access to your personal information that we hold
• Right of Correction (Section 24): Request correction, deletion, or destruction of inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out-of-date, incomplete, misleading, or unlawfully obtained personal information
• Right to Object (Section 11(3)): Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for processing at any time, subject to legal obligations
• Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been violated
• Right to be Notified: Be notified when personal information is collected and the purpose for which it is collected

7. PAIA Compliance

In accordance with the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) No. 2 of 2000, we maintain a PAIA Manual that provides information about:

• The types of records we hold
• Procedures for requesting access to information
• Contact details for information requests
• Fees and timeframes for processing requests
• Grounds for refusal of access to information

To request access to information under PAIA, please contact our Information Officer at the address provided below. Requests must be made in writing and may be subject to prescribed fees.

8. Data Security

In compliance with POPIA Section 19 (Security Safeguards), we implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of personal information in transit and at rest
• Secure servers with regular security updates
• Access controls and authentication mechanisms
• Regular security assessments and audits
• Employee training on data protection
• Incident response procedures

9. Contact Information

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your rights, please contact us: