Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how the Hawassa University Graduates Alumni platform ("the Platform", "we", "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects information about its members.

Account information: your name, email address, password (stored securely), graduation year, degree, major, and optional phone number.

Profile information: bio, profile photo, current employer or position, location, and your privacy preferences.

Activity data: posts, comments, messages, connections, event RSVPs, job applications, and mentorship requests.

Donation records: campaign, amount, payment reference, and any receipts you upload for verification.

Technical data: IP address, browser/device information, and session cookies used for authentication.

To verify alumni status and create and manage your account.

To enable networking features such as the alumni directory, connections, and messaging.

To facilitate events, mentorship matching, job postings, and donation campaigns.

To send transactional emails (welcome messages, verification, notifications) and, where you have opted in, community updates.

To moderate content and enforce our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.

To maintain security, prevent abuse, and comply with legal obligations.

With other verified members, according to your privacy settings — for example, whether your profile appears in the alumni directory or your email and phone number are visible to others.

With university staff and alumni volunteers/staff who moderate content and verify alumni status.

With service providers who help us operate the Platform (such as hosting, email delivery, and payment processing) under confidentiality obligations.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

From your account settings, you can control who can view your profile (alumni-only, connections-only, or private), whether you appear in the alumni directory, and the visibility of your email and phone number.

You can update or correct your profile information at any time, and may request deletion of your account and associated data.

To request deletion of your account and personal data, sign in and use the Delete Account option in Account Settings, or email support@hualumniethiopia.com from your registered email address with the subject line "Account Deletion Request".

Once verified, we will delete or anonymize your profile, posts, messages, and other personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain certain records (such as donation receipts or moderation logs) for legal, security, or audit purposes as described in Section 8 below.

If you signed up or signed in using a third-party account (Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft, or X), deleting your HU Graduates Alumni account does not affect your account with that third-party provider — you can manage or revoke the connection separately from that provider's own account settings.

We use industry-standard safeguards including encrypted connections (HTTPS), database access controls, and row-level security policies to protect your data. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Platform’s services. If you request account deletion, we will remove or anonymize your personal information, except where retention is required for legal, security, or audit purposes (for example, donation records or moderation logs).

The Platform is intended for university alumni, students, faculty, and staff, and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and keep your account secure. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via the Platform or by email. The "Last updated" date below reflects the most recent revision.

For privacy questions or to exercise your data rights, contact us at support@hualumniethiopia.com.