Privacy policy

Who we are

ASCEND is an online learning platform at ascend.avalocxgroup.com, owned and operated by Avalocx Group in Lagos, Nigeria. In this policy, "ASCEND", "we" and "us" mean Avalocx Group. "You" means anyone who visits the site, creates an account or enrols in a course.

We are the data controller for the personal data described here, under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. For anything in this policy, write to [email protected].

What we collect

When you enrol

Your first name and email address. These are the only details our checkout asks for. Your email becomes your account login.
Your password. Stored only in scrambled (hashed) form. We cannot read it.
A record of your enrolment. Which course you bought, the price, the date, and the payment reference and status.

When you pay

Payments are processed by Paystack. Your card or bank details go directly to Paystack and never touch our servers. We receive only confirmation that a payment succeeded or failed, the amount, and a transaction reference.

When you learn

Your course progress, lessons completed, quiz and assignment results, notes you save, and any certificates issued.
Anything you choose to post in course discussions, reviews or the community.

When you contact us

The content of emails and messages you send us, so we can reply and keep a record of what was agreed.

Automatically

Technical details such as your IP address, browser, device type and the pages you visit.
Sign-in attempts, kept to protect accounts from people trying to guess passwords.
Cookies and similar tools, explained below.

How we use it

To give you what you paid for. Creating your account, giving you access to your course, tracking your progress and issuing certificates. This is necessary to perform our contract with you.
To take payment. Confirming your payment with Paystack and keeping a receipt. Necessary for our contract and our legal duties.
To communicate with you. Your enrolment confirmation, login details, course announcements and replies to your questions. These are part of the service, not marketing.
To keep the platform secure. Detecting fraud, abuse and unauthorised sign-ins. This is our legitimate interest, and yours.
To measure and improve our advertising. Understanding which ads bring people to ASCEND. Explained in the next section.
To meet the law. Keeping financial records and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

We do not sell your personal data, and we never will.

Cookies and advertising

Essential cookies keep you signed in and remember what you are enrolling in while you check out. The site does not work without them.

Advertising tools. We use the Meta Pixel and Meta's Conversions API to learn whether our ads on Facebook and Instagram work. They tell Meta when someone views a page, starts checkout or completes an enrolment. Where we send details such as your email address to Meta for matching, they are hashed first so they are not sent in readable form. Meta may use this to show you ASCEND ads and to measure their results, under its own privacy policy.

You can limit this at any time through your browser's cookie settings, an ad blocker, or the ad preferences in your Facebook and Instagram account settings. Blocking advertising tools does not affect your access to your courses.

Facebook and Instagram

ASCEND uses Meta's business tools to run and measure our own adverts and to show our courses on our Facebook and Instagram pages. We do not use Facebook Login to sign students in, and we do not receive your Facebook or Instagram password, friends list, posts or private messages. If you message our Facebook or Instagram accounts, we see what you send us there, and we use it only to reply.

Only with the companies that help us run ASCEND, and only what each needs to do its job:

Paystack, to process payments.
Our web hosting provider, which stores the site, its database and our backups.
Our email delivery provider, which sends your enrolment and account emails.
Meta Platforms, for advertising measurement as described above.
Community platforms. If you join an ASCEND community space or group call, the platform it runs on handles your data under its own policy, and other members can see your name and what you post.
Professional advisers and authorities, such as accountants and lawyers, or a regulator, court or law enforcement body when the law requires it.

If Avalocx Group ever reorganises, merges or sells ASCEND, your data would pass to the new owner under the same protections described here, and we would tell you.

Transfers outside Nigeria

Some of the providers above, including Meta, store or process data outside Nigeria. Where that happens we rely on the safeguards the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 allows, such as the provider's contractual commitments to protect personal data to an adequate standard.

How long we keep it

Your account and learning record: for as long as your account is open. Course access is for life, so we keep it until you ask us to delete it.
Payment and enrolment records: for as long as Nigerian tax and accounting law requires, generally six years, even if you delete your account.
Security logs: for a short period, then deleted automatically.
Emails with us: for as long as needed to deal with your question and any follow-up.

Your rights

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 you can ask us to:

Tell you what personal data we hold about you and send you a copy.
Correct anything that is wrong or out of date.
Delete your data, as described below.
Stop or restrict a particular use of it, including advertising.
Give you your data in a portable format.
Withdraw any consent you have given, without affecting anything done before.

Email [email protected] from the address on your account. We will reply within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Deleting your data

To have your data deleted, email [email protected] with the subject line Delete my data, from the email address on your ASCEND account. If you no longer have access to that address, tell us your name and the email you enrolled with, and we will verify it is you another way.

We confirm receipt within 7 days and complete the deletion within 30 days, then email you to say it is done.

What we delete: your account, name, email address, password, course progress, notes, quiz results and anything else tied to you.

What we keep: payment and enrolment records that tax and accounting law requires us to hold, kept only for that purpose and only for as long as required. Anything you posted in a shared community may remain visible to others unless you remove it first.

Please note: deleting your account ends your access to any course you bought. It cannot be undone.

Data Meta holds from our advertising tools is controlled by Meta. You can review and remove it under "Your activity off Meta technologies" in your Facebook or Instagram settings.

Security

The site runs over an encrypted connection, passwords are stored hashed, repeated failed sign-in attempts are blocked, and access to student data is limited to the people who need it to run ASCEND. No system is perfectly secure, so if we ever learn of a breach that puts your data at risk, we will tell you and the regulator as the law requires.

Children

ASCEND is built for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us their details, contact us and we will delete them.

Changes and contact

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page, and tell enrolled students by email when the change is significant.

Questions, requests or concerns: [email protected]. Avalocx Group, Lagos, Nigeria.