Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to UnicheckGH ("we," "our," or "us"). We are 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 use our website (unicheckgh.com), mobile applications (Android and iOS), and USSD services (collectively, the "Services").

By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you use our Services, we collect the following personal information:

Contact Information: Phone number (required for all checks)
Examination Information:
- WASSCE/SSSCE grades and subjects
- Grading system (WASSCE or SSSCE)
- Examination sitting details (first, second, or third sitting)
Academic Information:
- Course of study
- Gender (for gender-specific cut-off calculations)
- University and program preferences
- Program level (Degree, Diploma, HND, Certificate)
Payment Information:
- Mobile money phone numbers for payment
- Transaction references
- Payment status and history
Career Guidance Data:
- Chat messages and conversations with our AI-powered career guidance system
- Career-related questions and preferences

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access our Services, we automatically collect certain information:

Technical Information:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- User agent string
- Access times and dates
Usage Information:
- Pages viewed
- Features accessed
- Transaction references
- Session identifiers
- USSD session data
Analytics Data:
- Service usage patterns
- Feature engagement metrics
- Performance data
- Error logs

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information from third-party services:

Payment Processors: Payment confirmation and transaction status from Paystack and Interpay
SMS Services: Delivery status for SMS notifications
Mobile Network Operators: Network information for USSD services

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

3.1 Primary Services

Qualification Assessment: Analyze your grades to determine program eligibility
Results Delivery: Provide qualification results and generate PDF reports
Payment Processing: Process payments for our services
Transaction Management: Track and manage your checking transactions
Career Guidance: Provide AI-powered career advice based on your qualifications

3.2 Communication

Service Notifications: Send SMS messages about:
- Payment confirmations
- Transaction status updates
- Results availability
- OTP verification codes (for security purposes)
Service Updates: Notify you about important service changes or new features
Customer Support: Respond to your inquiries and provide assistance

3.3 Service Improvement

Analytics: Understand how users interact with our Services
Performance Monitoring: Identify and fix technical issues
Feature Development: Develop new features based on usage patterns
Quality Assurance: Ensure accuracy of qualification assessments

3.4 Security and Fraud Prevention

Account Security: Implement OTP verification during high-traffic periods
Fraud Detection: Monitor for suspicious activity and payment fraud
Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse of our Services
Session Management: Track and manage user sessions securely

3.5 Legal and Compliance

Legal Obligations: Comply with applicable laws and regulations
Dispute Resolution: Resolve disputes and enforce our terms
Record Keeping: Maintain records as required by law

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

4.1 Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Services:

Payment Processors: Paystack and Interpay for processing payments
SMS Services: Wigal for sending SMS notifications
AI Services: OpenAI and Groq for career guidance functionality
Cloud Hosting: Service hosting and database management providers
Analytics Providers: For service improvement and analytics

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

4.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities, including to:

Comply with legal obligations
Protect and defend our rights or property
Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing
Protect the personal safety of users or the public
Protect against legal liability

4.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and the choices you may have.

We may share your information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

5.1 Retention Periods

Transaction Data: Retained for the duration necessary to provide results access and for accounting purposes
Grades and Results: Retained to allow you to retrieve past results using your phone number
Payment Records: Retained for at least 7 years for financial and tax compliance
Career Guidance Chats: Retained for 24 hours for optimal service delivery, then archived
Analytics Data: Aggregated and anonymized for long-term analysis
USSD Sessions: Active sessions expire after 30 minutes of inactivity

5.2 Deletion Requests

You may request deletion of your personal information by contacting us. We will honor such requests subject to:

Legal obligations to retain certain information
Legitimate business needs (e.g., fraud prevention)
Completion of ongoing transactions

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

6.1 Security Measures

Encryption: Data transmission using HTTPS/SSL encryption
Access Controls: Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
Phone Number Protection: Display masked phone numbers (e.g., 0234**5678)
Secure Payment Processing: PCI-compliant payment processing through trusted providers
Rate Limiting: Protection against brute force attacks and abuse
OTP Verification: Additional security layer during high-traffic periods
Session Security: Secure session management and automatic expiration
Database Security: Encrypted database storage and regular security audits
Error Handling: Generic error messages to prevent information disclosure

6.2 Under Attack Mode

During periods of high traffic or suspected abuse, we may implement additional security measures including:

Mandatory OTP verification before payment
Enhanced rate limiting
Additional monitoring and logging
Temporary service restrictions

6.3 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

7.1 Access and Portability

Access: Request access to your personal information
Portability: Receive a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
Retrieval: Access past results using your phone number through our lookup feature

7.2 Correction and Deletion

Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information
Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal exceptions)

7.3 Objection and Restriction

Objection: Object to certain processing of your information
Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.

7.5 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 13 (Contact Us).

8. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete such information.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country.

We take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your personal information remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy when transferred internationally.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

10.1 Website and Mobile Apps

We use limited tracking technologies:

Session Management: Essential cookies for maintaining user sessions
Analytics: Ahoy analytics for understanding service usage (no third-party tracking cookies)
Local Storage: Mobile apps store recent results locally for offline access

10.2 Your Choices

Web Browsers: You can configure your browser to refuse cookies
Mobile Apps: You can clear local data through app settings
Analytics: We do not track personal browsing behavior across websites

11. USSD-Specific Privacy Considerations

When using our USSD service (790600#):

Sessions are temporary and expire after 30 minutes of inactivity
Your mobile number is collected by your network operator
USSD communications are not encrypted by default (network operator limitation)
We only store essential session data required to complete your transaction
Results are delivered via SMS or can be accessed on the web using your reference number

12. Mobile App-Specific Privacy Considerations

Our Android and iOS mobile applications:

No Account Required: You can use the app without creating an account
Local Storage: Recent results are stored locally on your device for quick access
Device Permissions:
- Network access (required for service functionality)
- Storage (optional, for saving PDF reports)
- Notifications (optional, for payment and deadline reminders)
Multiple Phone Numbers: You can manage multiple phone numbers on one device
API Security: All API communications use HTTPS encryption and API key authentication
Source Tracking: Transactions record the source as "mobile" for analytics purposes

13. Third-Party Links

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites, including university websites and educational resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the updated policy on our website
Updating the "Last Updated" date
Sending notifications through our Services (for significant changes)

Your continued use of our Services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

UnicheckGH

Email: [email protected]
Address: 13-11 3rd Ringway, HR86+VXW Accra, Accra, Ghana
USSD: 790600# (For service-related inquiries only)

For data protection inquiries specifically, please clearly mark your communication as "Privacy Request" to ensure prompt handling.

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal basis for collecting and using your personal information includes:

Contract Performance: Processing necessary to provide our Services
Legitimate Interests: Fraud prevention, service improvement, and security
Legal Obligations: Compliance with financial and tax regulations
Consent: For optional features like career guidance and marketing communications

17. Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

Right to know what personal information is collected
Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (Note: We do not sell personal information)
Right to deletion of personal information
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

To exercise these rights, contact us using the information in Section 13.

18. Ghana Data Protection Compliance

We comply with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) of Ghana and regulations issued by the Data Protection Commission. Our practices ensure:

Lawful and fair processing of personal data
Collection for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes
Adequate security measures
Respect for data subject rights
Registration with the Data Protection Commission (where applicable)

19. Dispute Resolution

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first. We will investigate and attempt to resolve any complaints or disputes regarding our privacy practices.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority or the Data Protection Commission of Ghana.

By using UnicheckGH Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.