Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how UNIPIA Ltd ("UNIPIA", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal data when you use the UNIPIA Community application and related services (the "Service").

We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

1. Data Controller

UNIPIA Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data.
Contact: info@unipia.business

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

2.1 Account Information

Name, email address (including university email), date of birth, gender, profile photo, university affiliation, course of study, student verification documents.

2.2 Content Data

Posts, comments, votes, event participation, photos, videos, voice memos, and direct messages you send.

2.3 Usage Data

Device identifiers (IDFA, AAID), IP address, app version, operating system, time zone, language, in-app activity, crash reports, and analytics data.

2.4 Location Data

Approximate location when you use the Live matching feature (you may revoke this at any time via device settings).

2.5 Communication Data

Push notification tokens (Firebase Cloud Messaging), email correspondence with our support team.

2.6 Payment Data

In-app purchase records (we do not collect or store payment card details — these are handled by Google Play and Apple App Store).

3. Legal Bases for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract — to provide the Service you have requested;
• Legitimate Interest — to operate, secure, improve, and personalise the Service, prevent fraud, and enforce our Terms;
• Consent — for optional features such as push notifications, location-based matching, and marketing communications (you may withdraw consent at any time);
• Legal Obligation — to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

• To create and manage your account and verify your university affiliation.
• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service.
• To enable user-to-user features (matching, messaging, content posting).
• To send push notifications, transactional emails, and service announcements.
• To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• To enforce our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
• To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities.
• To deliver advertisements (we use Google AdMob; you can opt out of personalised ads in your device settings).

5. Disclosure of Personal Data

We do NOT sell your personal data. We may share your data with:

5.1 Service Providers

Cloud hosting (AWS), authentication (Firebase Auth), analytics (Google Analytics, Firebase), advertising (AdMob), push notifications (FCM), payment processing (Google Play, Apple).

5.2 Legal Authorities

When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, property, or safety.

5.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the successor entity.

5.4 Other Users

Information you make public (profile, posts) is visible to other users in accordance with your privacy settings.

6. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers are based outside the United Kingdom. When transferring data internationally, we use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses and adequacy decisions to ensure your data remains protected.

7. Data Retention

7.1 Account data is retained for as long as your account is active.

7.2 If you delete your account, your personal data will be deleted or anonymised within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g. financial records up to 7 years).

7.3 Backups containing your data may persist for up to 90 days before being purged.

8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access — request a copy of your data;
• Right to Rectification — correct inaccurate data;
• Right to Erasure — request deletion of your data;
• Right to Restriction — limit how we process your data;
• Right to Data Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format;
• Right to Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest or for marketing;
• Right to Withdraw Consent — for any consent-based processing;
• Right to Lodge a Complaint — with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/.

To exercise your rights, contact info@unipia.business. We will respond within one calendar month.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Service uses minimal device-level identifiers required for core functionality. We do not use browser cookies in the mobile app. Web-based admin interfaces may use functional cookies only.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we discover such data, we will delete it promptly.

11. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures including encryption in transit (TLS), access controls, role-based permissions, and regular security audits. However, no system is completely secure; you use the Service at your own risk.

12. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or integrate with third-party services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties; please review their respective privacy policies.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted within the app with a new "Effective Date". Material changes will be notified via in-app notification or email.

14. Contact Us