Who we are
This Privacy Policy describes how we, Teqstories Solutions (referred to as “Teqstories” or “we” or “us”), collect, use and share information about our users (“you”) through our Platform. Please review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy that govern the use of the Platform and the Programs. This Privacy Policy forms a part of the Terms by the way of reference. All capitalized terms not defined in this Privacy Policy have the respective meanings set forth in the Terms of Use. This Privacy Policy applies only to the part of the Platform provided by Teqstories, and we are not responsible for the practices of persons, companies, institutions, or websites that Teqstories does not control, manage or employ.
Please understand that by using our Platform or submitting any Personal Identifiable Information (defined below) to us, you agree that we may collect, use, disclose and retain your information (including but not limited to your Personally Identifiable Information) in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, and as permitted or required by law. Teqstories reserves the right to share the information collected hereunder with its own affiliates. In the event of sale or transfer of all or a portion of our business assets, consumer information will be one of the business assets that will be transferred as part of the transaction. If you disagree with these Terms, then please do not share any Personally Identifiable Information to us. If you withdraw your consent or choose not to provide any required Personally Identifiable Information with us, we may not be able to provide you the services that can be offered on our Platform.
INFORMATION COVERED BY THIS PRIVACY POLICY
Some of our Platform’s functionality may be used without disclosing any personal information, though personal information will be necessary for features or services related to the Programs. If you will collect only “Non-Personal Information” (i.e., information that cannot be used to identify you) if you do not use these specific features or services on the Platform. Non-Personal Information includes information like the web pages that you have viewed. In order to access certain features and benefits, you may need to submit “Personally Identifiable Information” (i.e., information that can be used to identify you). Personal Identifiable Information can include, but not be limited to, information such as your name, email address, contact number (cellular and landline), educational qualification(s), social security, and post-qualification or work experience among other things. You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the Personally Identifiable Information you submit to Teqstories. Inaccurate information may affect your capability to use the Platform, the information you receive while using our Platform, and our ability to contact you. For example, your email address should be valid as it is one of the primary channels through which we communicate with you.
INFORMATION COLLECTION
NON-PERSONAL INFORMATION
While you visit our Platform, we may track, collect and aggregate information that is Non-Personal, among other things, which pages of our Platform were visited, the order in which they were visited, when they were visited, and which hyperlinks were “clicked.” We also collect information from the URLs through which you connected with our Platform. The information we collect may include logging the IP address, operating system, and browser software used by each user of the Platform. Such information may not be considered Personally Identifiable Information, based on local laws, we may be able to determine a user’s Internet Service Provider and the geographic location and point of connectivity from an IP address. We collect Non-Personally Identifiable Information from the Platform visitors to track the number of visitors on our Platform to identify the type of Internet web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer®) and operating system (e.g., Windows®) they are using. This information allows us to continuously improve our Platform and services.
PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
We collect through our Platform, or through third-party platforms being used by us, the information that you provide to us when you sign up for information updates or Programs, participate in our public forums, avail our services like sending you emails, calling you, participate in online or offline events, and/or receive other services on or through our Platform or through any of Teqstories’s or its Educational Partners’ offline activities. This information may include, among other things, your name, postal address, email address, contact number, social security or educational qualification(s), salary information, working goals, post-qualification experience, and photographs. We collect demographic information that includes gender, socio-economic status, and other similar personal information. In the case of scholarships, refunds, or referrals, we will collect your bank account information. Other than this, we do not collect any of your financial information, and all payments are processed by third-party payment gateway providers.
Teqstories, or its Educational Partners and third-party service providers, may, for instance, collect certain information from you in conjunction with assignments, exams, and other assessments related to the online course. For example, as part of a proctored exam for a course, Teqstories (or its third-party service providers) may collect certain Personally Identifiable Information from you to verify your identity or submissions made by you. Should you need any financial assistance, Teqstories may recommend certain third-party credit facility providers. Should you opt to sign up with such credit facility providers, any information you provide to them will be governed by their terms of use and policies, as you would be their direct customer. To consider, Teqstories does not control, manage, or regulate such third-party providers.
OTHER INFORMATION
Other forms of information that we may collect from you or about you are as follows:
- Information about your interactions with customer service and maintenance interactions with us.
- User-generated content you upload or post to public forums through the Platform.
- Information necessary in order to comply with any procedures, laws, and regulations which apply to us for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others.
- Recordings of calls with students or users showing interest in our programs.
- Any other information you choose to provide us directly in connection with your use of the Platform and Programs.
THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS
We may receive your information when you access or log in to a third-party site, e.g., Facebook, WhatsApp from our Platforms, or when you respond to our Ads on such third-party platforms. This may include the text and/or images of your Personally Identifiable Information that will be available from the third-party site. Please be aware that the information we obtain from such third-party platforms depends on their privacy policies and/or settings based on the information you have consented to share with them.
We enter into arrangements with third parties to serve ads on our behalf across the Internet, social networking sites, and blogs. They may collect or store information about your visits to our Platform and your interaction with our products and services. They may also use information about your visits to this Platform and to other websites to target advertisements for goods and services or for any other purpose. This information is collected through the use of a pixel tag, which is an industry-standard technology used by most major websites. Such third parties are not permitted by Teqstories to sell or share your Personally Identifiable Information as part of this process. If such third parties sell or share the Personally Identifiable Information as part of the process, Teqstories’s liability shall be limited to providing you with reasonable assistance in any action you may choose to take against such third parties, at your sole cost and expense. We have third-party sales and marketing affiliates who may collect your information through one of the various channels owned by them and share this information with us, based on your interest in our Programs. For example, an affiliate may hold an event and share the details of the attendees with Teqstories.
INFORMATION WE RECEIVE FROM OTHER SOURCES
We may receive information about you while you are using any of the other platforms we operate or the other services we provide. In this case, the data may be shared internally and combined with the data collected on the Platform. Since we will be working closely with third parties (including, for example, Educational Partners, scholarship providers, marketing partners, and sales affiliates, subcontractors in technical/advertising networks, analytics providers, and search information providers) and we will be receiving information about you from such sources. We may also receive your information from your employers, educational institution, or scholarship providers, where your Program is partly or fully sponsored by such a third-party. The third-party sponsoring your participation in the Programs may provide us your information, subject to our agreement with them and, thus, they may be the controller with respect to such data. In cases where you have been referred to under any referral scheme, we will receive your information from the referrer.
USE OF INFORMATION
We may use the information we collect to provide you with information relating to our Program and/or other Teqstories services, to respond to your questions or interest shown in our Programs, and to send you updates about the Programs, other Teqstories events, platform maintenance or new services provided by Teqstories, among other things, through itself or through third parties, via email, SMS, phone call or any other medium.
We use your information for managing and processing purposes, including, but not limited to, tracking attendance, progress, and completion of a Program. As part of our management and processing of the Program, we will use certain Personally Identifiable Information for the assessments of the Program.
We may use your Personally Identifiable Information to provide services to you and for quality control purposes. We may also archive this information as it will be useful in future to communicate with you. For example, Teqstories’s staff members may create groups on WhatsApp (or similar service providers) with other students and make you a member of such a group. These groups may be used to provide services in conjunction with the Programs, including, but not limited to, updates related to the Programs, details of potential employers, etc. Please be aware that the information disclosed on a third-party service provider’s platform will be dependent and subject to such third-party’s privacy policies and/or on your settings regarding what information you have consented to share with them. Teqstories and/or its associates shall have no liability in this regard whatsoever.
Teqstories may use certain companies that enable you to establish a membership to participate in digital wallets, payment services, or rewards programs. If you elect to do so, we will disclose to such companies your information that is necessary to make their programs work and support your membership with them. We are not liable for the privacy terms of the companies that sponsor these membership programs, and we suggest you review the individual privacy policies of each company with whom you establish such memberships. Billing details may be archived by us or our providers. We may archive Personally Identifiable Information other than billing details and/or use it for future communications with you.
Teqstories may use and share your information to improve its services and offerings. For example, we, through our service providers (like auditors or surveyors), may approach you to understand the impact of our Programs on your careers. For this purpose, we may connect with you via a phone call, email you questionnaires, or request you to attend workshops. To the extent any Personally Identifiable Information collected by us contains images of you, you grant Teqstories a limited, non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, distribute, or prepare derivative works of or publicly display such images and/or your likeness in relation to the Program or for marketing purposes. We may use your photograph along with the details of employer, transition information, designation change, etc., for Ads/and or social media posts to highlight our learners’ achievements.
SHARING YOUR INFORMATION
We will share your information in the following manner along with the examples provided above:
Educational Partners
We may share the information that we collect from you with the particular Educational Partner (e.g., a university or a company) that developed or offered the Program you are taking; the instructor(s) who taught, managed or otherwise oversaw the Program; external graders who will be assessing your performance; or mentors who will be supporting students. For example, if you are taking a Program through a college or a university, we may share Personally Identifiable Information about you and your performance with the college/university to report on your progress in the Program and to enable them to issue a certificate to you on completion of the Program. Information that will be shared with our Educational Partners will be subject to the privacy policies and procedures of such partners. Also, we may archive this information for future communications with you.
EMPLOYERS, SPONSORS AND SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDERS
If you are taking a Program sponsored or paid for by your employer or a sponsor, or if you have availed a scholarship from a third-party scholarship provider, we may share your Personally Identifiable Information, evaluations, or progress in the Program with your employer/sponsor or scholarship provider. This information may be shared at any time during the Program or afterwards.
SERVICE PROVIDERS
We provide access to or share your information with the operations and maintenance team and other third parties who perform services on our behalf. They have access to perform these services but are strictly prohibited from using your information for other services. They provide a variety of services to us, including billing, sales, marketing, test proctoring, couriers, mentoring, recruitment consulting, product content and features, advertising, data storage, fraud prevention, analytics, research, customer service, security, credit facilities, payment processing and legal services. Moreover, in certain circumstances, we may share certain Personally Identifiable Information and materials with third parties including, but not limited to, service providers such as Facebook or WhatsApp in order to provide you services that you have requested or services that Teqstories provides in conjunction with the Programs. Also, we use certain third-party platforms to collect your information (such as Typeform or Google Forms), as a consequence of which, your information may be stored on their servers.
RECRUITMENT SERVICES
If you have opted for any of our recruitment services or if you participate in any of our recruitment activities, we will be sharing your information with recruiters and potential employers. For example, if you participate in a recruitment drive jointly organized by Teqstories and a recruitment agency, we will share your information with the recruitment agency and with potential employers who wish to consider you for employment. In this case, such a recruitment agency or an employer will be connecting with you directly to schedule interviews, etc. Please note that information shared with the recruitment agency or employer will be governed by their policies.
Teqstories offers public sharing features as part of its career services, which, among other features, makes your career profile as well as your details and information public, including your progress in the Program to others outside of Teqstories. By electing to participate in any of these services, you acknowledge that any information you include in your profile will be viewed by others who access the Platform, including potential or existing employers, recruiters, peers, as well as others on the applicable third-party websites. You also acknowledge that Teqstories has no control over the access of or use of information provided to third parties via this mode outside its website.
ALUMNI PORTAL AND NETWORKING SERVICES
We may collaborate with certain third-party service providers to arrange and provide networking activities to previous, current, or potential students of Teqstories. For this purpose, Teqstories may share certain basic information such as your name, email address, and cohort details with such third-party service providers in order to enable them to invite you to connect. Should you agree to sign up for their services, please note that any information you provide will be governed by their policies. In certain cases, in order to facilitate communication between students, we may share your information with other students on chat forums such as WhatsApp and Facebook.
GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY DISCLOSURE
Teqstories may share your Information with certain government authorities in response to court orders or other legal processes to establish or exercise our legal rights or to protect our property; to defend against legal claims or as per the requirement by the law. In such cases, we do have the right to raise or waive any legal objection or right available to us. We may share your information when we consider it is apt to investigate, prevent or take relevant action regarding illegal or suspected illegal activities; to protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of Teqstories, the Platform, our users, customers, or others; and in connection with our Terms and other agreements.
ASSOCIATE AND BUSINESS TRANSFERS
Teqstories may share your Personally Identifiable Information with any Associate. The term “Associate” includes, either a person, any entity that is controlled by a person, or any entity that controls such person, or any entity that is under common control with such person, whether directly or indirectly, or, in the case of a natural person, any Relative (as such a term is defined in the Companies Act, 1956, and Companies Act, 2013, to the extent applicable) of such a person.
BUSINESS PARTNERS
With your consent, Teqstories may share information that can be used to directly contact you with third-party business partners, such as companies that may be offering products or services or other opportunities that may be of interest to you.
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
Any Personally Identifiable Information that is voluntarily displayed by you on the Platform may be used by third parties for unsolicited purposes. Please note that Teqstories shall not be liable for such unsolicited use by third parties of your Personally Identifiable Information that has been voluntarily displayed by you.
AGGREGATED DATA
“Aggregated Data” has the records that have been stripped of Personally-Identifying Information and that are manipulated or combined to provide generalized, anonymous information. Your identity and personal information do not exist in Aggregated Data. We may combine your personal information on an anonymous basis with other information to obtain Aggregated Data for internal and commercial use that may include sharing with affiliates, subsidiaries, and business partners for planning and marketing purposes.
PROTECTION OF INFORMATION
CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY
Teqstories takes all reasonable precautions to protect your Personally Identifiable Information both online and offline, to avoid any unauthorized access or breach. In addition, we engage in cooperative database services. These services help us inscribe newsletters, mailings, and other marketing initiatives to devote purchasers and website visitors.
NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES
We may update this Privacy Policy at any time, and it will be posted on this Platform as and when it is updated so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and the circumstances under which we may disclose it. Unless stated otherwise, our current privacy policy applies to all information that Teqstories has about you and your account, even if it was collected in the past.
YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND MOBILE NUMBER
We may store the email addresses/mobile numbers of those communicating with us via email/mobile or those who have shown interest in our Programs. We add them to our mailing/SMS/call list when you sign up to receive special promotions and updates. By electing to receive emails/SMS/calls from us, we would be able to send you exclusive information and special offers, which you may otherwise not learn about from our Platform. If you are a registered user and wish to change your preferences, or if you prefer to opt-out of regular mail/SMS/calls, you may mail us at compliance@Teqstories.com to notify us of your request. Once after submitting your opt-out request, you may assume that it has been successfully received and is being processed. Please allow us 14 business days from when the request was received to complete the removal, as some of our promotions may already have been in process before you submitted your request.
THIRD-PARTY LINKS
Our Platform may contain links to other sites. The linked sites are not under the control of Teqstories. Please be aware that Teqstories is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. Teqstories advises you to read the privacy policies of each and every website that collects your information, including Personally Identifiable Information. If you decide to access any of the third-party sites that are linked to the Platform, you do so completely at your own risk. Any links to any partner of the Platform should be the responsibility of the linking party, and Teqstories shall not be responsible for notifying you of any change in the name or location of any information on the Platform.
RETENTION OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
The length of time we retain Personally Identifiable Information depends on the purposes for which it is collected and used and/or as necessary to comply with applicable laws and to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.
SERVERS
Teqstories and its Indian service providers store information about you on servers located in India, whereas our international service providers may store your information on servers located in other countries. By using our services, you consent to the storage of your information within India or such other countries. If you are using the services from outside India, please know the information you submit will be transferred to and stored in our servers in India or such other countries. The data protection and other laws of India and/or other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. By submitting your data and/or using our services, you acknowledge the transfer, storage, and processing of your information in and to India. As described above, Teqstories may subcontract the processing of your data to, or share your data with, service providers and others in countries other than your country of residence, including India, in accordance with the applicable law. Such third parties may be engaged in other things, to provide services to you, to process the transactions, and/or to provide support services. While providing your information with us, you acknowledge any such transfer, storage, or use.
CHILDREN’S AND MINORS’ PRIVACY
Teqstories does not intentionally collect any personal information from children under the age of 16. If you are under the age of 16, please do not submit any personal information through our Websites or Service(s). Teqstories strongly encourage parents and guardians to supervise the online activities of their minor children and consider using parental control tools provided from online services and software manufacturers that help to provide a child-friendly online environment. These tools can even prevent minors from disclosing their name, address, and other information online without parental permission. Although the Platform is not intended for use by minors, Teqstories respects the privacy of minors who may inadvertently use the Platform and shall delete their information upon intimation.
COOKIES AND WEB BEACONS
Cookies are small pieces of information that is saved by your browser on your computer or mobile. Cookies record various aspects of your visit and to assist Teqstories to provide you with uninterrupted service. Web beacons are small graphic files that are linked to the servers that allow us to track your use of our Platform and the related functionalities.
We also use or may use cookies and web beacons to help us in determining and identifying repeat visitors. It even identifies the type of content and sites to which a user of our Platform links, the length of time each user spends at any particular area of our Platform, and the specific functionalities that users are choosing. Cookies and web beacons allow Teqstories to serve you better and more efficiently, and to personalize your experience at our Platform. Cookies and web beacons do not retain Personally Identifiable Information. From time to time, we may also use different methods of collecting data.
We may allow third-party companies, along with advertising companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Quora, and Bing to place cookies on our website. These cookies enable these companies to track your activity across various sites where they display ads and record your activities. They then show Ads that they consider relevant to you as you browse the Internet. These cookies store the information about the content you are browsing, along with an identifier linked to your device or IP address.
These cookies allow us and the third parties to know if you’ve seen an Ad or a type of Ad, and how long it has been since you’ve last seen it. This information is helpful in frequency capping purposes, to help tailor the ads you see and to measure their effectiveness. You should be able to control how and if cookies are to be accepted by your web browser. Most browsers offer instructions to reset the browser to reject cookies in the “Help” section of the toolbar. If you are rejecting our cookies, many functions and benefits of this Platform may not work properly.
UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION
You may update or modify your contact information and user preferences by emailing us at compliance@teqstories.com
SECURITY STATEMENT
Teqstories has put in place various physical and managerial procedures to try to safeguard and secure the information we collect. The information we collect is stored with third-party data centers that have a holistic security model with seven levels of security. Please note that the Company shall not be liable for any misuse or loss of information carried out by such third-party data centers. Furthermore, we also rely on your cell phones’ strong security model to ensure that there is no information or security leak until it is intentionally processed for authentication. However, please note that though we implement security measures on this site, 100% security cannot be guaranteed.
ADDRESS FOR PRIVACY QUESTIONS
Should you have questions about this policy or Teqstories’s process for information collection, use, and disclosure practices, connect with us at compliance@teqstories.com. We will make sure to respond promptly to requests, questions, or concerns you may have regarding our use of your information. Except where required by law, Teqstories cannot ensure a response to questions or comments regarding topics unrelated to this policy or Teqstories’s privacy practices.
CHANGING OUR PRIVACY POLICY
Please note that we review and may make time to time changes to this Privacy Policy. The changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective immediately upon being posted on this page. By accessing the Platform, you show your agreement to the modified Privacy Policy. Be sure to return to this page periodically to familiarize yourself with the current version of this Privacy Policy.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
The miscellaneous provisions provided in our Terms of Use shall also apply to our Privacy Policy.