Who we are
Vana Learning, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, runs a maths and English practice app for school-age children. It is used in classrooms (the class app) and at home (Vana Home).
- In a school, the school decides to use Vana for its teaching, and we process its students' information on the school's behalf.
- In Vana Home, a family signs up directly, and we are responsible for that information.
Grievance officer and contact for anything in this policy: Madhav Mohan, madhav@vanalearning.com.
What we collect
- About the child: name, school and class, a learner id and a picture passcode. Also their practice: the questions shown, the answers given, whether each was right, how long it took, placement test answers and the skills they have learned. Also how the app is used: when practice starts and stops, the screen or question a child stopped on, when help or an explanation was used, whether the app was added to the phone, and how the account was reached (a class link, a home link, or a friend's invitation). These records carry a learner id and a random device id, never the child's name. We also record which child's invitation a new account came from, to give that child leaves and to see how children find Vana. In class, the teacher can see which question a child is on and whether they raised their hand.
- In Vana Home, also: the child's age, which tells us whether a parent must give consent. Also leaves and forest progress, a random number that identifies the phone so a family's accounts stay together, and which friend's invitation (a "seed") an account joined through. We keep a record of the consent: when it was given, which wording, and whether a parent or the person themselves gave it.
- About the parent: name, mobile number and language, used only to send WhatsApp messages about their child's learning, with a record of when the parent agreed and whether they opted out.
- Message records: which message we sent, when, and whether WhatsApp reports it delivered or read. If you reply, we keep your reply.
- Reminders: if you turn on practice reminders, the phone's push address and the reminder time you chose.
What we never collect
Children's phone numbers, photographs, voice recordings, home addresses, location, date of birth, identity documents, health or financial information. One English practice screen can record a child's voice and play it back. That recording stays on the phone and is never uploaded or kept by us. We use no advertising and no outside analytics or tracking tools, and we do not record children's screens. Vana itself records how the app is used (below), under a learner id rather than a name, only to teach and to improve our teaching.
Children and consent
Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, anyone under 18 is a child, and a parent or guardian consents for them.
- Vana Home: an account for a child is made only after a parent or guardian gives consent on the sign-up screen, which links to this policy.
- Schools: Vana is used at the school's request. We ask each school to give parents a notice about Vana and to record their consent.
If you are a parent and did not agree to your child using Vana, email madhav@vanalearning.com and we will stop and delete the account.
What we send
- A short daily reminder with a link to that child's practice.
- A weekly short video showing what the child has learned.
Each link and video is for one child's family. Please do not forward a child's link to others, since anyone who opens it can see that child's practice.
How we use it
To run the practice, choose each child's next question, show teachers and parents progress, and send the messages above. We do not sell personal information, show advertising, or use children's information for anything other than teaching them and reporting on their learning. We use the records of how the app is used to find and fix what is not working in Vana's teaching, and to see how children find Vana. Anything we share outside Vana has names and ids removed, so that no child can be identified.
Who handles the data for us
We use a few service providers. Each processes information only on our behalf, to provide its service:
- Supabase: stores learning records, rosters and message records, in India (Mumbai).
- Vercel: hosts the app and runs its server functions, on servers that may be outside India.
- WhatsApp (Meta): delivers messages.
- Google Fonts: supplies our typefaces and sees the device's IP address when the app loads.
- Google, Apple or Mozilla: deliver push reminders if you turn them on.
Some of these providers work outside India, which Indian law allows. We do not share personal information with anyone else unless the law requires it.
How we keep it safe
Information is encrypted in transit and at rest. If a breach of personal data happens, we will tell affected families and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.
How long we keep it
- While the child is using Vana.
- When you ask us to delete it, we do so within 30 days.
- Records of how the app is used, and the other logs the law requires, are kept for at least one year, then combined so no child can be identified, or deleted.
Stopping messages
Reply STOP to any message and we will stop sending. You can also tell your child's teacher or email us. Stopping messages does not stop your child from using the app in class.
Your rights: seeing, correcting or deleting information
You can do any of these at any time. For a child, the parent or guardian does them:
- ask what we hold;
- have it corrected;
- have it deleted;
- withdraw consent;
- nominate someone to act for you.
Email madhav@vanalearning.com, saying the child's name and school or the phone number. We answer within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
Changes
If we change this policy, we change the date at the top. We tell parents about important changes through the teacher or the app.