PRIVACY POLICY
Who we are
School of Social Sciences Foundation, operating “SDN Studios” as a project and with SDN registered as intellectual property, provides online selfpaced courses, recorded lectures, and downloadable learning materials, and issues certificates (“Services”). This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, and safeguarded when the Services are used. By using the Services, acceptance of this Privacy Policy is indicated; those who do not agree should discontinue use.
Contact information
Legal Entity: School of Social Sciences Foundation (SDN is a project of School of Social Sciences; SDN is registered as intellectual property).
Registered Address: 550, 5 D-1 New Township, Lahore, Pakistan.
Privacy/Support Email: support@sdnstudios.com
Scope
This Policy applies to information processed via sdnstudios.com, the associated LMS (Tutor LMS Pro on WordPress), integrated tools (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet, YouTube), contact forms, and communications referencing this Policy. Supplemental notices (e.g., Cookie Notice) may apply to specific features and will control where there is a conflict.
Who can use the Services
Registration and use are limited to individuals aged 18 years and above; accounts for individuals under 18 are not permitted. If an account is discovered to be created by someone under 18, it may be suspended and removed in accordance with this Policy.
Information we collect
Account and profile:
full name, email address, phone number, nationality, city/country (if collected), and social login identifiers when Google or Facebook signin is enabled.
Educational records:
course enrollments, learning progress, quiz and assignment responses and scores, grades, instructor feedback, certificates issued, and discussion/comments submitted via the platform.
Usage and technical:
IP address, device/browser type, operating system, pages or lessons viewed, timestamps, referral URLs, and session metadata generated by the WordPress/Tutor LMS environment and any future analytics tags.
Communications:
messages or information provided via MetForms contact forms and email, including support requests.
Payments:
payment confirmations and metadata related to bank transfer, JazzCash, and Easypaisa transactions; proof of payment uploads or references provided by learners. No full card or wallet credentials are collected or stored on SDN Studios’ servers.
Media and classes:
links to or embedding of hosted videos (YouTube) and live session details (Zoom/Google Meet), and, where applicable, attendance or recordings metadata retained in those platforms or limited records stored at SDN Studios for operational purposes.
Derived/aggregated:
deidentified statistics about enrollments, completions, and site usage produced for internal reporting and improvement.
No special category or sensitive data is intentionally collected, and no proctoring, biometric, webcam/mic monitoring, or government ID verification is conducted.
How we collect information
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Directly from users during registration/checkout, within courses, assessments, and forms, and via email.
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Automatically through the LMS, WordPress, and server logs, and, when implemented, through consented analytics tags.
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From integrated services when used (e.g., Google/YouTube, Zoom/Google Meet) subject to their own privacy terms.
How we use information
Service delivery:
create and manage accounts, authenticate access, deliver courses and materials, enable quizzes/assignments, issue certificates using legal names, and provide support.
Operations and integrity:
maintain site functionality, troubleshoot issues, prevent abuse, and ensure reliability and security of the WordPress/Tutor LMS environment.
Payments administration:
receive and reconcile manual payment confirmations (bank transfer, JazzCash, Easypaisa), verify enrollments, and manage access to paid content; as a nonprofit, fees are used to sustain the platform.
Improvements and analytics:
messages or information provided via MetForms contact forms and email, including support requests.
Communications:
respond to inquiries, send important service notices (e.g., enrollment confirmations, updates to policies, operational announcements). No newsletters are currently sent.
Legal grounds and applicability
The Services primarily target Pakistan and other regions specified on the site. The organization does not rely on GDPR or other foreign privacy laws unless explicitly stated; individuals in jurisdictions with specific rights may still contact support@sdnstudios.com to exercise reasonable access or deletion requests, which will be honored to the extent required by applicable laws and consistent with this Policy.
Cookies and similar technologies
The site uses essential cookies required for the LMS and WordPress to function. A cookie banner and consent mechanism will be implemented prior to enabling nonessential analytics or advertising tags (e.g., Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, Meta Pixel); nonessential cookies will not be set without consent where required. The Cookie Notice will describe categories, purposes, and choices, including optout where supported.
Payments
Payments are accepted via bank transfer, JazzCash, and Easypaisa following manual instructions. Payment confirmations and necessary metadata are collected to verify and fulfill course access but full payment credentials are not stored on SDN Studios’ servers. Invoices and tax numbers are not presently issued or collected; this may change with notice if required for compliance.
Disclosures of information
SDN Studios does not sell personal information. Disclosures are limited to:
Service providers and integrations:
Hostinger (hosting and backups), WordPress/Tutor LMS (platform), Google services (Workspace email, reCAPTCHA, YouTube hosting, and in future GA4/Tag Manager), Meta (Facebook login and Pixel when implemented), Zoom and Google Meet (live classes), and MetForms (contact forms). These providers process data under their own terms and, where applicable, under instructions to support the Services.
Operational needs and legal requirements:
compliance with applicable laws, enforcement of terms, protection of rights and safety, and managing suspected fraud or abuse.
Organizational changes:
in the event of a reorganization, merger, or asset transfer involving the School of Social Sciences Foundation or SDN Studios, subject to continuity of protections consistent with this Policy.
International transfers
Hosting is provided by Hostinger in a data center located in India, and some providers may process data in other countries. By using the Services, individuals acknowledge and consent to crossborder transfers as needed to operate the Services, subject to appropriate safeguards consistent with this Policy and applicable law.
Security
Security measures include forced HTTPS sitewide, hostinglevel encryption at rest and malware scanning by Hostinger, regular WordPress/Tutor LMS plugin and theme updates (weekly), rolebased access for administrators and instructors, and restricted production access. While no system is completely secure and multifactor authentication is not currently enforced for admin accounts, reasonable organizational and technical safeguards are maintained to protect information. Suspected security incidents should be reported immediately to support@sdnstudios.com.
Data retention and deletion
Accounts with purchases:
retained for up to 3 years after last activity or purchase to preserve access history and certification records, unless a longer period is required by law or operational necessity.
Free accounts with no purchases:
deleted after 12 months of inactivity.
Educational records:
retained while the account is active and for the applicable retention period above; certificates may be verified manually after account deletion based on internal records necessary to confirm authenticity.
Support communications:
retained for approximately 12 months.
Backups:
Hostinger daily backups are maintained for approximately 30 days and then cycled.
When retention periods expire, data is deleted or deidentified from active systems; residual data may persist in backups until overwritten under the backup cycle.
Individual rights and choices
Access, correction, deletion:
requests can be submitted via support@sdnstudios.com from the registered email along with recent course details for verification; responses will be provided within 30 days.
Account management:
profile edits and account deletion are processed by SDN Studios upon verified email request; there is no selfservice deletion in the dashboard at this time.
Cookies and tracking:
once implemented, preferences for nonessential cookies can be managed via the cookie banner/notice.
Minors:
as only 18+ may register, requests from parents/guardians regarding underage accounts will result in review and removal of such accounts if identified.
Backups:
Hostinger daily backups are maintained for approximately 30 days and then cycled.
Children’s privacy
The Services are intended only for individuals 18 years and older. Accounts for users under 18 are not permitted and will be removed upon discovery. No targeted collection of children’s data is conducted.
Thirdparty sites and content
The Services may link to or embed thirdparty content such as YouTube videos or host live classes on Zoom/Google Meet. Those services have their own privacy practices; review their policies before use. SDN Studios is not responsible for thirdparty sites and services.
Changes to this Policy
This Policy may be updated to reflect operational, legal, or technological changes. Material changes will be indicated by updating the “Effective Date” at the top and, where appropriate, additional notice on the website. Continued use of the Services after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.
How to contact us
For questions or privacy requests, contact:
School of Social Sciences Foundation (SDN Studios)
550, 5 D-1 New Township, Lahore, Pakistan
Email: support@sdnstudios.com
