This policy is being finalised and may change before launch.
Last updated: [EFFECTIVE DATE]
This Privacy Policy explains how NewsNow Academy (academy.newsnow.lk) collects and uses your personal data. NewsNow Academy is operated by Pahana Media (Pvt) Ltd, 15, 22 Chandra Wettasingha Rd, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 11222, Sri Lanka ("we", "us", "our"). We are the controller of your personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022 of Sri Lanka.
1. What we collect
| Data | Examples | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Account details | Name, email address, password (stored encrypted) | You, when you register |
| Order details | Items bought, price, currency, order number, billing name and address | You, at checkout |
| Payment confirmation | Payment status, last 4 digits of card, payment reference | PayHere |
| Learning activity | Courses enrolled, lessons completed, quiz results, certificates | Generated as you use the Academy |
| Messages | Emails and form submissions you send us, including instructor applications | You |
| Technical data | IP address, approximate country, browser and device type, pages visited | Your browser, and cookies (Section 6) |
We do not receive or store your full card number. PayHere processes your card details on its own secure page.
2. Why we use it
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Creating your account, delivering courses and downloads, issuing certificates | To perform our contract with you |
| Taking payments, correcting payment errors, keeping accounting records | To perform our contract, and to meet our legal obligations |
| Showing prices in your local currency (based on your approximate country from your IP address) | Our legitimate interest in showing clear prices |
| Answering your questions and sending important account or order emails | To perform our contract |
| Sending news about new courses and offers | Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time using the unsubscribe link in each email |
| Keeping the Academy secure and preventing fraud | Our legitimate interest, and our legal obligations |
| Understanding how the Academy is used so we can improve it | Our legitimate interest, or your consent where the law requires it |
3. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with:
- PayHere (payment processing) and the banks involved in your payment;
- our hosting provider Namecheap, which stores the Academy's website and database;
- our email service provider Namecheap, which sends account and order emails;
- the instructor of a course you join. They can see your name, and your progress and quiz results in their course, so they can support you;
- authorities, where the law requires us to.
Some of these providers may store or process data outside Sri Lanka. When that happens, we use providers that protect your data as required by Sri Lankan law.
4. How long we keep it
- Account and learning data: kept while your account is open, then deleted or anonymised within 6 months of you closing it.
- Order and payment records: kept for 7 years to meet tax and accounting laws.
- Marketing consent records: kept until you withdraw your consent, plus the time needed to prove we respected your choice.
5. Your rights
You have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- correct data that is wrong or incomplete;
- erase your data, unless we must keep it by law;
- withdraw consent at any time, for example for marketing emails;
- object to processing based on our legitimate interests;
- ask us to review any decision made only by automated means that significantly affects you.
To use any of these rights, email academy@newsnow.lk. We will reply within the time required by law.
If you are not happy with our answer, you can complain to the Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka.
6. Cookies
We use:
- Essential cookies, which keep you logged in, remember your cart and remember your chosen currency. The Academy does not work without them.
- Analytics cookies (Google Analytics), which help us understand how the Academy is used. We set these only with your consent.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. If you block essential cookies, login and checkout will not work.
7. Security
We protect your data with encrypted connections (HTTPS), encrypted passwords, limited staff access and regular backups. No system is completely secure. If a data breach is likely to put you at risk, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.
8. Children
The Academy is meant for users aged 18 and over, or younger users with the permission of a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has given us data without that permission, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Changes
We may update this policy. We will post the new version here with a new "Last updated" date. If a change is significant, we will also email registered users.
10. Contact
Pahana Media (Pvt) Ltd
15, 22 Chandra Wettasingha Rd, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 11222, Sri Lanka
Phone: +94 11 267 3253
Privacy questions: academy@newsnow.lk