Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, clicking "I Agree", accessing, or using the Abacus4Everyone platform (the "Service"), you ("User", "you") agree to be legally bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"), our Privacy Policy, and any additional guidelines posted on the platform.

These Terms apply to all users including Teachers, Students, and Administrators. Where a Teacher registers on behalf of minor students, the Teacher confirms they have obtained verifiable parental/guardian consent for each child before creating that child's account.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Abacus4Everyone ("we", "us", "our", "the Company").

2. Definitions

3. Eligibility & Account Types

3.1 Teacher Accounts

• You must be at least 18 years of age to register a Teacher account.
• You must be a qualified or practicing abacus instructor, tutor, teacher, or represent an educational institution.
• By registering, you confirm you have the legal authority to create accounts on behalf of your students and that you have obtained verifiable parental or guardian consent for each minor student.
• You are solely responsible for all activity under student accounts you create.
• You must not share your Teacher login credentials with students or third parties.

3.2 Student Accounts (Self-Registered)

• Students aged 13 and above may self-register with parental or guardian consent.
• Students under 13 may only access the Service through a Teacher-created account, with verified parental consent obtained by the Teacher.
• If you are registering on behalf of a minor, you represent that you are the child's parent or legal guardian and consent to these Terms on the child's behalf.

3.3 Teacher-Created Student Accounts

• Teachers who create accounts for students represent and warrant that they have obtained verifiable consent from the parent or legal guardian of each minor student.
• The Teacher is the responsible party for compliance with children's privacy laws for all accounts they create.

4. Description of Services

Abacus4Everyone provides an online educational platform for abacus and mental arithmetic training, including:

• Interactive abacus practice exercises across 8 progressive belt levels
• 2,182+ practice questions covering addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and mental arithmetic
• Belt tests and printable achievement certificates
• AI-powered tutoring explanations for each formula
• Homework sets, worksheets, and speed drills
• Virtual abacus simulator, game arcade, and rewards system
• Class management tools for Teachers (student accounts, scheduling, progress tracking)
• Teacher training tutorials

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time with reasonable notice.

5. Account Registration & Security

5.1 Accurate Information

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update such information to keep it accurate.

5.2 Password Security

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password.
• You agree to notify us immediately at expertsupport.contact@gmail.com of any unauthorised use of your account.
• We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to protect your login credentials.

5.3 One Account Per User

Each individual may maintain only one active account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions is prohibited.

5.4 Account Activation

Paid accounts are activated manually by our team after payment verification. Access to premium features is conditional on maintaining an active paid subscription.

6. Payments, Subscriptions & Refunds

6.1 Subscription Plans

6.2 Payment Processing

All payments are processed securely by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. We do not store your card details. Stripe's terms of service and privacy policy also apply to payment transactions.

6.3 Pricing

Prices are displayed in your local currency based on geographic location (INR for India, EUR for Europe, USD for international users). Prices are inclusive of applicable taxes where required by law. We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' notice.

6.4 Cancellation

• You may cancel your subscription at any time by emailing expertsupport.contact@gmail.com.
• Access continues until the end of the current billing period.
• Annual subscriptions cancelled mid-year are not eligible for pro-rata refunds unless required by applicable consumer protection law.

6.5 Refund Policy

Due to the digital nature of the Service:

• India: Refunds are governed by the Consumer Protection Act 2019 and applicable e-commerce rules. Refunds may be granted within 7 days if the Service was materially defective or not as described.
• EU/UK: Under the EU Consumer Rights Directive and UK Consumer Rights Act, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal from the date of purchase, unless you have expressly consented to immediate access to digital content (which you do by accepting these Terms and beginning use). If you begin using the Service, you waive this right.
• All regions: Refund requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Contact us within 7 days of purchase for consideration.

6.6 Taxes

You are responsible for all applicable taxes in your jurisdiction. Indian users: GST may apply as required by the Goods and Services Tax Act. EU users: VAT is applied per your country's applicable rate.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA / DPDPA / GDPR)

7.1 Minimum Age

The Service is designed for children aged 4 and above as an educational tool, subject to:

• Children under 13 (US) or under 16 (EU) must have verifiable parental consent.
• Children under 18 (India, DPDPA 2023) require verifiable parental or guardian consent.

7.2 Teacher Responsibility

Teachers creating student accounts for minors:

• Must obtain written or verifiable consent from the parent or legal guardian of each minor before creating their account.
• Must inform parents of what data is collected and how it is used.
• Must not enter sensitive personal information (health, financial data, etc.) about students into the platform.
• Are the designated Data Fiduciary under the DPDPA 2023 for the students' data they input.

7.3 Data We Collect for Students

We collect only what is necessary for educational purposes: name, email address, encrypted password, progress data (scores, belt levels, exercises completed), and login timestamps. We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health information, financial data, or government IDs from students.

7.4 No Advertising to Children

We do not serve advertisements, track children for behavioural profiling, or sell children's personal data to any third party.

7.5 Parental Rights

Parents or guardians may at any time request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child's personal data by contacting us at expertsupport.contact@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Privacy Policy & Data Processing

8.1 Data We Collect

8.2 Data We Do NOT Collect

• We do not collect government-issued ID numbers, passport or Aadhaar numbers.
• We do not collect health or biometric data.
• We do not track location beyond country-level (for currency display only).
• We do not sell, rent, or trade personal data to third parties.
• We do not use personal data for advertising or behavioural profiling.

8.3 Data Storage

User data is stored in Google Firebase (Firestore), which is hosted on Google Cloud infrastructure. Firebase complies with ISO 27001, SOC 1/2/3, and GDPR. Local copies may be stored in your browser's localStorage for offline access.

8.4 Data Retention

• Active accounts: data retained for the duration of your subscription plus 12 months.
• Deleted accounts: data purged within 30 days of deletion request.
• Anonymised aggregate statistics may be retained indefinitely.

8.5 Third-Party Services

9. GDPR & EU User Rights

9.1 Legal Basis for Processing

9.2 Your Rights Under GDPR

• Right of Access (Art. 15): Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification (Art. 16): Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Right to Erasure (Art. 17): Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to Restriction (Art. 18): Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability (Art. 20): Receive your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Art. 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any right, email expertsupport.contact@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority.

9.3 Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States (Google Firebase, Stripe, Anthropic). Such transfers are made under Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, ensuring adequate protection.

9.4 Data Protection Officer

For GDPR-related enquiries: expertsupport.contact@gmail.com (Subject: "GDPR Request").

10. Indian Users — IT Act & DPDPA 2023

10.1 Data Fiduciary Status

Abacus4Everyone acts as a Data Fiduciary as defined under the DPDPA 2023 in respect of the personal data of users who interact directly with our platform. Teachers who create student accounts also assume Data Fiduciary obligations for the student data they process.

10.2 Consent under DPDPA 2023

• By clicking "I Agree" and creating an account, you provide free, specific, informed, unconditional, and unambiguous consent to the processing of your personal data as described in these Terms.
• For minor students (under 18), verifiable parental or guardian consent is mandatory and must be obtained by the Teacher before creating the student's account.
• You may withdraw consent at any time by requesting account deletion, subject to any contractual obligations.

10.3 Your Rights under DPDPA 2023

• Right to Access (Section 11): Obtain a summary of personal data being processed and details of processing activities.
• Right to Correction and Erasure (Section 12): Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading data, and erasure of data no longer necessary for the original purpose.
• Right to Grievance Redressal (Section 13): Lodge a complaint with us. If unsatisfied, escalate to the Data Protection Board of India.
• Right to Nominate (Section 14): Nominate another individual to exercise rights on your behalf in the event of death or incapacity.

10.4 IT Act Compliance

We comply with the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules 2011 with respect to the collection, storage, and handling of sensitive personal information. Our security measures include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), password hashing, and regular security reviews.

10.5 Grievance Officer

As required under Section 5(9) of the IT (Amendment) Act 2008 and DPDPA 2023, our designated Grievance Officer can be contacted at:

Email: expertsupport.contact@gmail.com
Subject line: "Grievance — DPDPA"
Response time: We will acknowledge within 24 hours and resolve within 30 days.

11. Acceptable Use & Prohibited Conduct

11.1 You agree NOT to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any portion of the Service, other user accounts, or related systems.
• Share your account credentials with others or allow multiple users to use a single account.
• Upload, transmit, or distribute any malicious software, viruses, or harmful code.
• Scrape, copy, reproduce, or redistribute any content from the Service without prior written permission.
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to access or extract content from the Service.
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
• Engage in any conduct that restricts or inhibits any other user's use of the Service.
• Circumvent any technological measures designed to protect the Service or enforce these Terms.

11.2 Teacher-Specific Obligations

• Teachers must obtain verifiable parental consent before creating accounts for minors.
• Teachers must not use the platform for commercial purposes other than legitimate abacus instruction.
• Teachers are responsible for ensuring their students use the platform appropriately.
• Teachers must promptly deactivate accounts for students who are no longer their students.

12. Intellectual Property

All content on the Abacus4Everyone platform, including but not limited to exercises, questions, formulas, software code, design elements, and instructional materials, is the exclusive intellectual property of Abacus4Everyone or its licensors, protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Service solely for personal educational purposes during the term of your subscription. You may not reproduce, distribute, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit any content without our express written consent.

User-generated data (such as student performance records) remains yours. By using the Service, you grant us a limited licence to store and process this data to provide the Service.

13. Limitation of Liability & Disclaimers

13.1 Service Provided "As Is"

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

13.2 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ABACUS4EVERYONE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING UNDER THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 3 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

13.3 Exceptions

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (c) any liability that cannot be excluded by applicable law (including consumer protection rights under Indian law, EU Directive 2011/83/EU, or UK Consumer Rights Act 2015).

13.4 Educational Disclaimer

The Service is an educational supplementary tool. We do not guarantee specific academic outcomes, learning improvements, or examination results. The effectiveness of abacus training depends on consistent practice and individual learning capacity.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account immediately and without notice if you:

• Breach any provision of these Terms
• Engage in fraudulent, abusive, or illegal conduct
• Fail to pay subscription fees when due
• Provide false information during registration

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. We may retain data for a period required by law or for legitimate business purposes. You may request data deletion after termination.

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us. Termination does not entitle you to a refund of any prepaid subscription fees, except as required by applicable consumer protection law.

15. Dispute Resolution & Governing Law

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute, you agree to contact us at expertsupport.contact@gmail.com and attempt to resolve the matter informally. We will make reasonable efforts to resolve disputes within 30 days.

15.2 Governing Law

15.3 Consumer Rights Not Affected

Nothing in this section affects your statutory rights under applicable consumer protection laws, including but not limited to the Indian Consumer Protection Act 2019, EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, and UK Consumer Rights Act 2015.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Send a notification email to all registered users
• Display a notice in the app for 30 days after the update

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Service and may request account deletion.

17. Contact Information

For all legal, privacy, or compliance enquiries:

We aim to acknowledge all legal enquiries within 24 hours and resolve them within 30 days as required by applicable law.