Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Progress Academy is a digital product marketplace operated by Lets Make Progress (Pty) Ltd, based in South Africa. We sell digital tools, templates, and resources designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

By using our website and purchasing our products, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following information when you use Progress Academy:

Your name and email address when you create an account or sign in
Authentication data via Google OAuth (if you choose to sign in with Google)
Order information — product purchased, amount paid, and transaction ID
Basic usage data to help us improve the platform

We do not collect payment card details. All payments are processed securely by PayFast, which has its own privacy policy.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information solely for the following purposes:

To create and manage your account
To process and fulfil your orders
To provide access to products you have purchased
To send order confirmations and important account updates
To improve the platform and user experience

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third parties.

4. Firebase & Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate Progress Academy:

Firebase Authentication — to handle secure sign-in and account management (Google LLC)
Cloud Firestore — to store order records securely (Google LLC)
PayFast — to process payments (PayFast (Pty) Ltd, South Africa)
Google reCAPTCHA v3 — to protect forms from automated abuse

Each of these services operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them.

5. Data Storage & Security

Your account data is stored securely on Google Firebase servers. We apply industry-standard security measures to protect your information. However, no system is 100% secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your account and order data for as long as your account is active or as required by South African law.

6. Your Rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of your account and associated data
Object to the processing of your personal information

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the details below.

7. Cookies

We use minimal cookies necessary for authentication and session management. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies.

8. Subscription and Membership Data

For Progress Academy Plus members, we store the following additional data in Firebase Firestore linked to your user account:

Subscription status, start date, and renewal date
Member voting preferences and product interest data collected through Plus membership features

Subscription payment data is processed and stored by PayFast and is not held by Progress Academy. Member preference data may be used to inform product development decisions. This data is never sold or shared with third parties.

Plus members may request deletion of their account and all associated subscription data at any time by contacting lebo@letsmakeprogress.com.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.