Privacy notice
Beacon is built on privacy-by-design principles and processes personal data in line with Rwanda's Law No. 058/2021 on the protection of personal data and privacy.
What we collect
- A username you choose (a pseudonym), your password (stored only as a secure hash) and your university.
- Your training activity: sections viewed (with how long each took, to spot rushed reading), quiz scores, badges, stories read and your learning streak.
- Support sessions you log: a category, an outcome, optional notes and any referral. Notes must never include names or identifying details of the peer you supported.
- Optional self-care reflections: a mood rating and optional text.
- Optional posts on the Community wall: a mood and a short note. Other peers see them without your username, with the time rounded to the hour, for 7 days. You can delete your posts at any time.
- Anonymous usability feedback, stored with no link to your account.
How we protect it
- Session notes and reflection text are encrypted (AES-256-GCM) before they are stored.
- All traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Sign-in uses a secure, httpOnly session cookie.
- Programme coordinators see cohort totals only, never individual records. Averages from fewer than three people are hidden.
- Data is used only to run Beacon and to understand, in aggregate, how well peers are learning. It is never sold or shared for marketing.
Your rights
- Using Beacon is voluntary. You can stop at any time with no effect on your peer counsellor status.
- You can delete individual sessions and reflections, or your whole account, from the Account page. Deletion is permanent.
- Questions or requests: contact the Beacon team through the ALU Peer Counsellors Club.