Meto Incorporated is a tech-based non-profit organization, with its offices at 724 F St NE, Washington, DC 20002 (EIN No: 84-2456429) (“Meto“, “we”, “us” and “our”). Meto has developed a digital marketplace that facilitates and supports access to tertiary education opportunities for students in Africa (“website”).

This Privacy Policy describes Meto’s commitments to you with respect to the use of personal data collected in connection with this website.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, transfer and disclose personal data relating to (1) the visitors of this website, (2) students, (3) high schools, (4) universities and other educational institutions, (5) and other stakeholders (e.g., donors, academic staff, volunteers and the general public) (collectively, “you” and/or “user”).

While Meto may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time, Meto will always abide by the terms of the Privacy Policy when Meto collects and uses your data. Please note, if Meto makes any material changes to this Privacy Policy, Meto will provide you with notice concerning the changes either on this page or through some other reasonable method of notification. Therefore, users are encouraged to take note of the Privacy Policy contained hereunder.

This Privacy Policy was last updated: 28 September 2021

Collection and Use of Personal Data

Depending on who you are, we will process your personal data as described below.

Website Visitors

We process personal data about website visitors for the following purposes:

• to provide a service requested by you:
  • to provide the website; and
  • to provide other services requested by you (e.g., follow-up materials after completion of      the contact form).
• to pursue our legitimate interests:
  • to improve the website and other services, such as identifying issues with the website and services and planning improvements to the websites and services; and
  • to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
•  to comply with legal obligations:
  • to ensure the security of the website and our services, including to detect, prevent, or investigate security breaches or fraud.

Students

Please refer to the “Student Information Form” for further details.

High Schools / Universities / Educational Institutions

We process personal data about representatives, including administrators and teachers, of high schools, universities, and educational institutions for the following purposes:

• to meet our legitimate interest:
  • to administer and manage our relationship with the high schools, universities, educational institutions, and partners, such as to establish contact records, obtain academic transcripts, and to record and maintain visitor logs in order to keep our offices safe;
  • to share contact information with our service providers, vendors or partners that assist us in conducting our mission or operating our systems (for example, IT support, accounts payable, finance); and
  • establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• to meet our legal, regulatory and compliance obligations:
  • obligations under account and tax law; and
  • monitoring and managing conflicts of interest.

Stakeholders

We process personal data about various stakeholders, such as individuals interested in Meto’s work, and other persons with whom we interact, for the following purposes:

• to pursue our legitimate interests, including:
  • to contact you in response to your query;
  • to communicate with you regarding Meto events you may be interested in;
  • to conduct research, investigations, campaigns and other public advocacy work (including communicate with stakeholders, collecting donations and organizing events) in connection with Meto’s mission;
  • to analyze and improve our work, services, activities, offerings and information (including our website), or for our internal records;
  • to report on the impact and effectiveness of our work;
  • to administer our website, keep the website safe and secure and ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and your device;
  • to process your application for a volunteer role with Meto;
  • to administer your working relationship with Meto;
  • to satisfy legal obligations which are binding on us, for example in relation to regulatory, government and/or law enforcement bodies with whom we may work with from time to time; and
  • establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

In some circumstances, we may seek your consent for the collection and use of your personal data. This will be the case, for example, for the use of certain non-essential cookies (if we choose to use them), for the use of your e-mail address or mobile phone number for advertising purposes, or when you subscribe to certain services (e.g., a regular newsletter). You will always have the opportunity to withdraw your consent.

In addition, you may voluntarily provide personal data. To the extent you provide information about other individuals, you agree to provide such individuals with this Privacy Policy and to obtain their consent to provide the information.

If you are under 16, you shall not provide us with personal data without first obtaining a parent’s or guardian’s consent or authorization.

We will not use or share your personal data for purposes unrelated to those described in this Privacy Policy without first notifying you and, where required, offering you a choice as to whether or not we may use your personal data in this different manner.

We — as well as certain third parties that provide content, functionality, or services on our website — use a variety of technologies to learn more about how people use our website. Some of these cookies may be essential for you to browse our website and use its features. They may also be used to ensure the security of our website, and to investigate any unauthorized use of the website. Below is more information about some of those technologies and how they work, as well as a list of the types of cookies we may use.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that websites and other online services use to store information about users on the users’ own computers. Cookies may be used to store a unique identification number tied to your computer so that a website can recognize you as the same user across different visits to the website. You can configure your Internet browser to warn you each time a cookie is being sent or to refuse cookies completely.

We and the third parties that provide content, functionality, or business services on our website may use cookies to collect information about your browsing activities in order to provide you with more relevant content and promotional materials, on and off our website, and help us understand your interests and improve our website.

Web Beacons 

We, along with our third-party partners, may also use technologies called web beacons that communicate information from your Internet browser to a web server. Web beacons can be embedded in web pages, videos, or emails, and can allow a web server to read certain types of information from your browser, check whether you have viewed a particular web page or email message, and determine, among other things, the time and date on which you viewed the web beacon, the IP address of your computer, and the URL of the web page from which the web beacon was viewed. We and our partners use web beacons for a variety of purposes, including to analyze the use of the website and in conjunction with cookies to improve our website and to provide you with more relevant materials.

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other websites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our website. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the website. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our website, and will not be able to monitor its performance.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the website will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Analytics

These cookies are used for analytics help us collect data that allows us to understand how users interact with the website. These insights allow us both to improve content, and to build better features that improve the your user experience.

How We Collect your Personal Data

We collect your personal data through your interactions with us, both on and off-line. We may also obtain your personal data from third party sources, such as:

• high schools;
• our partners who work with us; and
• other publicly available sources.

Sharing Personal Data

We may share your personal data for the purposes mentioned above with:

• various educational institutions in connection with the operation of this website and our programs, including website hosting, the provision of technology related services, payment processing and authorization, and promotional material distribution;
• public authorities, government regulators or other law enforcement officials and the courts, as required or permitted by law or when compelled by a binding order; and
• banks, insurance companies,  and other vendors and suppliers and
• Meto’s staff, Meto’s collaborators, funders and other organizations that help further Meto’s mission.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

If Meto combines cookies with or links them to any of the personally identifying information, we would treat this information as personal information. If you wish to block, erase, or be warned of cookies, please refer to your browser instructions or help screen to learn about these functions. However, if a browser is set not to accept cookies or if a user rejects a cookie, some portions of the site may not function properly.

Data Security

We maintain appropriate technical, physical and organizational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure or access. However, no information security system can be 100% secure. As a result, although we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of the personal data against unpredictable loss or unauthorized access.
Subject to restrictions under applicable law, you have the right to request from us access, rectification, erasure, restriction and discontinuance of processing, and portability of your personal data. You also have the right not to be subject to automated individual decision-making. If you originally gave us your consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time. Such requests can be addressed to the contact information below.

Your Rights and Choices

Subject to restrictions under applicable law, you have the right to request from us access, rectification, erasure, restriction and discontinuance of processing, and portability of your personal data. You also have the right not to be subject to automated individual decision-making. If you originally gave us your consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time. Such requests can be addressed to the contact information below.

International Transfers of Your Personal Data

Meto may share your personal data to countries outside of your country of residence. This might occur in the course of sharing personal data with third parties with whom we have explicit agreements about how [they can and cannot use your personal data. Please note that some of these countries may not have an equivalent level of personal data protection relative to the level of protection provided in your own country. The website does not systematically store your personal data outside the United States of America (“USA”), and does not transfer your personal data outside of the USA without either your consent or after ensuring adequate safeguards that allow the safe transfer of your personal data.

Retention of Personal Data

We will only retain personal data for as long as we are required to do so by applicable law(s), or for as long as necessary for the purpose(s) for which it is processed. We will delete personal data when it is no longer needed and, in any case, upon expiration of the maximum storage term set forth in applicable law.

The period during which we retain your personal data takes into account the nature, and sensitivity of that data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

For some of the purposes mentioned above or for purposes about which you may be informed separately, we may anonymize the personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case it is no longer considered personal data. For example, we may anonymize your personal data in order to create aggregate statistics that we share with the general public.

Links to Other Internet Websites

The privacy practices set forth in this Privacy Policy are for this website and other specified activities only. Other websites hosted by third parties may have different practices. If you link to or otherwise visit any other websites managed by third parties, please review the privacy policies posted at those websites. We have no control over those websites and are not responsible or liable for the policies and practices followed by third parties.

Contact

Meto welcomes your questions and comments about privacy, and what we do.

For privacy or security related queries, please email us at securityandprivacy@meto‑intl.org.

For any other queries, including opt-out requests, please email us at support@meto‑intl.org.