Terms of Service

Last updated: September 25, 2026

These Terms of Use (the “Terms”) govern access to and use of Communiversity (the “Platform”), available at communiversity.studio, and its associated learning space. Communiversity is a program of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa (“we”). By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to these Terms.

1. Nature of the service

Communiversity connects community partners, faculty, students, and teaching assistants around academic projects with a tangible impact. Among other things, the Platform allows members to:

• submit projects and follow their progress;
• form project teams and collaborate in groups;
• communicate through posts, comments, and private messaging;
• share documents, photos, and videos;
• access project-related courses in the learning space;
• showcase projects and their deliverables in the projects gallery.

Most areas are reserved for registered members. Some pages, such as the projects gallery and projects made public, are visible to everyone.

2. Eligibility

By using the Platform, you confirm that you:

• are at least 18 years old;
• provide accurate information when registering, including your role (community partner, faculty member, student, or teaching assistant);
• will not impersonate another person or create more than one account;
• are authorized to represent the organization you act on behalf of, if applicable.

We may verify the role you declare and change it or refuse access if the information provided is inaccurate.

3. Account and security

You are responsible for:

• keeping your password and your two-factor authentication method confidential;
• all activity carried out through your account.

Two-factor authentication is required to access the Platform. Use a strong, unique password, and notify us promptly of any unauthorized use of your account.

4. Code of conduct

You agree not to post, send, or share:

• harassment, intimidation, threats, or hate speech;
• discriminatory content (origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc.);
• pornographic, sexually explicit, or exploitative content;
• incitement to violence or self-harm;
• other people’s personal information without their consent;
• illegal content or content that facilitates illegal activities;
• plagiarism or any other breach of academic integrity;
• spam, unauthorized advertising, or abusive solicitation;
• viruses, malicious scripts, or hacking attempts.

5. Confidentiality of members and partners

You agree to:

• not share another member’s content outside the Platform without their consent;
• avoid taking screenshots of private conversations;
• respect the confidentiality of discussions in private groups;
• use information and documents provided by a community partner only for the project, and in accordance with any applicable confidentiality agreement.

Any violation may result in sanctions (see the “Account suspension and deletion” section).

6. Member content

You retain ownership of the content you post and confirm that you hold the rights needed to share it.

By posting content on the Platform, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to:

• display and distribute it on the Platform, according to the chosen visibility settings;
• feature it in the projects gallery when a project is made public;
• store, technically process, and back it up to ensure continuity of service.

This licence is necessary for the Platform to operate and ends when the content is deleted, subject to backup copies kept for a limited period.

7. Projects and deliverables

Projects are carried out in an educational context. Intellectual property in deliverables is governed by the applicable policies of the University of Ottawa and, where applicable, by any agreement between the community partner, the university, and the participants.

Deliverables are provided as learning outcomes, without any guarantee of results. They do not constitute professional advice, and it is up to the community partner to validate them before any use.

8. Reporting and moderation

Any member can report content or behaviour that violates these Terms. We may moderate the Platform in order to:

• protect members;
• enforce these Terms;
• maintain a healthy and respectful environment.

Possible measures include removing or hiding content, a warning, a temporary suspension, or permanent deletion of the account.

9. Groups and project spaces

Groups and project spaces can be public (visible to members), private, or hidden (by invitation only). Their access and visibility are managed by their organizers and by the Platform settings.

10. Limitation of liability

The Platform is provided “as is”. We do not guarantee:

• that it will be uninterrupted;
• that it will be error-free;
• the accuracy of content posted by members.

Opinions expressed by members are their own.

11. Account suspension and deletion

We may suspend or delete an account if:

• these Terms are violated;
• a member’s behaviour endangers the community;
• fraudulent activity is detected;
• the law requires it.

You can request the deletion of your account by writing to us at [contact email to be confirmed].

12. Communiversity intellectual property

The Communiversity name, logo, brand, design, and original content belong to the University of Ottawa and may not be copied or reused without written permission.

13. Third-party services

Some features rely on third-party services, such as email delivery, the learning space, or authentication apps. We are not responsible for the practices of these services, but we limit their use to what is strictly necessary. To learn more about how your data is handled, see our Privacy Policy.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may change these Terms. The date of the last update is shown at the top of this page. By continuing to use the Platform after a change, you accept the new version.

15. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the applicable laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada.

16. Contact

Communiversity — a program of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa
800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
[contact email to be confirmed]

Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 25, 2026

1. Scope of this policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Communiversity, a program of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa (“we”), collects, uses, retains, and protects your personal information when you use the communiversity.studio platform (the “Platform”) and its associated learning space.

We are committed to protecting our members’ privacy and to complying with applicable privacy laws, including Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

2. Member areas and public pages

Most content (activity feed, profiles, groups, private messages, files) is reserved for signed-in members.

Some pages are public: the projects gallery and projects made public by their organizers. The information shown there is visible to everyone and may be indexed by search engines.

Despite our security measures, no platform can guarantee absolute confidentiality. Avoid posting sensitive information.

3. Information we collect

When you register and in your profile

• your first name, last name, and username;
• your email address;
• your password, stored in encrypted form;
• your role (community partner, faculty member, student, or teaching assistant);
• optional profile information: photo, short bio, city, interests, website or LinkedIn, program and year of study, department, areas of expertise;
• for partners: the organization’s name and type, your role in the organization, its website, and its mission.

Provided by your institution

A faculty member or the university may create your account from a class list (first name, last name, and email address) to enrol you in your course’s projects.

Related to your activity

• submitted projects and their deliverables;
• your posts, comments, and reactions;
• your participation in groups;
• your private messages;
• the files, photos, and videos you share;
• your progress in the learning space courses.

Technical data

• your IP address;
• your browser and device type;
• security logs (sign-in attempts, suspicious activity);
• information related to two-factor authentication;
• the cookies described below.

4. How we use your information

We use your personal information only to:

• create and manage your account, including in the learning space;
• enable project submission, matching, and tracking;
• facilitate exchanges between members;
• showcase projects made public in the projects gallery;
• keep the Platform secure and prevent spam, fraud, and unauthorized access;
• enforce our Terms of Use and moderate content;
• send you service-related communications (account, security, notifications);
• improve the Platform, its performance, and its stability.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use any targeted advertising or ad-tracking tools.

5. Moderation and security

To maintain a safe environment, we may:

• handle reports from members;
• remove or hide content;
• suspend or delete an account in case of a violation;
• keep only what is strictly necessary in cases of serious abuse (harassment, threats, illegal content).

Private messages are intended for the members involved. However, in the event of a report, an internal investigation, a serious risk, or a legal obligation, we may review strictly necessary content, to the extent permitted by law.

6. Sharing of information

With other members

Your name, profile, and content are visible to signed-in members, according to the Platform settings. Project information is shared with its participants (partner, faculty, students, and teaching assistants).

With our service providers

We use providers that are necessary for the Platform to operate: hosting (Google Cloud), email delivery (Brevo), and fonts (Google Fonts). They only have access to the information needed for their services.

Legal obligations

We may disclose information if required by law, for example in response to a court order, as part of an investigation, or to prevent a serious risk.

7. Hosting and transfers

The Platform and the learning space are hosted on Google Cloud, in the Toronto region (Canada). Platform data is stored on these servers.

Some providers may process information outside Canada: email delivery by Brevo uses your name and email address in the European Union, and loading fonts sends your IP address to Google.

8. Technologies we use

The Platform relies on WordPress and BuddyBoss for profiles, groups, posts, private messaging, and notifications; on Moodle for the learning space; and on Wordfence for security and two-factor authentication. Data is stored in our own databases and used only to provide the service.

9. Notifications

The Platform may send you notifications, on the site and by email: new activity, replies, messages, updates to your projects, and important service-related communications. You can manage most of these notifications in your account settings.

10. Cookies

We use cookies to:

• keep you signed in;
• remember certain preferences, such as your language;
• strengthen security.

We do not use any advertising cookies. You can disable cookies in your browser, but you will no longer be able to sign in to the Platform.

11. Data retention

We keep your information for as long as necessary to provide the service, ensure security and moderation, and meet our legal obligations.

You can request the deletion of your account. Depending on the case, some content may be deleted, anonymized, or kept without any link to your identity, for example the deliverables of a team project.

12. Your rights

You can:

• request access to your personal information;
• request that it be corrected;
• request the deletion of your account, within the limits set by law.

To exercise these rights, write to us at [contact email to be confirmed]. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

13. Member responsibility

Even in member-only areas, other people can see your content, and screenshots or copies can be made. Do not post sensitive information (banking details, official documents, medical information, etc.).

14. Minors

The Platform is not intended for people under 18 years of age.

15. Changes to this policy

We may change this policy. The date of the last update is shown at the top of this page. In the event of a significant change, a notice will be posted on the Platform or sent to members.

16. Contact

Communiversity — a program of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa
800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
[contact email to be confirmed]