Privacy
Privacy Policy.
How we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
Last updated: September 25, 2026
Contents
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.).
Minors
The Platform is not intended for people under 18 years of age.
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.
Contact
Questions about your data?
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]
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