Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 28, 2026

1. Information We Collect

UniLink collects information to provide better services to our users:

• Account Information: Name, email, university, major, and profile details
• Academic Information: Courses, study groups, and academic interests
• Content: Posts, comments, and shared materials
• Usage Data: How you interact with our platform, plus basic device information (screen size, browser language, timezone, connection type and graphics renderer) collected from logged-in users for security and compatibility

2. How We Use Your Information

• Provide and improve UniLink services
• Personalize your academic networking experience
• Connect you with relevant study groups and classmates
• Send important updates and notifications
• Ensure platform security and prevent abuse

3. Advertising and Third-Party Services

We use Google AdSense to serve advertisements on UniLink. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to display relevant ads based on your browsing activity.

3.1 Google AdSense

• Cookies: Google uses cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our website or other websites.
• Personalized Advertising: Google may use information about your visits to this and other websites to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.
• Third-Party Vendors: Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to your website or other websites.
• Data Sharing: Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to our site and/or other sites on the Internet.

3.2 Your Ad Choices

• Opt-out of Personalized Ads: You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings.
• Opt-out via Industry Tools: You can also opt out of third-party vendor use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ or www.aboutads.info/choices/.
• Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to control cookie settings, including blocking or deleting cookies.

3.3 Cookies Used by AdSense

Google AdSense may use the following cookies:

• __gads: Used for ad targeting and measurement
• __gac: Used for conversion tracking
• _ga: Used to distinguish unique users
• _gid: Used to distinguish users
• _gat: Used to throttle request rate

3.4 Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

• UniLink is intended for university students and does not knowingly collect data from children under 13.
• Google AdSense may serve ads differently for users under 13 (if applicable in your region).
• We have implemented Child Safety measures in compliance with applicable laws.

4. Data Security

We use reasonable security measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and access controls on our servers and database. No online service can guarantee complete security, so please use a strong, unique password and keep it private.

5. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and data
• Opt-out of non-essential communications
• Opt-out of targeted advertising (see Section 3.2 above)

6. Cookies and Your Choices

UniLink uses essential cookies to keep you signed in and the platform working, and Google AdSense uses cookies to show and measure ads. Where required by law, we ask for your consent before advertising cookies are used. You can manage your choices at any time:

• Cookie Settings link: Use the Cookie Settings link at the bottom of our pages to open your cookie choices, or to find the links for managing ad personalization.
• Google Ad Settings: Turn ad personalization off at adssettings.google.com.
• Browser settings: Block or delete cookies in your browser. Blocking essential cookies may stop parts of UniLink from working, such as staying logged in.

7. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions or concerns, contact us at:

Email: info@unilink.ac
Postal address: UniLink, P.O. Box 2172, Lilongwe, Malawi