Privacy Policy | Hikmah Academy

Hikmah Academy ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who visits our website or enrols in one of our programmes. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and what rights you have in relation to your personal data. It applies to all users of our website at hikmahac and to programme participants.

We operate in accordance with Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA). If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at privacy@hikmahac.

1. What Personal Data We Collect

We collect only what is necessary for the purposes described below. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

Contact information: your name, email address, and phone number — provided when you submit an enquiry form or register for a programme.
Programme enrolment details: which programme you have registered for, your preferred session format, and any accessibility requirements you share with us.
Financial overview information: where voluntarily shared during consultations, a general description of your household debt situation. We do not require specific account numbers or passwords.
Website usage data: technical information such as IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on pages — collected through analytics cookies where consent is given.

2. How We Collect Data

Website enquiry forms: when you send us a message through our contact form.
Direct communication: by phone, email, or in-person when you engage with us about a programme.
Programme registration: when you complete an enrolment process.
Cookies: with your consent, through analytics and preference cookies. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

Under PDPA 2010, we process your personal data on the following grounds:

Consent: for analytics cookies and marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
Contractual necessity: to deliver the programme you have enrolled in and provide the support included.
Legitimate interest: to respond to your enquiries, improve our services, and maintain accurate administrative records.

4. How We Use Your Data

To respond to your enquiries about our programmes.
To process and manage your programme enrolment.
To communicate relevant programme information, schedules, and materials.
To conduct counsellor consultations where included in your programme.
To improve our website and course content based on aggregated usage data.
To comply with applicable Malaysian law and regulatory requirements.

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling. We do not use your data to market third-party financial products.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

Partnered credit counsellors: your name and general context are shared with the licensed counsellor conducting your included consultation. This is done with your awareness at the time of enrolment. Counsellors operate under their own professional confidentiality obligations.
Service providers: we use third-party services for website hosting and analytics (such as Google Analytics where consent is given). These providers are required to protect your data and may not use it for their own purposes.
Legal requirements: we may disclose data if required to do so by law or regulatory authority in Malaysia.

6. Data Retention

Enquiry data: retained for up to 12 months after your last contact, unless you have enrolled in a programme.
Programme enrolment records: retained for 5 years after your programme completion date for administrative and legal purposes.
Consultation notes: retained for 3 years, held securely and accessible only to relevant programme staff.
Analytics data: aggregated and anonymised; individual data retained for up to 26 months as per our analytics provider's settings.

7. Data Protection Measures

All data is stored on password-protected, access-controlled systems.
Website data is transmitted over HTTPS encryption.
Access to personal data is restricted to staff with a direct programme or administrative need.
Consultation notes are stored separately from general enquiry records.
In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected individuals and report to the relevant authority as required under Malaysian law.

8. Cookies

We use cookies to improve website functionality and, with your consent, to analyse website usage. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time. For full information on the cookies we use and how to control them, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. Your Rights Under PDPA 2010

Under Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010, you have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Withdraw consent for processing where consent is the basis.
Limit processing to storage only in certain circumstances.
Request erasure of your data, where no legal obligation requires us to retain it.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us in writing at privacy@hikmahac. We will respond within 21 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external resources, such as government agencies (AKPK, Bank Negara Malaysia) or other educational content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their policies directly.

11. Children's Privacy

Our programmes are designed for adults aged 40 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to remove it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of our website or programmes after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact

For privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, please contact:

Email: privacy@hikmahac
Phone: +60 18-624 9073
Address: Hikmah Academy, Jalan Bendahara 54, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia