EduConnect respects the privacy rights of its users and is committed to protecting
personal data in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173).
This notice explains what personal data EduConnect collects, why the data is collected,
how the data is used, how long the data may be retained, the security measures applied
by the system, and the rights of student users and other authorized users.
Scope of this notice
This notice applies to the EduConnect system used for co-curricular and non-curricular
event attendance tracking, activity slip compliance management, announcements, and
related school-supported processes at Western Leyte College of Ormoc City, Inc. It
covers student account registration, student profile completion, attendance-related
data processing, activity slip workflows, announcements, and system accountability
logs generated through normal use of the platform.
Personal data collected
Depending on the features used, EduConnect may collect the following personal data
from student users and other authorized users:
- School email address
- Full name
- Student ID number
- Department affiliation
- Organization affiliation, if applicable
- Year level and section
- Contact number, if provided or required by the school workflow
- Account role and account status
- Device identifier used for trusted-device checks
- Attendance metadata, such as timestamp, GPS coordinates, attendance method, time-in, and time-out
- Activity slip records and related submission details
- Announcement read status and related interaction data
- Audit trail records showing significant actions performed in the system
EduConnect is designed to collect only data necessary for account management,
attendance verification, activity slip compliance, communication, security, and
accountability within the system.
Sensitive or higher-risk information
EduConnect does not upload student selfie images used for attendance verification
to the cloud database or to cloud storage. Selfie images and camera captures used
for attendance remain on the student device only, while the system synchronizes
only the metadata needed for attendance validation, such as timestamp, GPS
coordinates, device identifier, and attendance method.
Some information processed by the system may still require heightened protection
because it can reveal personal circumstances or location-related details, including:
- GPS location metadata during attendance capture
- Device identifiers used for device trust checking
- Uploaded activity slip evidence such as excuse letters, medical certificates, or similar supporting documents
- Audit records that identify actions performed by a specific user
Purpose of collection
EduConnect collects and processes personal data only for legitimate, specific, and
school-related purposes. These purposes include:
- Creating and managing user accounts
- Verifying that a user is an authorized student or other authorized system participant
- Enforcing role-based access control and department-scoped access
- Allowing students to complete and maintain their profiles
- Recording and validating attendance in school events
- Supporting time-in, time-out, periodic verification, and attendance compliance checks
- Generating and managing activity slips when attendance requirements are not met
- Sending event announcements, reminders, and related notifications
- Maintaining audit logs for accountability, review, and security monitoring
- Supporting reporting and operational review within the authorized scope of the system
EduConnect does not collect personal data for unrelated commercial profiling,
unnecessary surveillance, or purposes outside the system’s defined academic
and operational functions.
How data is used and processed
Personal data in EduConnect is processed through Firebase-based authentication,
cloud database storage, cloud functions, notifications, and related application
logic that support account access, attendance workflows, activity slips,
announcements, and reporting. Data entered during account creation and profile
setup is used to identify the user, assign the proper role, and enable the
appropriate features and access restrictions for that user.
Attendance-related metadata is processed to determine whether the user checked
in at the proper event, within the allowed time window, from the expected location,
and using the authorized device or attendance method when applicable. Activity slip
evidence may be processed by authorized personnel to review absences, lateness, or
other compliance-related concerns according to the school workflow implemented in
the system.
Audit logs are processed to record important actions such as account creation,
event management actions, verification actions, announcement publication, and
administrative overrides so that the system can support traceability and accountability.
Personal Information Controller
For the EduConnect capstone implementation and pilot use, the Personal Information
Controller is the EduConnect project owner or authorized implementing team in
coordination with the appropriate school authority, subject instructor, adviser,
or designated office responsible for the system rollout. For final deployment,
this section should be updated to reflect the official school office, department,
or authorized unit that exercises control over personal data processing in the system.
Data sharing and access control
EduConnect uses role-based access control and department-level data isolation so
that users can access only the information necessary for their role and authorized
scope. Students can access their own profile, attendance-related information,
activity slips, and relevant announcements, while authorized staff such as advisers,
deans, and department administrators may access only the records allowed by their
assigned role and department scope.
EduConnect is designed so that department-scoped records cannot be viewed, modified,
or exported by users outside their assigned department through properly configured
authentication claims, backend validation, and database security rules. Personal
data should not be disclosed to unauthorized persons, and any sharing must remain
consistent with legitimate academic, operational, legal, and security purposes
supported by the system.
Data retention
EduConnect retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the
legitimate academic, operational, security, audit, and verification purposes for
which it was collected, or as otherwise required by applicable law. The following
retention periods apply to different categories of personal data:
- Account and profile data — retained for the duration of active enrollment plus one (1) year after account deactivation or termination.
- Attendance metadata — retained for the academic year in which it was recorded plus one (1) additional year to allow for compliance review and dispute resolution.
- Activity slip records and uploaded evidence (such as excuse letters and medical certificates) — retained for two (2) years from the date of submission, consistent with standard academic record-keeping practices.
- Audit logs — retained for three (3) years, consistent with industry standards for security monitoring, accountability, and traceability records.
- Announcement interaction data — retained for one (1) year.
When data reaches the end of its applicable retention period, it is either
permanently deleted or archived in anonymized form so that it can no longer
be linked to a specific individual. Any data that is archived for statistical,
operational, or compliance review purposes will be anonymized prior to archival.
You may also request the deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting
the Data Protection Officer listed below. Verified deletion requests will be
fulfilled within fifteen (15) days from the date of receipt, subject to legal
obligations that may require certain data to be retained for a defined minimum
period. Data that must be retained for legal or audit purposes will be archived
in anonymized form until its applicable retention period expires.
Security measures
EduConnect applies privacy-aware and security-oriented controls to protect
personal data. These measures include the use of Firebase Authentication for
controlled account access, role-based access control, department-scoped
authorization, protected routes and screens, secure cloud database storage,
audit logging of significant actions, and system design rules that prevent
selfie images from being uploaded to the cloud as part of attendance processing.
Only the data required for the system’s attendance and operational workflows is
synchronized to the backend, while selfie photos used for attendance remain on
the user’s device. Users are also expected to help protect their own data by
maintaining the confidentiality of their credentials and by using only their
authorized account and device where required by the system.
Data subject rights
Subject to the conditions and limitations provided by applicable law, users
whose personal data is processed by EduConnect have the following rights:
- Right to be informed about how their personal data is collected and used
- Right to access their personal data and relevant information about processing
- Right to correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data
- Right to erasure or blocking, when legally and technically applicable
- Right to data portability, where applicable and feasible
EduConnect supports these rights by making relevant account and profile information
viewable to the user and by allowing users to update or correct their personal
information through profile-related functions, subject to system rules and school
workflow constraints. Requests that go beyond normal self-service updates may be
routed through the authorized project or school contact handling privacy-related
concerns.
Contact for privacy concerns
For questions, requests, or concerns related to privacy, data correction, data
deletion, account concerns, or the processing of personal data in EduConnect,
you may contact:
Mr. John Cael Montejo
Data Protection Officer – EduConnect Implementation
Western Leyte College of Ormoc City, Inc.
Email: johncael.montejo@wlcormoc.edu.ph
Changes to this notice
EduConnect may update this Data Privacy Notice when system features, school
policies, legal requirements, or data processing practices change. When updates
are made, the revised version should be reflected both in the downloadable document
and in the version displayed within the system so that the written policy remains
consistent with actual system behavior.