Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AskCher ("we", "us", "our") is a Singapore-based tuition marketplace and, where expressly stated, a provider of AskCher-branded tuition services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal data when you use our website and services.

By using AskCher, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. This policy is governed by the laws of Singapore, including the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA).

This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Terms of Service.

2. Data We Collect

From Tutors: Name, email address, phone number, gender, profile photo, teaching subjects and levels, years of experience, highest qualification, teaching bio, and experience type. This information is provided by you during registration.

From Parents: Name, email address, and phone number. Parents do not sign up for an account; this information is provided when you submit a tuition request via our public request form.

When you submit a tuition request, we also collect your child's name, school, and preferred start date.

Automatically: We collect basic technical data such as your browser type, device information, and pages visited. We use session cookies to keep you logged in. We do not use tracking cookies or third-party analytics.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect to:

• Create and manage tutor accounts
• Show tutor profile snippets to administrators reviewing applications and to the parent matched with you
• Facilitate lesson bookings between parents and tutors
• Send email notifications (magic-link sign-ins, request acknowledgements)
• Generate PayNow receipts on request after a booking is paid
• Include the matched parent's and tutor's phone numbers in the match-confirmation email sent to each party so they can coordinate the booked lesson directly
• Provide and administer AskCher-provided tuition services, including direct lessons, classes, revision programmes, workshops, payment collection, attendance, rescheduling, receipts, and service communications
• Improve our services and resolve disputes

We do not use your data for marketing purposes. We will not send you promotional emails unless you explicitly opt in.

We will not use your personal data for any purpose other than those listed above without obtaining your prior consent.

4. Visibility of Tutor Profile Data

AskCher does not operate a public tutor browse page. Your tutor profile is shown to:

• AskCher administrators reviewing your applications
• The parent an administrator matches you with — the parent receives your name, profile photo, teaching bio, qualifications, experience type and years, and the application details (proposed rate, available timings) in the WhatsApp match confirmation an administrator sends them

Your email address is not shown to parents through the platform. Your phone number is only shared for confirmed bookings as described in Section 5.

5. Phone Number Sharing

When AskCher matches a parent and a tutor, we include the matched counterpart's phone number in the match-confirmation email each side receives. The parent's email shows the tutor's number; the tutor's email shows the parent's number. Both are rendered as tappable WhatsApp links so the matched pair can coordinate the booked lesson directly.

Phone numbers are only shared with the matched counterpart in this confirmation email. We do not share phone numbers with any other party, and we do not use them for marketing.

By posting a tuition request or signing up as a tutor, you consent to your phone number being shared with the matched counterpart in this manner. Misuse of contact information (e.g. unsolicited messages outside the booked lesson context) may result in account suspension - see Section 13 of our Terms & Conditions.

6. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate AskCher:

• Resend

  Sends transactional emails (magic-link sign-ins, request acknowledgements). Your email address is shared with Resend for this purpose only.

• Telegram

  Posts open tuition requests to the AskCher tutor channel so tutors can apply. The post contains the request details (subject, level, mode, days, time, budget, frequency) but does not contain the parent's name, email, phone, or the student's name or school.

• WhatsApp

  We use WhatsApp to coordinate tuition requests, match confirmations, payment instructions, phone-number sharing, cancellations, and support messages. Information shared over WhatsApp may include parent and tutor names, phone numbers, booking details, lesson details, payment references, and relevant coordination messages.

• Cloudflare R2

  Stores files that tutors upload to their AskCher profile (profile photos and academic credential documents such as PSLE, O-Level, A-Level, IP, polytechnic, or university certificates) and receipt PDFs that we generate after a parent pays the AskCher agency fee. Files are kept in a private bucket and are only retrievable through AskCher's own server-side routes; the bucket itself is not publicly accessible.

Payments are collected via PayNow with manual reconciliation by AskCher; no third-party payment processor is involved and no card or bank details are stored.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party for marketing or advertising purposes.

7. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Two of our third-party providers are based outside Singapore:

• Resend (transactional email) is a US-based company. Your email address and the contents of the emails we send you may be transferred to and processed on servers located outside Singapore.
• Cloudflare R2 (file storage) is operated by Cloudflare, Inc., a US-headquartered company with global infrastructure. Files you upload to AskCher (profile photo, academic credential documents) and receipts we generate may be stored on servers located outside Singapore.

These providers maintain data protection standards comparable to the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA). We take reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy when transferred overseas.

8. Children's Data

AskCher collects student names and school names from parents during enrolment. This data is collected from parents or guardians, not directly from children.

Children's data is used solely for lesson booking and coordination, and is not displayed publicly on the platform. For marketplace arrangements, student name and school may be shared with the matched tutor where necessary for lesson coordination. For AskCher-provided tuition services, student information may be used by AskCher and the assigned teacher to provide the service.

9. Data Storage and Security

Account, request, application, and booking data is stored in a database on a secure server hosted in Singapore. Files you upload to AskCher (profile photo, academic credential documents) and receipts we generate are stored on Cloudflare R2 in a private bucket; see Sections 6 and 7 for the cross-border implications.

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and a private R2 bucket that is not publicly accessible.

Passwords are not stored — we use email-based magic links for authentication. No password can be leaked because none exists.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security against unauthorised access.

10. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that may cause significant harm, we will notify the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and affected individuals as required by the PDPA.

11. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services.

Once you stop using AskCher, we may continue to retain your data to:

• Honour ongoing tuition engagements (active classes, scheduled lessons)
• Comply with Singapore tax and accounting obligations, including retaining payment, receipt, and transaction records where required (generally for at least 5 years where required by law)
• Enforce our Terms and Conditions
• Maintain identification records of tutors permanently banned for abandonment, fraud, or child-safety violations (Sections 9, 12 and 14 of the Terms) — including name, email, phone, and ban reason — for as long as reasonably necessary for platform safety, fraud prevention, legal, and ban-enforcement purposes, to prevent the same individual from signing up again under a new account

If you wish us to stop processing your personal data, contact us at hello@askchersg.com. We will assess your request in light of the obligations above and respond within a reasonable time. We may decline to act on the request while you have active classes, outstanding payment obligations, or unresolved disputes.

12. Your Rights

Under the PDPA, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data held by us
• Correct any inaccurate or incomplete data
• Withdraw consent for data collection (this may affect your ability to use our services and is subject to the retention obligations described in Section 11)

You can update your profile information at any time through your dashboard. For other requests, contact us at the email below.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) at www.pdpc.gov.sg.

13. Cookies

We use session cookies solely for authentication (keeping you logged in). These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be disabled. We do not use advertising, tracking, or third-party analytics cookies.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Your continued use of AskCher after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is Titan. If you have any questions about how we handle your personal data, you may contact the DPO at:

hello@askchersg.com

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us at:

hello@askchersg.com