Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026  ·  carbonstrata.org

This Privacy Policy explains how CarbonStrata collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our website and services.

What This Policy Covers

A quick summary before the full details below.

🔒

Data We Collect

We collect only what’s necessary — your name, email, and enquiry details when you contact us or register.

📧

How We Use It

We use your data to respond to enquiries, manage course enrollments, and send relevant updates you’ve opted into.

🛡️

How We Protect It

Your data is stored securely and never sold to third parties. We use industry-standard security practices.

Section 01

Who We Are

CarbonStrata (carbonstrata.org) is an e-learning platform specializing in applied subsurface engineering education. Our courses cover petroleum engineering, geothermal systems, and carbon capture & storage.

For privacy-related enquiries, please contact us at: support@carbonstrata.org

Section 02

Information We Collect

We collect personal information only when you voluntarily provide it to us. This includes:

  • Registration information: First name, last name, username, and email address when you create a student account.
  • Contact form submissions: Name, email address, enquiry type, and message content.
  • Course enrollment data: Payment information (processed securely through PayPal — we do not store card details), course progress, and completion records.
  • Comments: If you leave comments on articles, we collect the data shown in the comment form, your IP address, and browser user agent string.
  • Automatic data: Standard server logs including IP addresses, browser type, referring pages, and access times for security and performance monitoring.

Section 03

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To create and manage your student account
  • To process course enrollments and payments
  • To respond to your enquiries and support requests
  • To send course-related notifications and updates you have opted into
  • To improve our website content and user experience
  • To detect and prevent fraud, spam, and security threats
  • To comply with legal obligations

Section 04

Cookies

CarbonStrata uses cookies to enhance your experience on our website. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

We use the following types of cookies:

  • Essential cookies: Required for login sessions and basic site functionality. These cannot be disabled.
  • Preference cookies: Remember your settings and display choices. These last up to one year.
  • Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site (aggregated, anonymous data).

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality, including the ability to stay logged in.

Section 05

Embedded Content & Third-Party Services

Our website may include embedded content such as videos, images, or course materials. Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you have visited those websites directly and may collect data, use cookies, or track your interaction.

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

  • PayPal: Payment processing for course purchases. Governed by PayPal’s Privacy Policy.
  • Gravatar: If you leave comments, an anonymized hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar to display your profile picture.
  • Brevo (Sendinblue): Used to send transactional emails such as registration confirmations and enquiry responses.
  • Google Fonts / CDN services: May log your IP address when loading fonts or assets.

Section 06

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

  • Account data: Retained for the duration of your account and up to 2 years after account closure.
  • Course records: Retained indefinitely to provide proof of completion on request.
  • Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 12 months.
  • Comment data: Retained indefinitely to maintain context for approved comments.
  • Payment records: Retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance.

Section 07

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal retention requirements).
  • Portability: Request your data in a portable format.
  • Objection: Object to processing of your data for marketing purposes.
  • Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@carbonstrata.org. We will respond within 30 days.

Section 08

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

  • SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
  • Secure password hashing — we never store passwords in plain text
  • Regular security scanning via Wordfence
  • Two-factor authentication for administrative access
  • Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis

While we take security seriously, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

Section 09

Children's Privacy

CarbonStrata is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Section 10

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of CarbonStrata after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Questions?

Contact Our Privacy Team

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please reach out to us directly. We’re committed to transparency and will respond within 30 business days.

Email Us: support@carbonstrata.org

This policy was last reviewed and updated in July 2026. CarbonStrata is committed to protecting your privacy.