Privacy and security

How your information is handled

EAL Connect connects English learners with volunteer conversation partners through local organizations. This page says plainly what is collected, who can see it, and what you should and should not put in.

In an emergency

This service is not an emergency service and is not watched around the clock. If you or someone else is in danger, call your local emergency number first.

What is collected

Name, email, optional phone number, languages, English level, goals, availability, preferences, and the messages, session notes and feedback you write here. Learners and volunteers do not create passwords: each person gets a private link.

Who can see it

Coordinators of your organization. They see your profile, messages and sessions.
Coordinators of another organization, if you are matched with someone from there. They can see that one match (the two people's names, the messages, sessions and hours) so that both organizations can keep you safe. They cannot browse each other's wider lists of people.
Your partner. They see your first name and last initial, and the messages you send. They never see your email or phone number.
The platform administrators (CGF and Parity). They see only combined, anonymous statistics across all organizations, with no names, messages or feedback.
Confidential feedback. It goes to coordinators only. Your partner never sees it.

What you should not share

Never put passwords, ID or passport numbers, bank or card details, or immigration papers into messages or forms. Messages are automatically screened for phone numbers, emails, links, money requests and pressure to move off the platform; flagged messages are shown to coordinators, and the most serious ones are held back until a coordinator reviews them.

Safety alerts

If someone reports feeling unsafe, or a message is held for safeguarding review, the coordinators of the organizations involved are alerted straight away. Alerts contain no names or message text, only that something needs attention and a link that requires signing in.

How it is protected

All traffic is encrypted (HTTPS). Coordinator passwords are stored only as salted hashes.
Sign-in and sign-up attempts are rate-limited to slow down password guessing.
Private links are long random codes. Anyone who has your link can open your page, so keep it to yourself, and tell your coordinator if it is shared by mistake so they can reissue it.
Pages are hidden from search engines and send no referrer information.
The data is held in a managed database with access limited to the service.

Your rights

You can ask your organization to show you, correct or delete what it holds about you, or to stop matching you. Contact the coordinator named on your sign-up form.

For coordinators

Your organization is responsible for the personal data it collects (for example under GDPR/UK GDPR). Use a strong, unique password, do not share your account, only collect what you need, and report any suspected breach to the people affected and to the platform administrator promptly. Do not paste participants' details into other tools or chats.