Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data is collected when you visit zoelanguage.com, sign up for one of our free resources or join our mailing list, why it is collected, and what you can do about it.

Who we are

zoelanguage.com is run by The Language Mind Limited, Unit 101A, 56 Hoi Yuen Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong ("we", "us"). We are responsible for the personal data described in this policy. For any question about your data, write to community@zoelanguage.com.

What we collect, and why

When you sign up for something

Each form on the site asks only for what it needs:

• Newsletter: your email address.
• Free guide: your name, your email address, the language you are learning and your main reason for learning it.
• Mandarin roadmap: your first name, your email address and the language you are learning.
• Masterclass registration (when a masterclass is open): your first name, your email address and the difficulty you most want help with.

We use this to send you what you asked for, our newsletter and emails about learning languages, and, from time to time, information about our programs, including The Language Mind. Our email platform also records whether you open our emails and click their links, so we can see which content is useful.

We rely on your consent, given when you submit the form. You can unsubscribe at any time with the link at the bottom of every email.

When you browse the site

• Hosting: our host, Netlify, records technical data such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested, to deliver the site and keep it secure. This relies on our legitimate interest in running a working, secure website.
• Analytics, only if you allow it: if you click "Allow" in the cookie banner, we use Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics to understand how the site is used: pages visited, where visitors come from, clicks, scrolling, mouse movements, device and browser type, and approximate location. Clarity also builds heatmaps and session replays, and masks what you type into forms. Google Analytics' advertising features are turned off. Nothing is loaded from Microsoft or Google for analytics until you click "Allow". This relies on your consent.

Cookies and similar technologies

• Your cookie choice is saved in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie, so the banner does not come back on every page. It stays until you clear your browser data.
• Clarity cookies, set only after you click "Allow": _clck keeps an anonymous visitor ID for up to one year, and _clsk groups the pages you view into one visit for one day. When Clarity loads, Microsoft may also set its own cookies on its domains (clarity.ms, bing.com).
• Google Analytics cookies, set only after you click "Allow": _ga and _ga_PEVNWNKT7Y tell visits apart and keep an anonymous visitor ID, for up to two years.

You can change your choice at any time with the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page. Choosing "Deny" after "Allow" deletes the analytics cookies on this site.

Embedded content and fonts

• Videos: some pages show videos hosted by Wistia or YouTube. When a video player loads, its provider receives your IP address and may collect viewing data under its own privacy policy. The video on our story page uses YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode.
• Fonts: the site's fonts are loaded from Google Fonts, so Google receives your IP address.
• Links to other sites: the quiz (assessment.thelanguagemind.com, run on ScoreApp), The Language Mind (thelanguagemind.com), our community and checkout (Circle), WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and Bilibili have their own privacy policies, which apply once you are there.

Who handles your data for us

We use a few service providers, who process data on our behalf and only for the purposes above:

• ActiveCampaign: email list and emails.
• Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics: site analytics, only with your consent.
• Netlify: website hosting.
• Wistia and YouTube (Google): video players.
• Google Fonts: fonts.

We do not sell your personal data.

International transfers

Most of these providers are based in the United States, so your data may be processed outside your country. For data from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, these transfers rely on the safeguards the providers offer, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

How long we keep it

• Mailing list: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your data.
• Analytics: Clarity keeps session replays for about 30 days and other data for up to 13 months; Google Analytics keeps visit-level data for up to 14 months.
• Hosting logs: for a short period, set by Netlify.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you can ask to access, correct or delete your personal data, to receive a copy of it, to restrict its use, or to object to it, including to direct marketing. You can withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting what was done before. To use any of these rights, write to community@zoelanguage.com. We may need to confirm your identity before answering.

If you think your data has been mishandled, you can complain to your local data protection authority, or, in Hong Kong, to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.

Children

This site is not intended for children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your data, we will update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

The Language Mind Limited, Unit 101A, 56 Hoi Yuen Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong

Email: community@zoelanguage.com