Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 2025

Thank you for visiting our website. This Privacy Policy explains how SHO HIRANO collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your personal information when you visit our site, purchase courses, or otherwise interact with our services. By accessing or using our website, you agree to the terms of this policy.

1. Introduction

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in a safe and responsible manner. This policy describes:

  • The types of information we collect

  • How we use and share that information

  • Your rights regarding your information

  • The security measures we take

  • How to contact us if you have questions or concerns

Our goal is to be transparent about our data practices so you can make informed decisions when using our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you register for an account, enroll in a course, fill out a contact form, or make a purchase, we collect the personal data you supply, including:

  • Name (first and last)

  • Email address

  • Postal address (street address, city, prefecture, zip/postal code, country)

  • Phone number

  • Payment information (processed securely via Stripe or PayPal; we never store your full credit card number on our servers)

  • Account credentials (username and password)

  • Profile details you choose to share (e.g., company name, job title)

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and other tracking technologies, such as:

  • IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Operating system

  • Device type (desktop, tablet, mobile)

  • Pages visited and time spent on each page

  • Referring URL (the site you visited prior to ours)

  • Clickstream data (e.g., links clicked, buttons pressed)

  • Analytics data collected via Google Analytics or similar services

This data is gathered to help us understand how visitors use our site, diagnose technical issues, and improve our content and user experience.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  1. Site Operation and Maintenance

    • To create and manage your account

    • To process course enrollments and payments

    • To respond to your inquiries and support requests

    • To prevent and detect fraud, abuse, and other prohibited activities

  2. Order Fulfillment and Course Delivery

    • To provide access to purchased courses

    • To send you order confirmations, receipts, and other transactional emails

  3. Communication and Marketing

    • To send you newsletters, course announcements, and promotional materials (only if you opt in)

    • To notify you of updates, changes to our services, or policy modifications

  4. Analytics and Performance

    • To monitor site usage and traffic patterns

    • To conduct A/B testing and optimize site layout, features, and content

  5. Legal and Compliance

    • To comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes

    • To enforce our Terms of Service and protect our rights

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

4.1 What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the site to recognize your browser and store certain information about your preferences or past actions.

4.2 How We Use Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

  • Essential functionality: Keeping you logged in, processing your shopping cart, and ensuring basic site features work correctly.

  • Analytics: Understanding how visitors navigate our site, which pages are most popular, and where improvements are needed. We use Google Analytics (or similar) to collect aggregate data.

  • Performance: Improving page load times, detecting and fixing errors, and optimizing overall performance.

  • Advertising and Remarketing (if applicable): If you have opted into marketing communications, we may use cookies to tailor our promotions to your interests.

4.3 Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can usually set your browser to:

  • Reject all cookies

  • Notify you when a cookie is being placed

  • Delete existing cookies

Please note that disabling or deleting cookies may degrade your experience on our site, as some features may not function properly.

5. Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your personal information in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers and Contractors

We engage trusted third parties to handle various aspects of our operations, such as:

  • Payment processors (Stripe, PayPal) to securely process your transactions

  • Email marketing platforms (MailerLite, ConvertKit) to send newsletters and automated course-related emails

  • Web hosting and technical support to maintain the website infrastructure

  • Analytics providers (Google Analytics) to gather and analyze usage data

These service providers are only permitted to use your information as necessary to perform their services on our behalf. We require them to maintain confidentiality and security of your data.

5.2 Legal Requirements and Protection of Rights

We may disclose your information if:

  • Required by law or legal process (e.g., a subpoena or court order)

  • To comply with a government investigation or regulatory inquiry

  • To enforce our Terms of Service, prevent or investigate fraud, or protect the rights, property, or safety of our company, our users, or others

5.3 Business Transfers

If we merge with or are acquired by another company, or if we sell a portion of our assets to a third party, your personal data may be transferred to the successor entity. We will notify you before this occurs and provide opportunities where required by law to opt out.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate measures to safeguard your personal information:

  • Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using SSL/TLS (HTTPS).

  • Secure Storage: Personal information and payment data are stored on secure servers with access controls, firewalls, and regular security audits. Payment details (full card numbers) are never stored on our servers—they are processed directly by Stripe or PayPal using their own secure infrastructure.

  • Access Controls: Only authorized personnel with a legitimate need may access your personal data. We enforce strict authentication and password policies.

  • Monitoring and Patching: We regularly update server software and applications to address security vulnerabilities.

  • Incident Response: In the unlikely event of a data breach, we have procedures in place to quickly identify, contain, and remediate the issue, including notifying affected individuals as required by applicable laws.

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

7.1 Access and Portability

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. If you ask, we will provide it in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

7.2 Correction

If any of your personal information is inaccurate or incomplete, you can request that we correct or update it.

7.3 Deletion

You may ask us to delete your personal data, subject to certain legal exceptions (for instance, if we need to retain data for tax or legal compliance).

7.4 Restriction of Processing

In some cases, you can request that we restrict how we process your information, for example, if you contest its accuracy or ask us to retain it for legal reasons.

7.5 Objection to Processing

If we rely on a legitimate interest to process your data (e.g., for marketing), you have the right to object. Upon receiving your request, we will suspend such processing unless we demonstrate a legitimate overriding interest.

7.6 Opt-Out of Marketing

If you no longer wish to receive promotional emails, you can click the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any marketing email or update your communication preferences in your account settings.

7.7 Cookie Preferences

You can manage or block cookies at any time through your web browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of our site.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 9 below. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable laws.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or improvements to our services. When we make material changes:

  1. We will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.

  2. We may provide you with additional notice (for example, via email or a banner on our website) if the changes are significant.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we handle your information. Your continued use of our website after any modifications indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to us:

Contact

We will make every effort to respond promptly and address your inquiries in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Thank you for taking the time to review our Privacy Policy. Your trust is important to us, and we are committed to protecting your personal information.

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