MichiEdu Privacy Notice
For families and students
1. Who we are
株式会社エスハチ, trading as MichiEdu, is responsible for the personal information described in this notice.
Address: 東京都中央区勝どき四丁目6番2-4509号 (4-6-2-4509 Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan) Contact for privacy questions: support@michiedu.com
2. Information we collect
About the student
- · Name, age, and date of birth
- · School and year group
- · Subjects being studied and whether at Standard or Higher Level
- · Availability and time zone
- · Goals, interests, and academic priorities, where provided
- · Confidence ratings for each subject, where provided
- · Session summaries, progress notes, and homework set
- · Session recordings and transcripts
- · Messages sent through the platform
- · Attendance and booking history
About you
- · Name and contact details
- · Relationship to the student
- · Payment records and billing history
- · Correspondence with us
Collected automatically
- · Device and browser information
- · IP address
- · How you use the platform
3. Why we use this information
| Purpose | What this involves |
|---|---|
| Matching | Selecting a tutor suited to the student’s subjects, level, schedule, and preferences |
| Delivering sessions | Running, recording, and transcribing sessions |
| Reporting to you | Sending session summaries and monthly progress reports |
| Billing | Issuing invoices, taking payment, and keeping the records tax law requires |
| Quality | Reviewing teaching quality and investigating complaints |
| Safety | Keeping students safe and investigating safeguarding concerns |
| Improving our service | Developing and improving our platform, including AI systems that support tutoring and academic guidance |
We do not sell personal information. We do not use it for any purpose other than those listed above.
4. Sensitive information
If you tell us about a health condition, disability, or learning need, Japanese law treats this as sensitive personal information (要配慮個人情報).
We collect it only with your explicit consent, and only where it helps us support the student. We share with tutors only what they need in order to teach effectively. We do not share diagnoses or medical detail.
5. Who we share information with
Tutors
Tutors see the student’s name, year group, subjects and levels, goals, availability, and previous session summaries. Tutors do not see your payment details or contact details.
Service providers
We use other companies to operate the service. They process information on our behalf and under our instructions:
| Provider type | What they handle |
|---|---|
| Hosting and database | Platform and stored data |
| Payment processing | Card payments and invoicing |
| Email delivery | Notifications and reports |
| Video sessions | Live session delivery |
| Transcription and AI | Session transcripts and summaries |
We keep a register of these providers and supervise them as required by the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (個人情報保護法).
Others
We share information with tax authorities and other public bodies where the law requires it.
6. Information sent outside Japan
Some of our tutors are located outside Japan. If the student is matched with a tutor outside Japan, their information is shared with that tutor in that country.
Some of our service providers also store information outside Japan.
We ask for your separate consent before sending information outside Japan, and we tell you which countries are involved at the time.
You may ask to be matched only with tutors located in Japan. This will reduce the number of tutors available to the student.
7. Session recordings and transcripts
Sessions on MichiEdu are recorded and transcribed. We do this to keep students safe, to check teaching quality, to resolve disagreements about what happened in a session, and to improve our service including the AI systems that support tutoring and academic guidance.
Only named members of the MichiEdu team can access recordings and transcripts.
We ask for your separate consent to recording. You may ask us to delete a specific recording at any time.
8. Students under 18
Where the student is under 18, their parent or legal guardian gives consent on their behalf and holds the account.
The student may be given a login to join sessions and view their schedule. We collect only what is necessary to deliver tutoring.
9. How long we keep information
| Information | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Account details | 3 years after the account is closed |
| Session summaries and progress records | 5 years |
| Session transcripts | 5 years |
| Session video recordings, where made | 90 days, unless retained for an open investigation |
| Messages | 3 years |
| Payment and invoice records | 10 years, as required by Japanese tax law |
Tax and accounting law requires us to keep some records longer than we need them operationally. Where that applies, we keep them only for that purpose.
10. Keeping information secure
We restrict access to personal information to those who need it. We require multi-factor authentication for staff accounts, encrypt information in transit, and keep records of who accesses what.
If a breach occurs that is reportable under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (個人情報保護法), we will report it to the Personal Information Protection Commission and notify affected individuals as the law requires.
11. Your rights
You may:
- · Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold
- · Ask us to correct information that is wrong
- · Ask us to stop using the information
- · Ask us to delete the information
- · Ask us to stop sharing it with third parties
- · Withdraw a consent you previously gave
To make any of these requests, contact support@michiedu.com. We will respond within a reasonable period.
You can also see which documents you have accepted, and which version, in your account settings.
12. Changes to this notice
If we change this notice materially, we will tell you before the change takes effect and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent again.
13. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, contact us first at support@michiedu.com.
You may also contact the Personal Information Protection Commission (個人情報保護委員会).
This notice is published in Japanese, English, and Chinese. In the event of any inconsistency, the Japanese version governs.