Privacy Policy

1. What is MatricBase

MatricBase is a free Android app for South African Grade 12 (matric) learners, providing NSC past exam papers and memos, an APS calculator, university and bursary information, and study tools. MatricBase is developed and maintained by Siyanda Nonkala, trading as DSK Nexus ("we", "us", "our").

MatricBase is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Department of Basic Education, NSFAS, or any government entity. Past paper and curriculum information is sourced from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) — official source: education.gov.za.

This policy explains what information MatricBase collects — covering both the website (matricbase.co.za) and the Android app separately, since they collect different things — how it's used, and the choices you have.

2. Information the website collects

This section is about matricbase.co.za specifically — the app is covered in Section 3.

Cookies & analytics (Google Analytics)

matricbase.co.za uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website — which pages are viewed, how long people stay, and how they arrived at the site. Google Analytics sets cookies on your browser to distinguish you from other visitors across a session and between visits.

We use this only in aggregate to see which parts of the site are useful and where visitors drop off — we don't use it to identify or single out individual visitors. See Section 8 for how to opt out and for browser-level cookie controls.

3. Information the app collects

This section is about the MatricBase Android app specifically — the website is covered in Section 2. The app does not ask you to create an account, and we do not collect your name, email address, phone number, school, or any other directly identifying information. The table below lists everything the app sends off your device, and why.

4. MatricBase Assist

MatricBase Assist is a separate, paid service where our team helps you apply to universities, colleges, and bursaries — checking your documents and submitting applications on your behalf. It works differently from the rest of MatricBase: it requires an account, and we collect real contact and application details in order to deliver it. This section describes that separately from Sections 2 and 3.

This data is stored in the same Supabase database described in Section 3, in tables separate from the free app's anonymous analytics. Only our team can access it, to deliver and support the Assist service.

5. Information that stays on your device

The following is stored locally using your device's app storage (localStorage / IndexedDB) and is never transmitted to us or anyone else:

Because this data lives only on your device, we have no way to access, recover, or delete it on your behalf — clearing it is entirely in your control (see "Your choices" below). Uninstalling the app, or clearing the app's storage in Android settings, removes it permanently.

6. How we use this information

• To understand which subjects, papers, bursaries, and features are most used, so we can prioritise fixes and new content.
• To see which bursaries and university programmes learners are most interested in, so we can keep the most relevant ones up to date.
• To diagnose and fix bugs (for example, broken paper links) without needing to update the app on the Play Store.

We do not use this information to build advertising profiles, and we do not use it to identify or contact individual users — the device ID is not linked to any name, email, or account.

7. Third-party services

Google Analytics

The website (matricbase.co.za) uses Google Analytics to measure site traffic and usage, as described in Section 2. Google processes this data under its own privacy policy; see Google's Privacy Policy and how Google uses data from sites that use its services. This is separate from the app's own analytics, which uses Supabase, not Google Analytics.

Supabase

We use Supabase, an open-source backend platform, to store paper metadata (subject, year, download links), the anonymous analytics described above, and — for MatricBase Assist users — accounts, orders, and application data described in Section 4. Supabase processes this data on our behalf and does not independently use it for its own purposes. See Supabase's privacy policy for details on their infrastructure.

Google Sign-In (MatricBase Assist)

If you choose “Continue with Google” when signing in to MatricBase Assist, you are taken to Google to sign in, and Google sees that you are signing in to MatricBase. Google’s handling of your account is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. Once you return to MatricBase, the sign-in is completed through Supabase Auth (see above), which receives your email address and basic profile details from Google to create or match your account. If you already have a MatricBase Assist account with the same email address, Google sign-in is linked to that account rather than creating a second one. You can always use email and password instead.

Yoco

If you pay for a MatricBase Assist package, your payment is processed by Yoco. Yoco receives the details needed to process your payment (including your email address and payment method details); we do not receive or store your full card number. Yoco processes this data under its own privacy policy, linked above.

Google Play

MatricBase is distributed via Google Play. Google may collect certain technical data (such as install and crash data) as part of operating the Play Store and Android platform, governed by Google's Privacy Policy — this is separate from, and outside the control of, MatricBase.

Google Fonts

The app and this website load their typefaces from Google Fonts, which may log standard request data (such as IP address) as part of serving the font files.

cdnjs (Cloudflare)

The app loads the PDF.js library, used to display exam papers, from cdnjs.cloudflare.com, which may log standard request data (such as IP address) as part of serving the file.

MatricBase does not contain advertising and does not integrate any ad networks, social media SDKs, crash-reporting SDKs, or third-party tracking/analytics SDKs beyond what's described above.

8. Your choices and controls

• Website analytics opt-out: You can block Google Analytics on matricbase.co.za using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by blocking cookies for this site in your browser settings.
• App analytics opt-out: You can turn off anonymous usage analytics at any time from Settings → My data & permissions inside the app.
• Clear local data: The same screen lets you clear your saved papers, downloaded PDFs, and progress history independently, or clear all app data via Android's app settings.
• Uninstall: Uninstalling MatricBase removes all locally stored data from your device.
• Reset your device ID: Clearing app data (Android Settings → Apps → MatricBase → Storage → Clear storage) generates a new, unlinked anonymous device ID the next time analytics data is sent.

9. Data deletion

The free MatricBase app has no accounts, so we can't verify who a given device ID belongs to and can't offer a traditional "delete my account" flow. If you'd like the analytics rows tied to your device ID removed from our database, you have two options:

1. Alternatively, before clearing app data, go to Settings → My data & permissions and note your device ID.
2. Email us at matricbaseapp@gmail.com with that ID and a deletion request.
3. We'll delete matching rows from our database. This doesn't affect anything stored locally on your device — clear that separately as described in Section 8.

We retain anonymous analytics data (device ID, click/view events) for up to 12 months from collection, after which it is deleted or aggregated into figures that no longer reference an individual device ID.

MatricBase Assist accounts are different — because you do have an account, you can request deletion of your account, uploaded documents, and application records by emailing matricbaseapp@gmail.com from the email address on the account. We'll process the request within 30 days, except where we're required to keep records of a completed transaction (e.g. for tax, accounting, or dispute purposes) for longer under applicable law.

10. Children's privacy

MatricBase is built for Grade 12 learners, many of whom are minors. The free MatricBase app does not require an account, does not knowingly collect names, contact details, or other directly identifying information from any user regardless of age, and the analytics it collects is tied only to an anonymous, non-identifying device ID.

MatricBase Assist is different: because it requires submitting real identifying documents (ID, results) to apply to institutions and bursaries on your behalf, if you are under 18 you should only use it with your parent or guardian's knowledge and involvement — see Section 2 of our Terms of Use. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with information you did not consent to, contact us using the details below and we will investigate and, where appropriate, remove it.

11. Data security and retention

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the limited data we collect, including transmitting it over encrypted (HTTPS) connections to Supabase. See Section 9 for how long analytics data is retained. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as MatricBase changes — for example, if we add a new feature that collects different information. If we make material changes, we'll update the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to check back periodically.