Privacy Policy
Last updated October 28, 2026
The African Institute of Future Technologies (AIFT) is run by African Institute of Future Technologies, LLC, 440 Louisiana, Suite 952, Houston, TX 77002, United States. This page explains what we collect, why, who helps us handle it, where it is stored, and how you stay in control.
What we collect
When you join our waitlist:
- Your name and email address.
- Your WhatsApp number, only if you choose to give it.
- What you want to build, only if you choose to tell us.
- Whether you ticked the boxes for the Moonshots for Africa summaries and for news about AIFT cohorts and courses.
- Your confirmation that you are 18 or older, the date and time you signed up, and which version of this notice you saw.
Your name, your email and the 18 or older box are required. Without them we cannot add you to the waitlist or send you the masterclass link. Everything else is your choice.
If you signed up on our earlier form, we also hold your WhatsApp number, your business type or role, and why you are interested in AIFT, if you gave them.
When you ask Professor Ada a question, we send what you type to Google so it can find matching Moonshots. We do not save it. Google may keep it for a time, and under its terms may use it to improve its products. Please do not type private details into Ada.
Like any website, our host (Vercel) and our font provider (Google) receive your IP address and browser details when you visit. We do not use cookies or analytics.
Why we collect it
- To send you the masterclass link you asked for.
- To send you news about AIFT cohorts and courses, only if you ticked that box.
- To send you the Moonshots for Africa summaries, only if you ticked that box.
- To plan cohorts around what our future Builders want to build.
We do not sell your details, and we do not share them with anyone for their own marketing.
Learning with Professor Ada on WhatsApp
When you message Professor Ada on WhatsApp and reply YES to start, we save:
- Your WhatsApp number.
- What you tell Ada about your business, what you are building and what you are selling.
- Your progress: which lessons and steps you finished, and the dates.
- Our last few messages, so Ada remembers where you left off.
- If you say yes to reminders, your answer and the date. We use your number, your last lesson and the date you last wrote to send you at most two reminders about your course on WhatsApp. Reply STOP to turn them off.
- The date you agreed, and which version of this notice you saw.
- If you finish a course: the name you want on your certificate, the course, the date, and the certificate code.
We use these only to teach you, to pick up where you left off, to give you your certificate when you finish, and to see, in total, how our courses are working. Ada is for people aged 18 or older. If you do not reply YES, we do not save your details and Ada cannot teach you. You can say yes in any South African language.
Certificate check. If you agree, anyone with your certificate code can check it on theaift.com. The check shows only your name, the course and the date. We never show your number or your messages, and there is no public list of names. You can turn the check off at any time.
Who sees it. Our founder and our program manager can see your progress. Your messages are read only to help you, to check that Ada is giving safe answers, or if you ask us. We never sell your details.
Who helps us. Meta (WhatsApp) carries the messages. Anthropic runs the AI that writes Ada's replies; it may not use your messages to train its models. Supabase stores your record. Vercel runs Ada. Google reads your first message about your business to suggest where to start. All of them store data in the United States or other countries outside Africa.
How long. We delete our messages 12 months after you last write to Ada, and the rest of your record 24 months after you last write, unless you finished a course. We keep a record of every certificate we issue, even if you ask us to delete your other details. If you do, we remove your number, business details and messages, and turn off the public check. We may keep counts and totals that no longer identify you.
To see, fix or delete your Ada details, email our Information Officer (below).
Who helps us handle it
- Vercel runs this website and passes your sign-up to our list.
- Google stores the waitlist in Google Sheets, serves the website's font, and powers the matching behind the Ada preview.
- Tally holds sign-ups from our earlier waitlist form.
- Brevo will send our emails once they start.
- Meta (WhatsApp) carries your messages with Professor Ada.
- Anthropic runs the AI that writes Ada's replies.
- Supabase stores your Ada record.
These companies handle your details on our behalf, under each company's own security and data protection terms.
Where your details are stored
AIFT's company is in the United States, and these companies store data in the United States and other countries. The United States does not have one national privacy law like South Africa's POPIA or Zimbabwe's Cyber and Data Protection Act. Your details are protected by each company's own security and data protection terms, and by this policy. By joining the waitlist, or by replying YES to Professor Ada, you agree to your details being stored in the United States.
How long we keep it
We keep your details while you are on the waitlist or in a cohort. If you have not joined a cohort, we delete them 24 months after we last heard from you.
If you unsubscribe or ask us to stop, we stop contacting you as soon as we can, and within 10 days. We keep only your email address on a do-not-contact list, so we never contact you again by mistake. If you ask us to delete your details, we delete everything else.
Your choices
All of these are free:
- Unsubscribe from any email using the link in it, or reply STOP on WhatsApp.
- Ask us what we hold about you.
- Ask us to correct it.
- Object to how we use your details.
- Withdraw your consent, or ask us to delete your details.
Email our Information Officer (below). We aim to reply within 30 days.
Age
The waitlist is for people aged 18 or older. If we learn that someone younger has signed up, we delete their details.
Information Officer
Terrence Okeke Taylor, Founder and Information Officer
terrence@theaift.com
African Institute of Future Technologies, LLC, 440 Louisiana, Suite 952, Houston, TX 77002, United States
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we handle your details, please tell us first. You can also complain to a regulator:
- South Africa: the Information Regulator, POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za, 010 023 5200, Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191.
- Zimbabwe: the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), the Data Protection Authority, at potraz.gov.zw.
Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. If a change affects how we use your details, we will email you first.