Legal

Privacy notice

Certification requires identity data, so the Foundation states plainly what it collects, why, what becomes public, and how long it is kept.

What we collect

Account data: name, email address, country, and password credentials.
Identity verification: the result of a third-party identity check (pass/fail, method, date) and a provider reference. The Foundation does not intend to store images of government-issued identity documents itself.
Examination data: attempt dates, per-module scores, outcomes, and proctoring session records.
Credential data: certificate number, status, issue and expiry dates.
Communications: messages you send us and, if issued, mail handled through a ruofoundation.org address.
Technical data: server logs including IP address and user agent, retained for security purposes.

To verify that a credential belongs to a real, identified person.
To administer examinations and maintain the integrity of scoring.
To operate holder-controlled credential verification, where you generate and revoke private share links yourself.
To meet legal, audit, and safety-reporting obligations.

There is no public credential registry and no public lookup by certificate number. Nothing about your credential is published by the Foundation.
A private share link that you generate shows only: credential name and level, curriculum version, status, issue date, and recertification date, plus your name if you choose to include it.
Examination scores, attempt history, identity data, contact details, and payment records are never included in a share link and are never published.
You can revoke a share link at any time, after which it stops resolving.

Identity verification providers, examination proctoring providers, email and hosting providers, payment processors, and third-party sign-in providers where you choose to use them, for example Google OAuth - each limited to what their function requires.
We do not sell personal data, and we do not share member lists with sellers of research materials.
Disclosure to authorities only where legally required, or where there is a credible risk to life.

Credential and examination records: retained for the life of the credential plus seven years, so a historical certificate can be verified.
Identity verification results: retained for the life of the credential; provider-held documents are subject to the provider's own retention schedule.
Proctoring recordings: retained no longer than needed to resolve integrity disputes.
Server logs: retained for a short security window and then deleted.

Access, correction, deletion, portability, and objection, subject to the recordkeeping obligations that make a credential meaningful.
Deleting a credential record ends the credential; it cannot be verified afterwards.
Requests are handled through the contact page and answered within 30 days.

Encryption in transit and at rest, least-privilege access to member records, audit logging of administrative access, and a documented breach-notification process.

Certification is not offered to anyone under 18, and accounts are not knowingly created for minors.

Material changes will be posted here with a revision date and, once accounts exist, emailed to members.