TALAS — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 17 October 2026 · Version 1.6 · Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173)
This policy covers the TALAS reviewer apps by TALAS by ZerAcademy: currently TALAS Plumbing (on Google Play as “TALAS: Master Plumber Reviewer”). It applies the same way to every TALAS app. It explains what the apps collect, why, where it is kept, and the choices you have. We handle personal information in line with the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173).
Who we are
TALAS by ZerAcademy is operated by ZerAcademy Educational Consultancy Services, Vinzons, Camarines Norte, Philippines. Data Protection Officer: privacy@zeracademy.com.
1. What stays on your device
Your profile (name, target exam date, daily pace and reminder time) and your study progress (answers, accuracy, streak, Error Mastery, flagged questions and mock results) are stored on your device. Without an account, nothing about your study leaves your device except the usage data in section 3.
2. If you sign in (optional)
Signing in is optional. If you sign in with Google, we receive your Google account name and email address; if you sign in with your mobile number, we receive that number (Google Firebase texts you a one-time code to confirm it). The app then saves a copy of your profile and study progress to our cloud database so you can restore it on another device. One TALAS account works across all TALAS apps, with each exam’s progress kept separately. The database is Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore), hosted in Singapore. Only your signed-in account can read or change your saved progress. We never see your Google password or your SMS code.
While you are signed in, the app also saves a push-message ID for your phone, so we can send Saturday Board reminders and results. You can turn TALAS notifications off in your phone’s settings; signing out removes the ID from your account.
3. Usage data (analytics)
To improve the apps and the question banks, the app sends usage data to Google Analytics for Firebase: which screens and features are used, and for each answer the question ID, the option chosen and whether it was correct. This helps us find questions that are unclear or wrongly keyed. Usage data is linked to a random app ID, not to your name or email, and never includes question text, your location, contacts or the advertising ID. If the app crashes, it also sends a crash report (Firebase Crashlytics): the error, the app version and the phone model, never your name or email. You can turn off both usage data and crash reports at any time in the app: Settings → Share usage data.
To protect the service from abuse, Google Play checks that requests to our database come from a genuine TALAS app (Firebase App Check). This check sends no personal data to us.
4. What we don’t collect
• No password (sign-in is handled by Google).
• No precise location.
• No contact list, photos or files.
• No advertising ID, and no ads.
5. Payments
Purchases are handled by Google Play. When you buy, Google Play tells us the order number, the product, the time and whether it was a test purchase; we check it with Google Play and save that record to your account, so your purchases follow you to a new phone. To tie a purchase to your account, the app sends Google Play a scrambled code made from your account ID, never your name or email. Card numbers, CVV and e-wallet PINs are never sent to or stored by us.
Purchase records are kept for as long as the law requires us to keep sales records (for tax), even if you delete your account.
6. Study reminder
If you turn on the daily study reminder, the app schedules a notification on your phone at the time you choose. It is not sent through any server and transmits no data.
7. Public lists
Features such as weekly rankings will never show your name publicly unless you choose to allow it.
8. Who processes your data
We use Google services to run TALAS: Google Firebase (sign-in, database, analytics, crash reports, push messages and App Check) and Google Play (payments). They process data on our behalf. We do not sell your personal information or share it with advertisers.
9. How long we keep data
Your saved progress is kept while your account exists, until you delete it. Usage data is kept for up to 14 months and then deleted automatically. Purchase records are kept as section 5 describes.
10. Your rights under RA 10173
You have the right to be informed, to access, correct and delete your personal data, to object to its processing, and to data portability. You can act on most of these in the app:
• Turn off usage data: Settings → Share usage data.
• Delete your account and saved progress online: Settings → Delete my online data (when signed in). See also our account deletion page: https://sites.google.com/view/talas-zeracademy/delete-account
• Remove your data from your phone: Profile → Sign out, or Reset app data, or uninstall the app.
For any other request, or to reach our Data Protection Officer, email privacy@zeracademy.com. You may also file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (privacy.gov.ph).
11. Children
TALAS is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors.
12. Changes
We will show important changes to this policy in the app before they take effect, and update the date above.