NORDIC WALKING ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA

Nordic Walking Academy — NWANA LMS

Privacy Policy

Document type: Site Policy — Mandatory Acceptance
Version: 2.1
Effective date: August 17, 2026

1. Introduction

The Nordic Walking Association of North America (“NWANA”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how NWANA collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal information in connection with the Nordic Walking Academy learning management platform (“Platform”).

NWANA handles personal information in accordance with applicable United States federal and state privacy laws. Additional requirements, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and educational-record privacy requirements, apply when the Platform, the user, or the relevant activity falls within their scope.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Depending on how you use the Platform, NWANA may collect:

• Registration information, including your name, email address, country, username, and other information required to create and administer your account;
• Profile information, including a biography, profile image, organization, professional interests, qualifications, licenses, or certifications;
• Course information, including enrollments, lesson completion, quiz responses, assignments, assessments, grades, practical submissions, feedback, and certificates;
• Payment and transaction information, including billing details, purchased courses, receipts, refunds, and transaction records;
• Communications sent to NWANA, including support requests, course questions, professional pathway requests, and other correspondence;
• Your choice regarding optional email updates and promotional communications from NWANA.

Complete payment-card information is processed by the applicable payment processor and is not stored directly by NWANA on the Platform.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access or use the Platform, certain information may be collected automatically, including:

• IP address, browser type, device information, and operating system;
• Login dates, access times, session information, and security logs;
• Pages, courses, lessons, and activities accessed;
• Course progress, completion status, and time associated with Platform activities;
• Cookies and similar technologies used for security, authentication, preferences, and Platform operation.

2.3 Educational and Certification Records

Course records, grades, assessments, practical submissions, certificates, and professional qualification records are accessible only to the participant and authorized NWANA personnel, except when disclosure is authorized by the participant, required for credential verification, or otherwise permitted or required by law.

To the extent that any educational-record privacy law applies to a particular NWANA program or record, NWANA will handle that information in accordance with the applicable requirements.

3. How We Use Your Information

NWANA may use personal information to:

• Create, maintain, authenticate, and secure Academy accounts;
• Provide courses, lessons, assessments, certificates, and requested educational services;
• Track course participation, progress, completion, and qualification requirements;
• Review eligibility for courses, professional pathways, certifications, and licenses;
• Process payments, issue receipts, and administer refunds when applicable;
• Respond to questions, support requests, and other communications;
• Operate, maintain, improve, and protect the Platform;
• Detect fraud, misuse, unauthorized access, and security threats;
• Maintain records required for credential verification, compliance, accounting, and organizational administration;
• Comply with applicable legal obligations and enforce NWANA policies.

3.1 Service and Marketing Communications

NWANA may send service-related communications necessary to create and maintain an Academy account, deliver purchased or requested courses, process payments, provide course access, communicate assessment and certification status, address security matters, respond to support requests, and notify users of material changes affecting their accounts or services.

Service-related communications are necessary for the operation of the Platform and are not dependent on consent to receive promotional communications.

During registration, users may separately choose whether they want to receive optional email updates and promotional communications from NWANA through the Email Updates from NWANA field. This option is not selected by default.

Users who choose “Yes” may receive NWANA news, educational opportunities, course announcements, professional pathway and license information, Nordic Walking Group opportunities, events and competitions, member benefits, fundraising and support opportunities, special offers, and other promotional communications from NWANA.

Marketing consent is optional and is not a condition of creating an Academy account, purchasing or completing a course, obtaining a requested service, or participating in an NWANA program.

Users may withdraw marketing consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in a promotional email, changing their communication preference in their Academy profile when that option is available, or contacting NWANA.

Withdrawal of marketing consent does not prevent NWANA from sending service-related communications necessary to administer the user’s account, courses, payments, assessments, certifications, security, or requested services.

NWANA may retain records of a recipient’s consent choice, the date and source of the consent, the wording or version of the consent request, and the date of any withdrawal or unsubscribe request when such information is available through the Platform or the applicable email service.

The Nordic Walking Academy is operated by the Nordic Walking Association of North America. Communications described in this section are sent by NWANA and do not constitute disclosure of personal information to an unrelated third party.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Where a legal basis for processing must be identified, NWANA relies on one or more of the following:

Contractual necessity	Creating accounts, processing purchases, delivering courses, and providing requested services.
Legitimate interests	Platform administration, security, fraud prevention, recordkeeping, service improvement, and protection of NWANA’s rights.
Consent	Optional marketing communications, optional profile information, and optional cookies where applicable.
Legal obligation	Compliance with applicable legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, and reporting requirements.

5. Sharing of Personal Information

NWANA does not sell personal information.

NWANA may share limited personal information with:

• Service providers supporting hosting, payment processing, email delivery, analytics, security, technical support, and Platform administration;
• Authorized NWANA personnel, instructors, assessors, and administrators who require access to perform assigned responsibilities;
• Credential verifiers when verification is requested or authorized, using only the information reasonably necessary to confirm the applicable credential;
• Government agencies, courts, law-enforcement authorities, or other parties when disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect legal rights, safety, or security;
• A successor organization in connection with a merger, reorganization, transfer, or similar organizational transaction, subject to applicable legal requirements.

Service providers may use personal information only as necessary to provide their contracted services and subject to their applicable legal and contractual responsibilities.

6. Data Retention

NWANA retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy and for applicable legal, accounting, security, certification, and recordkeeping requirements.

Account information	Generally retained for the duration of the account and for up to three years after account closure.
Certification and qualification records	Generally retained for up to ten years after issuance or completion to support credential verification and professional records.
Payment and transaction records	Generally retained for up to seven years or for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws.
Platform and security logs	Generally retained for up to twelve months unless a longer period is reasonably necessary for security, investigation, or legal compliance.
Marketing consent records	Retained for as long as reasonably necessary to document consent, withdrawal, suppression, and unsubscribe requests.

A user may request deletion of eligible personal information. Certain information may continue to be retained when required for legal compliance, transaction records, fraud prevention, credential verification, dispute resolution, or enforcement of NWANA policies.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Platform may use:

• Essential cookies required for authentication, session management, security, payment processing, and core Platform functions;
• Functional cookies used to remember preferences and improve Platform functionality;
• Analytics cookies used to understand Platform usage and improve performance;
• Marketing cookies used only when appropriate consent has been obtained or when otherwise permitted by applicable law.

Users may manage cookies through available Platform controls or their browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may prevent login or impair Platform functionality.

8. Children’s Privacy

The Platform is not directed to children under the age of 13. NWANA does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental or legal-guardian consent when such consent is required.

Users under 18 may be subject to additional registration, participation, parental-consent, safeguarding, and program requirements. Creating an Academy account does not independently authorize a minor to participate in every NWANA course, activity, event, or professional pathway.

If NWANA learns that personal information from a child was collected in a manner inconsistent with applicable requirements, NWANA will take reasonable steps to delete or appropriately restrict that information.

Questions concerning children’s privacy may be sent to legal@nwana.org.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to applicable law, users may have the right to:

• Request access to personal information held by NWANA;
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Request deletion of eligible personal information;
• Request a portable copy of eligible personal information;
• Object to or request restriction of certain processing;
• Withdraw consent for optional processing;
• Unsubscribe from promotional communications;
• Exercise applicable state-specific privacy rights without unlawful discrimination.

California residents may have additional rights under the CCPA or other California privacy laws when those laws apply. NWANA does not sell personal information.

To submit a privacy request, contact legal@nwana.org. NWANA may need to verify the requester’s identity before completing a request. NWANA will respond within the period required by applicable law.

10. Information Security

NWANA uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect personal information, including encrypted connections, password protection, access controls, system monitoring, and security reviews where appropriate.

No electronic system or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Users are responsible for protecting their passwords, devices, and account credentials and for notifying NWANA promptly of suspected unauthorized access.

11. Third-Party Services and Links

The Platform may contain links to or integrations with third-party websites, payment processors, communication services, or other platforms. Those third parties operate under their own privacy policies and security practices. NWANA is not responsible for the privacy practices of unrelated third parties.

12. Changes to This Policy

NWANA may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in its programs, technology, practices, or legal obligations. The current version and effective date will be displayed on the Platform.

When required, material changes will be communicated through the Platform, by email, or through another appropriate notice. Additional consent will be requested when required by applicable law.

13. Contact Information

Organization	Nordic Walking Association of North America
Privacy inquiries	legal@nwana.org
Platform support	support@nwana.org
Mailing address	7901 4th St N, #23228, St. Petersburg, FL 33702, United States