Terms of Service

Last updated: May 5, 2026 Effective date: May 5, 2026

Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“you” or “User”) and Hello Black World (“we,” “us,” or “our”) governing your access to and use of learn.helloblackworld.com and related services (collectively, the “Service”).

By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

Description of Service

Hello Black World provides a free, online educational platform offering courses in data science, computer science, and Python programming, with a focus on African contributions and the Black diaspora. The platform is built on Open edX and delivers video lessons, interactive coding notebooks, and assessments.

Eligibility

To use our Service, you must: - Be at least 14 years old (users between 14 and 18 require parental or guardian consent) - Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement (or have parental consent) - Not be prohibited from using the Service under applicable laws

Account Registration

Creating an Account

To access courses, you must create a free account. When registering, you agree to: - Provide accurate, current, and complete information - Maintain and update your information as needed - Keep your password secure and confidential - Not share your account credentials with others - Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access

Account Security

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorized use of your account.

We may suspend or terminate accounts that: - Violate these Terms - Are used for fraudulent or illegal activities - Are created using false information

Course Content and Intellectual Property

Our Content

All course materials, including video lessons, slide presentations, coding exercises, text content, and curriculum design, are owned by Hello Black World and its content creators. These materials are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use course content for your personal, non-commercial educational purposes only.

You May Not

Redistribute, sell, or commercially exploit course materials
Record, download, or copy video content beyond what the platform provides
Share your account access with others to circumvent enrollment
Use course materials to create competing educational products
Remove or alter any copyright notices or attributions

Your Submissions

Any work you submit through the platform (assignments, code, forum posts) remains your intellectual property. By submitting work, you grant us a limited license to review, assess, and provide feedback on your submissions as part of the educational service.

Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful educational purposes. You must NOT:

Harmful Conduct

Harass, abuse, threaten, or intimidate other learners or staff
Post defamatory, obscene, or offensive content
Impersonate others or misrepresent your identity
Discriminate against others based on race, gender, religion, or other protected characteristics

Academic Integrity

Submit work that is not your own without proper attribution
Share assessment answers with other learners
Use automated tools to complete coursework on your behalf
Attempt to manipulate grades or progress records

Technical Abuse

Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
Introduce malware, viruses, or harmful code
Interfere with or disrupt the Service
Scrape, crawl, or harvest data without permission
Circumvent security measures or access controls

We reserve the right to investigate violations and take appropriate action, including suspending or terminating your account.

Pricing

The Service is currently provided free of charge. All courses are available at no cost to enrolled users. We reserve the right to introduce paid features or courses in the future, which would be clearly identified before purchase.

Third-Party Services

Our courses may link to or utilize third-party services including: - Google Colab for interactive coding notebooks - YouTube for video content - GitHub for code repositories

Your use of third-party services is governed by their respective terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services.

Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, either express or implied, including but not limited to:

Implied warranties of merchantability
Fitness for a particular purpose
Non-infringement
Accuracy, reliability, or completeness of course content
Uninterrupted or error-free operation

Our courses are educational in nature and do not guarantee employment outcomes, certifications recognized by specific employers, or academic credit at other institutions unless explicitly stated.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, Hello Black World, its creators, instructors, and partners shall not be liable for:

Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
Any loss of data, opportunities, or business
Any damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service
Any damages arising from unauthorized access to your data

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitation of liability for certain damages, so some of the above may not apply to you.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hello Black World, its creators, instructors, and partners from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

Your use of the Service
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any third-party rights
Content you submit through the Service

Termination

By You

You may stop using the Service and request account deletion at any time by contacting us at contact@helloblackworld.com.

By Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service: - Immediately, without notice, for violations of these Terms - With 14 days notice for any other reason - If we discontinue the Service

Effect of Termination

Upon termination: - Your right to use the Service ceases immediately - Your course progress data may be deleted after 30 days - Provisions that should survive termination will survive (including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and dispute resolution)

Dispute Resolution

Any dispute arising from these Terms shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation by contacting us at contact@helloblackworld.com.

If negotiation fails, disputes shall be resolved exclusively in the courts of the District of Columbia, United States, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in these courts.

If you are an EU consumer, you may also benefit from mandatory consumer protection laws in your country of residence.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by: - Posting the updated Terms on this page - Updating the “Last updated” date

Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to the new Terms, you must stop using the Service.

General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.

Severability

If any provision is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

Assignment

You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign our rights without restriction.

Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us:

Hello Black World Email: contact@helloblackworld.com Website: helloblackworld.com