privacy policy
koalia.design is operated by Julien Hosri (Beirut, Lebanon). this page explains what information we collect, how we use it, and how to contact us about it. plain english, no dark patterns. if anything here is unclear, write to julien@koalia.design.
the operator
koalia.design (“koalia”, “we”, “us”) is a marketing and application site for the koalia UI/UX bootcamp, operated by Julien Hosri, an individual based in Beirut, Lebanon. for the purposes of any jurisdictions that designate a data controller (EU GDPR, UK GDPR, California CCPA), Julien Hosri is the controller. contact: julien@koalia.design.
three categories, that's it
a. when you visit the site
- standard web analytics via Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — page views, route changes, click events on application steps, anonymized IP. no personally-identifiable fields beyond what you choose to submit.
- your theme preferencestored in your browser's localStorage as a cookie called
koalia-prefs. stays on your device. never sent to our server. - no third-party advertising cookies. no Facebook pixel, no Google Ads tag, no LinkedIn Insight tag.
b. when you apply to a cohort
the application form at /academy/apply collects:
- name, email, phone number, country
- background information (current role, experience level, applicant type)
- portfolio links, social profiles, your "why"
- written essay answers (the substantive part of the application)
this data is stored in a SQLite database on a server we self-host and operate. it is used solely for cohort admissions review by Julien Hosri and any future jury reviewers Julien explicitly designates. we do not share, sell, or rent your application data.
retention: application data is kept for 24 monthsfrom the cohort start date you applied to. after that, it is deleted. if you want your data deleted sooner, email julien@koalia.design and we'll action it within 30 days.
c. when you interact with us on LinkedIn
Julien posts on LinkedIn under his personal account. when you engage with that content — liking, commenting, sending a connection request, replying to a DM — LinkedIn surfaces standard engagement metrics to him through the LinkedIn API. this is governed by LinkedIn's own privacy policy.
the koalia content engine (an internal tool that helps Julien schedule daily posts) reads engagement statistics (impressions, reactions, comments) on Julien's own posts only. it does not collect, store, or process your LinkedIn profile data outside of what's already publicly visible on the platform.
what your data does
- to review your application and decide whether to offer you a seat in a cohort
- to contact you about your application status (acceptance, interview scheduling, rejection, payment instructions if accepted)
- to improve the site (which pages get traffic, which application steps people drop off at — aggregate, not individual)
- to respond to questions if you email us directly
what we don't do: we do not sell, share, or rent your information to third parties. we do not use your data to train AI models. we do not run retargeting ads against our visitors. we do not send marketing emails unless you explicitly opt in.
the systems we use
koalia.design uses a small number of third-party services. each handles your data under its own policy:
- Google Analytics 4
- site analytics. IP anonymization is enabled. Google's privacy policy.
- for the daily LinkedIn content engine — publishing posts under Julien's personal account and reading engagement metrics on those posts only. LinkedIn's privacy policy.
- Whish Money
- tuition payment processing (only if you're accepted and choose to pay). we never see or store full payment details.
- email (Gmail)
- outbound correspondence about your application is sent from a Gmail account. Google's privacy policy.
- Self-hosted server
- application data lives on a server we operate ourselves (juleserver). it is not stored on Google Cloud, AWS, or any other cloud provider. backups are encrypted.
what you can ask for
you have the right to:
- access — get a copy of the data we hold about you
- correction— fix anything that's wrong
- deletion— have us delete your data (we'll action within 30 days; the only exception is data we're required to keep by law, of which there is currently none)
- portability — get your data in a machine- readable format (JSON or CSV)
- opt-out — opt out of any non-essential communication
- complaint— if you're in the EU/UK and feel we've mishandled your data, you can complain to your local data protection authority (we'd rather you write to us first, but it's your right)
to exercise any of these, email julien@koalia.design. we aim to respond within 30 days; usually faster.
18+ only
the koalia bootcamp is intended for adults aged 18 and over. we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. if a parent or guardian believes their child has submitted information, contact julien@koalia.design and we will delete it.
MENA, Gulf, EU, US — covered
koalia is based in Lebanon. our cohort recruits from MENA, the Gulf, Europe, and increasingly remote across more regions. if you're applying from the EU, you have rights under GDPR; from the UK, under UK GDPR; from California, under CCPA; from Lebanon, under the relevant Lebanese data laws. we honor all of them — to exercise any specific right, contact julien@koalia.design.
how we update this
we may update this policy. the “last updated” date at the top of the page reflects the latest revision. if changes are material — a new third party gets added, retention windows change, anything that affects how your data is handled — we'll flag it via a banner on the home page for at least 14 days and (for current applicants) by email.
one inbox, one human
for any privacy question, data request, deletion request, consent withdrawal, complaint, or anything else covered by this policy: email julien@koalia.design. we read every email. there is no support form, no auto-reply system, no ticketing tier — just Julien.