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Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 2026

1. Introduction

AfroBites ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application, web applications, and website (collectively, the "Platform").

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Personal identification information: First name, last name, email address, phone number, and password (stored as a one-way cryptographic hash — we never store or can retrieve your actual password) when you create an account.
• Profile information: Profile photo/avatar, and, for restaurant and courier accounts, additional business or vehicle details.
• Verification data: A one-time passcode is generated and sent to your phone number or email address to confirm you own it. We keep a record that verification occurred, not the passcode itself once used.
• Location data: GPS coordinates to show you nearby restaurants, calculate delivery distances, and (for couriers) track deliveries in progress. Location is only collected with your device permission.
• Order and transaction data: Details of orders placed, delivery and saved addresses, payment method type (we never store full card numbers or CVVs — see Section 5), and transaction history.
• Reservation data: Booking details including date, time, party size, and any special requests you provide.
• Device information: Device type, operating system, and push notification tokens used to deliver order and booking alerts.
• Usage and analytics data: Pages and screens visited, features used, load times, and general interaction data, collected through analytics tools described in Section 4, to help us understand how the Platform is used and to improve performance and reliability.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and operate the AfroBites platform, including processing orders, reservations, and account verification.
• Send order confirmations, booking updates, and service notifications.
• Improve and personalise your experience on the platform, and monitor and improve app/website performance and stability.
• Process payments securely through our payment partners.
• Communicate platform updates, new features, and relevant promotions.
• Comply with legal obligations.

4. Analytics

Our web applications use Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights to understand how visitors use our sites and to monitor page load performance. These tools collect aggregated, non-precise usage data such as pages visited, referring pages, general device/browser type, and approximate load times. This data is used only to improve the Platform and is not used to build individual advertising profiles, and we do not use it to sell your data or serve third-party ads.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with:

• Restaurants: Your name and order or reservation details are shared with the restaurant fulfilling your order or reservation.
• Couriers: Your delivery address and first name are shared with the assigned courier during active deliveries.
• Payment processors: Our payment partners process payment information. We only receive a confirmation reference — never your full card details.
• Infrastructure and service providers: We use trusted third-party providers to operate the Platform, including:
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) — for account authentication, database hosting, backend hosting, transactional email delivery, and image/file storage. Our servers and databases are hosted in the AWS eu-west-1 (Ireland) region.
  • Vercel — for hosting our web applications and website, and for the analytics described in Section 4.
  • Twilio — for delivering SMS and, where enabled, WhatsApp one-time passcodes for account verification.
  • Meta/WhatsApp Business Platform — where WhatsApp is used as a verification or notification channel, your phone number is processed by Meta in order to deliver those messages.
  • Google — if you choose to sign in with Google, to authenticate your identity.
  • Expo — for delivering push notifications to your device.
  These providers are only permitted to use your information to the extent necessary to provide their service to us, and are bound by their own data protection obligations.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption for all data in transit, one-way password hashing, and encrypted storage for sensitive identifiers such as saved mobile-money numbers. Access to production infrastructure is restricted to authorised personnel. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at afrobiteszim@gmail.com. Certain data (such as transaction records) may be retained for longer where required for legal, tax, or accounting purposes.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data. You may also object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at afrobiteszim@gmail.com.

9. International Data Transfers

Because our infrastructure is hosted with AWS in the EU (Ireland) and we use service providers based outside Zimbabwe, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than the one in which you live. We take steps to ensure these providers offer an appropriate level of protection for your data.

10. Children's Privacy

AfroBites is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app or by email. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
WhatsApp: +263 71 916 6221
Email: afrobiteszim@gmail.com