Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 17, 2026

1. Introduction

ZanGo (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates a mobile application (Android and iOS) that connects tourists with local guides in Zanzibar. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and your choices.

ZanGo collects and processes user data to provide platform functionality, improve safety, and enhance user experience. We only collect data necessary to operate the service.

You can disable all location access for ZanGo at any time in your device settings, but this may affect certain features

By using ZanGo, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use ZanGo.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: mobile phone number, profile name, profile picture (optional), “about” text (optional).
• Verification Documents: guides (and optionally tourists) may be asked to upload identification documents (e.g., national ID, passport, guide license) to verify identity and build trust. These documents are stored securely and used only for verification purposes.
• Trip and Booking Information: trip dates, pickup location, special requests. All payments are made directly in cash between tourist and guide - ZanGo does not collect or process any payment information.
• Chat Messages: text messages between tourists and guides. Messages are stored on our servers to enforce safety rules (e.g., detect contact sharing) and resolve disputes.
• Incident Reports: when you report another user, we collect your description, the reported user's ID, and any supporting chat excerpts or screenshots.
• Customer Support: when you contact us, we collect your message, email address, and any attached information.

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

• Usage Information: logs of your activity - e.g., when you book a trip, cancel, confirm a guide, share your location, use the SOS button, or view a safety page.
• Device and Connection Information: hardware model, operating system, IP address, app version, mobile network, time zone.
• Location Information:
  • Precise location: only if you actively choose to share your live location during a trip (for trip sharing). Location sharing stops when the trip ends or you turn it off.
  • General location: we estimate your country/region from your IP address and phone number area code to improve service.
• Location Usage
  • ZanGo uses location only when users enable trip sharing and search for guides, hotels and restaurants.
  • Location is used for safety and is deleted after completion.
  • We do not use location for advertising or sell it to third parties.
• Pickup Code Attempts: we log successful and failed pickup code entries to detect abuse.
• Trip Creation Limits: we log the number of trips you create per day/week, your account age, and your completed trip count to enforce anti-spam rules.

2.3 Information from Other Users

• If another user reports you or mentions you in a report, we receive your user ID and relevant chat excerpts.
• Guides may provide your phone number if you book a trip - we use this only to connect you with the correct guide.

2.4 Purchase and Credit Information

• When you purchase Credits through Google Play or the Apple App Store, we receive a purchase confirmation that includes the amount of Credits, a transaction identifier, and the date/time of purchase. We do not receive or store your full payment card details.
• We maintain a record of your current Credit balance and a log of all Credit transactions (purchases, usage, and adjustments) to resolve disputes, prevent fraud, and ensure accurate billing.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Verify user identities (documents) to increase trust and safety.
• Connect tourists with guides (bookings, chat, trip confirmation).
• Enforce our safety rules: detect contact sharing, limit active chats, apply strikes, and update trust scores.
• Provide trip sharing (real-time location to your trusted contact).
• Respond to SOS events (log incident, show emergency number, optionally notify trusted contact).
• Administer the admin safety queue (review reports, SOS events, and abuse patterns).
• Improve our services (analytics, bug fixing, feature testing).
• Comply with legal obligations (e.g., respond to court orders, cooperate with law enforcement).
• Process Credit purchases and manage your balance.
• Apply trip creation limits (daily/weekly, cooldown, account age, and completed trip requirements) to prevent spam and abuse.

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 With Other Users

• Tourists see: guide's profile name, photo, about info, trust score, verification status, and response to booking.
• Guides see: tourist's profile name, photo, trust score, and booking details (not personal contact info).
• During a chat, both parties see each other's messages.

4.2 With Your Trusted Contact

If you enable trip sharing, your trusted contact receives a temporary link to view your live location and trip status. The link expires automatically when the trip ends or after 24 hours.

4.3 With Service Providers (Third Parties)

We use third-party services to operate ZanGo:

Third-Party Services

• DigitalOcean (Backend and storage) : hosts our PostgreSQL databases, backend microservices, and object storage (Spaces) for media files.
• Firebase (Google), (Authentication and notifications) : authentication, Firestore for real-time data, cloud functions, and push notifications.
• Email service: used to send SOS alerts and administrative messages (paid service).
• Cloudflare (Security and CDN) : domain and CDN.

These providers act on our behalf and cannot use your data for their own purposes.

4.4 For Legal and Safety Reasons

We may share your information with:

• Law enforcement or regulators if required by law (e.g., court order, search warrant).
• Emergency services if we believe there is a risk of death or serious injury (e.g., SOS activation with credible threat).
• Other users or the public to enforce our Terms (e.g., disclosing a banned user's identity).

5. Chat Message Storage and Deletion

• Messages are stored on our servers (Firestore and PostgreSQL) for safety, dispute resolution, and enforcement of policies (e.g., no contact sharing).
• Retention rules:
  • Unconfirmed chats: deleted 7 days after the last message.
  • Confirmed chats (tourist confirmed “my guide”): kept until 30 days after the trip ends, then deleted.
  • Expired confirmation (old guide): becomes temporary and deleted after 7 days.
  • Closed chats: deleted after 24 hours.
  • Admin archive: deleted messages may be kept in a secure, access-controlled archive for up to 30 days for dispute investigation.
• User deletion: you may delete individual messages or close a chat at any time. Once a chat is deleted from the archive, it cannot be recovered.
• Admin access: ZanGo administrators may review chat messages when investigating safety incidents or policy violations.

5.1 Account Deletion

Users may delete their account at any time from Settings. Account data will be removed within 30 days unless required for legal or security purposes.

6. Document Verification

• We collect verification documents (e.g., ID, passport, guide license) to confirm identity and build trust.
• Documents are stored securely and are not shared with other users.
• Verification status (e.g., “verified guide”) may be displayed to other users, but the documents themselves remain confidential.
• Documents are retained for as long as your account is active and for up to 1 year after account deletion, to comply with legal or safety obligations.

7. Credits, Purchases and In-App Purchases

7.1 How Credits Work

ZanGo uses a virtual currency called “Credits” to enable optional AI-powered features. Credits are not real currency and have no value outside the ZanGo platform.

7.2 Features That Require Credits

• Smart Pre-Trip Plan (40 Credits): Generates a personalised itinerary using multiple AI agents.
• AI Chat Assistant (2 Credits per turn): Provides real-time travel advice.
• Request Trip / Create Trip (1 Credit): Prevents spam when creating a group trip or custom request.

7.3 Purchasing Credits

Credits are available in the following packs (prices may vary by region):

• 100 Credits - $1.99 USD
• 300 Credits - $4.99 USD
• 700 Credits - $9.99 USD (Best Value)
• 1500 Credits - $19.99 USD

All purchases are processed by Google Play (on Android) or the Apple App Store (on iOS). ZanGo does not collect or store your payment card details.

7.4 Refunds and Cancellations

Credit purchases are non-refundable once delivered to your account, except where required by applicable law. If you experience a technical issue (e.g., you paid but did not receive Credits), please contact ZanGo support with your transaction receipt, and we will investigate.

7.5 Expiry and Forfeiture

Credits do not expire as long as your account remains active. If your account is deleted or permanently suspended, any unused Credits will be forfeited.

7.6 Restoring Purchases

You can restore previously purchased Credits after reinstalling the app by using the “Restore Purchases” button in the app's settings. The app store provider will confirm your past transactions.

7.7 Free Credits

New users receive 25 free Credits upon account creation. Free Credits are used first when accessing paid features and cannot be refunded or transferred.

8. Trip Creation Limits and Verification

To prevent spam and protect the community, ZanGo enforces the following rules for Create / Request Trip (cost: 1 credit):

8.1 Verification Requirements

• You must verify your phone number or email address before creating any trip.
• New accounts are subject to a 3-day waiting period after verification before they can create their first trip.

8.2 Two-Tier Limits

• Unproven users (have not yet completed at least one trip):
  - Maximum 1 trip per day
  - Maximum 3 trips per week
• Proven users (have completed at least one trip, confirmed by both parties):
  - Maximum 3 trips per day
  - Maximum 5 trips per week
  - Maximum 10 trips per month
• All users have a 30-second cooldown between trip creations.

8.3 No Limits on AI Features

These limits apply only to Create/Request Trip. The Smart Trip Plan and AI Chat Assistant do not have daily or weekly limits (other than standard credit usage).

9. Your Rights and Choices

• Access and Portability: you can request a copy of your data via in-app “Request my data” (Settings → Account).
• Rectification: edit your profile name, photo, and about info at any time.
• Delete your account: use “Delete my account” in Settings. Your data will be removed within 30 days, except where we must keep it for legal or safety reasons (e.g., unresolved disputes, fraud investigations).
• Opt out of trip sharing: do not enable the feature or turn it off during a trip.
• Withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent (e.g., location sharing), you can revoke it in device settings or in-app.
• Object to processing: you may object to certain uses of your data (e.g., analytics) by contacting us.

10. Data Retention (Summary)

11. Security

We use industry-standard measures:

• Data encrypted in transit (HTTPS).
• Firestore security rules restrict access to authorised users only.
• Pickup codes are stored hashed where practical.
• DigitalOcean databases are private and firewalled.
• We regularly review our security practices.

However, no system is 100% secure. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials safe.

12. Children

ZanGo is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If we discover we have, we will delete it. In the EEA and other regions where the age of digital consent is higher (e.g., 16), we comply with those requirements and do not process data of children below that age without parental consent.

13. International Data Transfers

ZanGo operates primarily in Tanzania. Our servers (DigitalOcean, Firebase) are located in the United States and Europe. By using ZanGo, you consent to the transfer of your data to these countries. We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy. Material changes will be notified via the app or email. Continued use after changes means you accept the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights:

Email: privacy@tetaya.com

Address: [Your company address in Tanzania]