Effective 19 October 2026

Ayt Equb Privacy Policy

This policy applies to the Ayt Equb Android app (package com.aytequb.mobile) and the website https://aytequb.com/.

Who we are

Ayt Equb ("Ayt Equb", "we", "us") develops and operates the Ayt Equb app, a tool for running and taking part in equb (rotating savings) groups. We are based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and we are the data controller for the information described in this policy.

Information we collect

Account information: your name, phone number, password (stored only in hashed form) and preferred language.
Phone verification: one-time SMS codes used when you register or reset your password. Codes expire after a few minutes.
Equb and group records: the groups you belong to, your role, contribution amounts and due dates, rounds, draws, payout records, join requests and payment status.
Payment and payout details: amounts, dates, payment method, transaction references, and the bank account name and number an organizer records for a payout.
Payment proof images: photos or screenshots of bank transfers that you choose to upload from your photo library or camera. They are stored in private storage and are only shown to you and the administrators who review the payment.
Financing records (when your group uses financing): programs, agreements, installment schedules, repayments, receipts and settlement records.
Device and notification information: device model, operating system version, app version, language, a Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) push token, and session information used to keep your account secure.
Crash and diagnostic data: technical error reports when the app crashes or a request fails, used to find and fix bugs.

We do not collect your location, contacts or advertising ID, and we do not show advertising in the app.

How we use your information

To create, verify and secure your account
To run equb groups: recording contributions, reviewing payment proofs, scheduling draws and recording payouts
To manage financing agreements and repayments when your group uses that feature
To send payment reminders, group notifications and service messages
To provide customer support and respond to your requests
To detect fraud and abuse, keep audit records, and fix errors in the app
To comply with legal and financial record-keeping obligations

We do not sell your personal information and we do not use it for advertising or profiling.

Legal bases for processing

We process personal data to perform our contract with you (running your account and groups), to comply with legal obligations (financial and audit records), for our legitimate interests (security, fraud prevention, service reliability), and with your consent where the law requires it (for example, optional notifications or photo uploads).

Who we share it with

Your equb group: administrators and members can see the information needed to run the group, such as member names, contribution status and payout records. Payment proof images are visible only to you and the administrators who review them.
Service providers that process data on our instructions:
- Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, for push notifications
- Sentry, for crash and error reporting
- SMS gateways (TextBee, AfroMessage), for one-time verification codes
- Our cloud hosting and storage providers, where the server, database, backups and uploaded files run
Legal reasons: when the law, a court order or a valid legal request requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

Service providers may only use the data to provide their service to us. We do not sell or rent personal information to anyone.

International transfers

Some of our service providers (for example Google Firebase and Sentry) may process data outside Ethiopia. Where that happens, we rely on the providers' contractual and security safeguards and transfer data only for the purposes described in this policy.

How we protect your information

All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted with HTTPS (TLS).
Passwords are stored only as salted hashes; sign-in tokens are kept in secure storage on your device.
Payment proofs, receipts and avatars are kept in private storage, not in a public folder.
Access to production data is limited to authorised staff and is logged.
We keep encrypted or access-controlled backups so data can be restored after a failure.

How long we keep it

Account and profile information is kept while your account is active.
Contribution, payout, payment and financing records are kept for as long as Ethiopian financial record-keeping law requires, and for no more than 10 years.
Security and audit logs are kept for up to 1 year.
One-time verification codes expire after 5 minutes.
Database backups are rotated and deleted after 14 days.

Your rights and choices

You can ask us to:

confirm what personal data we hold about you and give you a copy;
correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
delete your account and personal data (see below);
restrict or object to certain processing;
provide your data in a portable format; or
withdraw a consent you gave earlier.

You can also turn notifications off in your device settings. To exercise any of these rights, email benekoyyirga@gmail.com from the address or phone number linked to your account. We may ask you to confirm that you own the account, and we respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you may complain to the relevant Ethiopian data protection authority.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account in the app under Settings → Delete account, or from the web at aytequb.com/delete-account. We confirm that you own the account, then delete it within 30 days.

Deleted: your account and sign-in details, profile, device and push tokens, and notifications linked to your account.
Kept: contribution, payout and payment records that other group members rely on (no longer linked to your account) for up to 10 years, and security/audit logs for up to 1 year. The deletion page explains this in detail.

Children

Ayt Equb is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with data, contact us and we will delete it.

Cookies and this website

The Ayt Equb website does not use advertising, analytics or tracking cookies. Our servers keep standard security logs (such as IP address, browser type and request time) for a limited period to protect the service and investigate abuse. The app stores your session securely on your device; it is not a website cookie.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will publish the new version on this page and update the effective date above. For significant changes we will also notify you in the app before the change takes effect.

Contact us

Email: benekoyyirga@gmail.com
Phone or WhatsApp: ++251913379147
Ayt Equb, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia