Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Nearby is a product of Habriq Ltd, a company registered in the Republic of Rwanda. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you use Nearby’s website and app - including accounts, listings, chat, and optional payout details you choose to save. Read it together with our Terms & Conditions.
1. Our commitment
We are committed to protecting your privacy and implementing practices that comply with applicable law, including Rwanda Law No. 058/2021 of 13/10/2021 relating to the protection of personal data and privacy. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have.
2. What is personal information?
Personal information means information that identifies you or can reasonably be linked to you. For Nearby this includes, for example, your phone number, display name, home-area pin, listing content, chat messages, device and log data, and approximate location derived from your pin or device.
3. Information we collect
We generally collect and use: • Account data: phone number, password hash, display name, language, and onboarding choices. • Location data: your home-area pin and listing pins; visibility radius you set. • Listing data: titles, descriptions, photos, categories, prices (where applicable), and availability. • Messaging data: chat content between matched neighbours. • Exchange records: confirmation of reception (including quantity when you provide it) and related transaction status. • Payment-related data: optional MoMo payout numbers you save in Settings; payment transactions if you use a paid Nearby service or we process a platform fee we disclose in the product. • Technical data: IP address, browser or app type, cookies or local storage where used, and security logs. • Support and moderation records: reports, disputes, and account actions taken by operators.
4. Sources of information
We collect information from: • You directly when you sign up, post, message, confirm reception, save payout details, or contact support. • Your device when you use Nearby (for example location permission, photos, or push notification tokens if enabled). • Service providers that help us run Nearby (hosting, database, payments, and messaging infrastructure). • Other users when they report content or open a dispute involving your account or listing.
5. How we use your information
We use personal information to provide and improve Nearby, including sign-in, showing listings nearby, matching neighbours, enabling chat, recording exchange completion, processing optional paid services when you use them, preventing abuse, and responding to support requests. We may create aggregated and anonymized statistics and insights from platform activity to understand usage, improve reliability and safety, and prepare reporting for partners such as non-governmental organizations, research institutions, and public-sector bodies. Those reports do not identify individual users.
6. Location information
Nearby uses location to show resources within walking distance and to match listings. Your home pin is not shown to other users as a precise address; listings use the pin and radius you choose. You can update your home area in Settings. If you disable location permissions, some features may not work as intended.
7. Purposes of processing
We process personal information only where needed to: • Perform our agreement with you and deliver the service. • Operate accounts, listings, matches, chat, and payments. • Keep the platform safe (fraud prevention, reports, disputes, moderation). • Comply with law and respond to lawful requests. • Communicate service updates or support messages (not unrelated marketing spam). • Improve performance, fix bugs, and analyze usage in aggregate form. • Produce aggregated, anonymized insights and reporting for permitted partners, as described in this policy.
8. Your rights
Subject to applicable law, you may: • Access personal information we hold about you. • Ask us to correct inaccurate information. • Object to certain processing on reasonable grounds. • Request deletion where the law allows and where we no longer need the data. • Withdraw consent where processing is consent-based. To exercise these rights, contact us using the email at the end of this policy. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
9. Lodging a complaint
If you believe we are processing your personal information unlawfully, you may lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Office of Rwanda. Details are available at https://dpo.gov.rw.
10. Children
Nearby is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate consent from a parent or guardian, or where the law otherwise permits or requires processing.
11. Sharing personal information
We do not sell personal information. We share personal information only: • With other users as the product requires (for example your display name and listings; not your phone or MoMo number on public surfaces). • With service providers under contract who must protect it and use it only to provide services to us (for example database and authentication hosting, our payment provider when a disclosed platform payment applies, and cloud hosting). • When required by law, to protect rights and safety, or with your consent. We may share aggregated and anonymized data insights and reports with third parties such as NGOs, research institutions, and public-sector bodies. Those outputs are designed so individuals cannot reasonably be identified. When a platform payment applies, our payment provider (currently Flutterwave) processes it under their own terms and privacy practices for that step.
12. Security
We use technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and limiting staff access to personal information on a need-to-know basis. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; please use a strong password and keep your phone secure.
13. Retention
We retain personal information for as long as needed to provide the service, resolve disputes, enforce our terms, and meet legal obligations. We may retain de-identified or aggregated data longer for statistics and improvement. When data is no longer needed, we delete or anonymise it where practicable.
14. International processing
Some service providers may process data outside Rwanda. Where this happens, we take steps required by applicable law to protect your information, including using providers that commit to appropriate safeguards.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Continued use of Nearby after an update means you accept the revised policy, subject to any rights you have under applicable law.
16. Contact
Nearby is operated by Habriq Ltd, a company registered in the Republic of Rwanda. For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, email the address shown at the bottom of this page. We will respond within a reasonable time.