This Messaging Policy covers the in-app chat that connects buyers, sellers, applicants, and employers on AYE Market, along with the Call, WhatsApp, and SMS contact buttons a seller can choose to enable on a listing. It works alongside our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Community Guidelines.
1. What in-app chat is for
In-app chat exists so buyers and sellers, or applicants and employers, can ask questions, negotiate, and arrange a meetup or next steps — without either side needing to hand over a phone number first. A seller can additionally enable Call, WhatsApp, and SMS buttons on their listing if they'd rather be reached that way. Use chat for genuine listing- or job-related conversation.
2. Prohibited chat content
- Harassment — threats, hate speech, sexual harassment, or abusive language directed at the other party.
- Scams — fake payment confirmations, advance-fee requests, impersonating a courier or bank, or any attempt to defraud the other party.
- Off-platform payment phishing — sending links to fake payment pages or asking someone to "verify" payment details through a link outside the app.
- Illegal solicitation — using chat to arrange the sale of anything prohibited under the Community Guidelines, even if the public listing looked legitimate.
- Spam — mass unsolicited messages, repeated identical messages, or messages unrelated to any listing or job.
3. Phone-number privacy
Your phone number is never revealed to the other party through in-app chat unless you choose to type and share it yourself, or unless you've enabled the Call, WhatsApp, or SMS buttons on your own listing. Chat is designed to let you communicate and decide how much contact detail to share, and when, without your number being exposed by default.
4. Reporting & blocking in chat
Every conversation can be reported directly from the chat screen, choosing from the same eight report reasons used elsewhere in the app (see our Reporting & Moderation Policy). You can also Block the other person at any time, which immediately prevents them from sending you further messages — see our Block User Policy.
5. Retention of chat logs
Chat messages are retained on our servers for moderation and safety purposes — so that a report or an investigation into suspected fraud, harassment, or abuse can be reviewed against the actual conversation. Chat logs are accessed only for moderation, safety, legal compliance, or to provide the service itself; they are not read routinely or used for advertising. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle your data more broadly.
6. Account deletion & chat anonymization
7. Enforcement
Reported chat abuse is reviewed by a human moderator against this policy. A first minor issue may result in a warning; harassment, scams, or off-platform phishing attempts typically result in an immediate suspension. See the enforcement ladder in our Community Guidelines.
8. Governing law
This policy is governed by the laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and forms part of the agreement described in our Terms of Service.
9. Contact
Questions about messaging on AYE Market: ayetechub@gmail.com.