This Privacy Policy explains how AYE Tech Hub ("AYE Tech Hub," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use the AYE Market mobile application (the "App") and this website (together, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here. If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.
1. Information we collect
1.1 Information you provide directly
- Account information — full name, username, email address, phone number, date of birth, gender, profile photo, cover photo, and bio, where you choose to add them.
- Listing content — titles, descriptions, prices, category attributes, photos (up to 8 per listing), and location details for anything you post.
- Messages — the content of chats you send through the App, including any photos shared in chat.
- Verification documents — a government-issued ID (Fayda ID, Kebele Residence ID, Driver's License, Business License, or Passport) if you choose to request the verified badge. These are reviewed by our verification team only and are never visible to other users.
- Job seeker information — if you use the Jobs Marketplace as a candidate: your CV/resume file, professional title, skills, languages, education level, field of study, experience level, expected salary, preferred work location, and contact preferences.
- Job applications — the applications you submit, including your CV and any message to the employer.
- Payment information — for Premium plans and listing promotions: the plan selected, amount, a generated payment reference number, and the payment receipt you upload. We never collect or store your bank account or card numbers — manual payments are verified by our team from the receipt you provide.
- Reviews & reports — seller reviews you write, and reports you submit about listings or users.
- Support communications — anything you send via in-app Feedback & Support, this website, or email.
1.2 Information collected automatically
- Location data — if you grant permission, precise GPS location powers nearby search and distance sorting. You can deny or revoke this permission anytime in your device settings; the App still works fully using manually selected region/city.
- Device information — device model, operating system version, app version, and installation identifiers.
- Usage information — listings you view (powers "recently viewed" and view counts), searches, favorites, and general app interaction.
- IP address — collected as part of normal network communication with our backend (Firebase) and by our website host.
- Push notification tokens — a device token managed by Firebase Cloud Messaging, used solely to deliver notifications to your device.
- Presence — an online/offline indicator and last-seen timestamp, shown to other users on your seller profile.
1.3 Cookies (website only)
The AYE Market mobile app does not use browser cookies. This website uses only essential local storage — for example, remembering your dark/light theme preference. See the Cookie Policy.
2. How we use your information
- Creating and maintaining your account, and letting you sign in securely.
- Publishing, browsing, and searching listings and job posts.
- Enabling communication between buyers and sellers (chat, and the call/WhatsApp/SMS buttons where a seller has shared their number).
- Showing nearby listings and powering the Tigray location system and interactive map.
- Sending notifications about messages, listing activity, applications, payments, and account events.
- Reviewing verification submissions and manual payment requests.
- Detecting and preventing fraud, scams, and violations of our Community Guidelines.
- Responding to support requests and improving the Service based on real usage.
- Complying with legal obligations.
We do not use your data for third-party advertising, and we do not sell personal data. See the Data Safety page for the exact disclosure mapping used in Google Play.
3. Third-party services
AYE Market is built on Google's Firebase platform. Each service processes only what its function requires:
| Service | What it processes | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase Authentication | Email, phone number, Google account info | Sign-in and account security |
| Cloud Firestore | Profiles, listings, messages, applications, requests | Core app database |
| Firebase Storage | Photos, CVs, verification documents, payment receipts | File storage |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Device push token | Push notifications |
| Firebase Cloud Functions | The data above, server-side | Approvals, notifications, moderation automation |
| Google / Facebook Sign-In | Name, email, profile photo (only for the method you choose) | Optional sign-in methods |
| Google Play Billing | Purchase tokens (where used) | In-app purchase infrastructure |
The WhatsApp, SMS, and phone-call buttons open your device's own apps via standard deep links — AYE Market never sees or stores the content of those conversations. Full detail: Third-Party Services.
We do not currently use a dedicated analytics or crash-reporting SDK. If one is added in the future, this policy will be updated first.
4. Data sharing
We do not sell your personal information. Data is shared only:
- With other users, as intended — your listing content, public profile (name, username, photo, bio, verification badges, ratings, online status), and the messages you send are visible to the people you interact with.
- With verified employers — your CV is visible only to employers whose identity our team has verified, whether they find you through a job application or a Jobs Wanted ad.
- With service providers — Google/Firebase, strictly to operate the Service as described above.
- For legal reasons — where required by law, legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of AYE Tech Hub, our users, or the public.
- Business transfers — if AYE Tech Hub is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, user information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.
5. Data retention
- Your information is retained while your account is active, plus a reasonable period afterward for legal, security, and fraud-prevention purposes.
- Verification documents and payment receipts are kept only as long as needed for review and audit, then routinely deleted.
- Deleted listings are removed from public view immediately; residual copies may persist briefly in backups before automatic purging.
- On account deletion (see below), your personal data is permanently deleted — with one narrow exception: messages you sent in shared conversations are anonymized (your name and account link removed) rather than erased, so the other participant's own conversation history isn't destroyed.
6. How we protect your data
Data in transit between the App and our servers is encrypted (HTTPS/TLS). Access is governed by server-side security rules built on least-privilege: only you can read your private messages; only the verification team can open submitted ID documents; only payment reviewers can see receipts; sensitive state changes (approving payments, deleting accounts) are performed exclusively by server-side functions after an administrator's explicit, logged action — never trusted from the app alone. No system is 100% secure, but our design assumes that and limits what any single point of failure can expose.
7. Your rights & choices
- Access & correction — edit your profile directly in the App (Settings → Profile), or request a correction via the Privacy Rights page.
- Data export — request a copy of your data via the Privacy Rights page.
- Deletion — permanently delete your account via Account Deletion.
- Location permission — revocable anytime in your device's app settings.
- Notifications — controllable in Settings → Notifications, or at the OS level.
- Marketing — we don't send marketing emails; if that ever changes, you'll be able to opt out.
8. Requesting deletion
Request permanent deletion anytime on our Account Deletion page — sign in to verify your identity, submit the request, and an administrator reviews and processes it. That page documents exactly what is deleted, in what order, and the one anonymization exception for shared chats.
9. Children's privacy
AYE Market is intended for users 18 years of age and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18, and accounts found to belong to minors are removed. See the dedicated Children's Privacy Policy. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
10. International users & GDPR readiness
AYE Market is built for users in Ethiopia; our infrastructure (Firebase/Google Cloud) may process data outside Ethiopia as part of Google's global infrastructure. If you access the Service from the EEA, UK, or another region with its own data protection law, we honor the same rights those laws describe — access, correction, deletion, portability, and objection — through the mechanisms on our Privacy Rights page, even where not strictly required for our current user base.
11. Legal compliance
We comply with applicable Ethiopian law, including data protection and consumer protection requirements, and disclose information only where legally required by a competent authority.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the Service evolves. Material changes are reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, an in-app notice. Continued use after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance.
13. Contact us
Questions about this policy or your data: ayetechub@gmail.com.