Mapenzi
Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 12, 2026
Mapenzi ("we", "our", or "us") operates the Mapenzi mobile application (the "App"). Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our services.
By creating an account on Mapenzi, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.
1. Information We Collect
a) Information You Provide
When you create your profile and use Mapenzi, you voluntarily provide us with:
- Account details: Name, email address, phone number, date of birth, gender.
- Profile content: Photos, biography, interests, relationship preferences, and any other information you choose to share on your profile.
- Verification data: Selfie photos submitted for identity verification.
- Communications: Messages you send to other users, voice notes, and any reports or feedback you submit.
- Payment information: Transaction details are processed by our payment partner (Paystack). We do not store your full payment card details on our servers.
b) Information Collected Automatically
When you use the App, we may automatically collect:
- Device information: Device model, operating system version, unique device identifiers.
- Usage data: Features you use, actions you take, time and duration of sessions.
- Crash reports & performance data: Technical logs to help us diagnose and fix issues.
- Firebase Analytics: Aggregated usage statistics to understand how the App is used.
c) Permissions & Sensor Data
- Camera: Accessed only when you actively choose to take a photo for your profile or for identity verification. We never activate your camera in the background.
- Photo library: Accessed only when you select existing photos to upload to your profile.
- Location: With your explicit permission, we collect your location to show you people nearby. Location is only accessed while the App is in use — we do not track your location in the background.
- Microphone: Accessed only when you record voice notes to send to your matches.
- Calendar: With your permission, we can add date events to your calendar. We do not read or access your existing calendar entries.
- Push notifications: With your permission, we send notifications about new matches, messages, and important updates.
Important: You can revoke any of these permissions at any time through your device settings. Revoking a permission may limit certain features but will not affect your account.
2. How We Use Your Information
a) To Provide Our Services
- Create and manage your account
- Display your profile to other users in the discovery feed
- Match you with compatible people based on your preferences and location
- Enable messaging and voice notes between matched users
- Process your subscriptions and in-app purchases
b) To Improve the App
- Analyze usage patterns to improve features and user experience
- Monitor performance and fix technical issues
- Develop new features based on how users interact with the App
c) For Safety & Security
- Detect and prevent fraud, fake accounts, and abusive behavior
- Verify user identities when requested
- Enforce our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines
- Respond to legal requests and protect user safety
d) Communications
- Send you push notifications about matches, messages, and app activity
- Send important service updates (security alerts, policy changes)
- We do not send unsolicited marketing emails without your consent
3. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:
- With other users: Your public profile information (name, age, photos, bio) is visible to other Mapenzi users as part of the dating experience.
- Service providers: We work with trusted third-party services that help us operate the App:
- Firebase (Google) — authentication, crash reporting, analytics
- Paystack — payment processing
- Sentry — error monitoring
- Cloud hosting providers — secure server infrastructure
These providers only access your data as necessary to perform their services and are contractually bound to protect it.
- Legal obligations: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Mapenzi and its users.
- Safety situations: If we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent harm, investigate potential violations, or protect user safety.
4. How We Protect Your Information
- Encryption: Messages between users are encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Secure infrastructure: Our servers use SSL/TLS encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.
- Signed media URLs: Audio and video files are protected with time-limited, cryptographically signed URLs.
- Monitoring: We continuously monitor our systems for unauthorized access attempts.
While we implement strong security measures, no system is completely infallible. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and keep your login credentials private.
5. Your Rights & Controls
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access & update: View and edit your personal information directly from your profile settings in the App.
- Delete your account: You can permanently delete your account from the App settings at any time. This will remove your profile and personal data within 30 days.
- Data export: You may request a copy of your personal data by contacting us.
- Permission management: Revoke camera, location, microphone, or calendar access at any time through your device settings.
- Notification preferences: Manage push notification settings from the App or your device.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@mapenziapp.com. We may request identity verification before processing sensitive requests.
6. Data Retention
- Active accounts: We retain your data for as long as your account remains active.
- Deleted accounts: When you delete your account, we remove your personal data within 30 days. Some anonymized data may be retained for analytical purposes.
- Inactive accounts: Accounts that have been inactive for more than 24 months may be flagged for deletion. We will attempt to notify you before taking action.
- Legal holds: We may retain certain data longer if required by law or for ongoing safety investigations.
7. Children & Minors
Mapenzi is strictly for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we discover that a minor has created an account, we will immediately suspend the account and delete all associated data.
If you believe a minor is using Mapenzi, please report it immediately to safety@mapenziapp.com.
8. International Data
Mapenzi operates primarily in Kenya and East Africa. Your data may be processed on servers located outside your country of residence. By using the App, you consent to the transfer and processing of your data in accordance with this policy.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will notify you through the App or via email. Continued use of Mapenzi after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us: