WAAFI Privacy Policy
1. In short
| We collect | So that |
|---|---|
| Your phone number and profile information | You can create and use a WAAFI account |
| Your contacts | We can show you which of your contacts already use WAAFI |
| Messages, calls and media | We can deliver communications and provide messaging and calling services |
| Identity and KYC information | We can provide WAAFI Money and comply with applicable financial and identity-verification requirements |
| Payment and wallet activity | We can process and maintain records of financial transactions |
| Device and app usage data | We can operate, secure, troubleshoot and improve the service |
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.
2. Information you give us
We collect information you provide directly to WAAFI.
Account and onboarding information
During general WAAFI onboarding, we collect your phone number, first name, last name and avatar.
WAAFI Money and KYC information
When you complete the WAAFI Money onboarding process, we collect additional information required for identity verification and financial services. This may include your first name, middle name, last name, mother's name, gender, date of birth, country of birth, nationality, email address, country of residence and address, city, house or apartment information, street, ZIP or postal code, and the front and back of an identity document.
We collect this information to verify your identity, provide financial services, maintain accurate financial records, and comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Content you create
Depending on the features you use, we collect content you create or send through WAAFI, including text messages, voice notes, photos, videos, files, posts, comments and other content you choose to submit.
Support correspondence
When you contact WAAFI support, we collect the information you provide as part of your support request.
3. Information collected automatically
When you use WAAFI, certain information is collected automatically.
- Device information: device model, operating system version, app version, language and device identifier.
- Notification information: notification tokens issued by Apple or Google so that we can deliver push notifications.
- Connection and usage information: IP address, connection times, app usage, features used, and technical information required to operate and secure the service.
- Call and message records: who a call or message was between, when the communication occurred, call duration and other records required to deliver communications and operate the service.
These records are retained until the user's WAAFI account is deleted, except where WAAFI is required to retain records for legal, regulatory or financial purposes.
4. Your contacts
What we collect
If you grant WAAFI access to your contacts, WAAFI uploads contact information to WAAFI's servers. The contact fields we store are first name, last name, phone number, and email address if provided. No other contact fields are intentionally uploaded as part of the contact-sync process.
Why we collect contacts
We use contacts to:
- Match phone numbers against WAAFI accounts;
- Show you which of your contacts already use WAAFI;
- Allow you to call or message contacts who use WAAFI;
- Help fill recipient information when you send money.
Without Contacts access, you can continue using WAAFI, but you may need to enter phone numbers manually.
Contacts who do not use WAAFI
Some of the contacts uploaded for matching may belong to people who do not have a WAAFI account. We use their contact information only for the matching process. Once matching has been completed, contact information belonging to people who do not use WAAFI is immediately deleted.
We do not use those non-matching contacts to build advertising profiles or to contact those people, and we do not sell those contacts.
How long we keep uploaded contacts
For contacts associated with an active WAAFI user, uploaded contacts are retained while the WAAFI account remains active and contact syncing remains switched on. When a WAAFI account is deleted, the user's uploaded contacts are deleted.
Your control
You can:
- Refuse Contacts permission when it is requested;
- Turn off Sync Contacts in the WAAFI app under Settings, which stops the sync and deletes the contacts we hold for your account;
- Withdraw Contacts permission through your device settings;
- Contact WAAFI at support@waafi.com to request deletion of contacts associated with your account.
Withdrawing Contacts permission in your device settings stops further syncing. To delete contacts already uploaded, turn off Sync Contacts in the app or contact us.
Your contacts are uploaded to servers operated by WAAFI and are not shared with third-party messaging companies.
6. Money, wallet and card
When you use WAAFI for financial services, we process transaction information required to provide those services. This may include the transaction amount, currency, date and time, sender, recipient, wallet information, top-up information, WAAFI Money activity, Nasiye activity and card-related transaction information.
We process this information because it is necessary to provide the requested financial service and to maintain required financial records.
KYC and WAAFI Money
WAAFI Money requires users to be at least 18 years old. The general WAAFI onboarding process does not currently record the user's age. Additional identity and KYC information is collected when a user proceeds to the WAAFI Money service.
Card payment information
Card payment details are handled by WAAFI's payment gateway provider. WAAFI does not store or process full card payment details on its own servers where those details are handled by the payment gateway.
Financial record retention
Financial transaction records are not deleted when a WAAFI account is deleted. WAAFI retains financial records as required for the operation of financial services and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
9. Where your information is held
WAAFI's infrastructure is hosted in multiple locations. WAAFI operates physical servers in Djibouti, and also uses Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) in the United Kingdom.
Some third-party service providers listed in this policy may operate infrastructure in other countries. As a result, information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside Djibouti. Where information is processed by service providers, WAAFI takes reasonable measures to protect personal information in accordance with this policy and applicable requirements.
10. How long we keep information
| Information | Retention |
|---|---|
| General account and profile information | Until the account is deleted; deleted upon account deletion |
| Uploaded contacts | While the account is active and contact syncing is switched on |
| Non-WAAFI contact matches | Immediately deleted after matching |
| Messages and media | Until the WAAFI account is deleted |
| Call and message records | Until the WAAFI account is deleted |
| Financial transaction records | Retained and not deleted with account deletion |
11. Your rights and choices
Depending on applicable law, you may have rights relating to the personal information WAAFI holds about you.
See your information
You may request information about the personal data WAAFI holds about you.
Correct your information
You may update information through the WAAFI app where the relevant feature is available, or contact WAAFI to request correction of inaccurate information.
Delete your account
You can delete your WAAFI account from within the app under Profile. The account deletion process is confirmed using a one-time code sent to your registered phone number. Deleting your account removes your account and profile information and uploaded contacts. Messages and media are retained until account deletion and are then subject to deletion according to WAAFI's deletion processes. Financial transaction records are not deleted with account deletion because WAAFI retains financial records for applicable legal, regulatory and operational requirements.
Withdraw permissions
You can withdraw permissions such as Contacts, Location, Camera, Microphone and Photos through your device settings. To delete contacts already uploaded, turn off Sync Contacts in the WAAFI app under Settings, or contact us.
Block and report
You can block users in WAAFI, and report content that breaks our Terms of Use. Reports are reviewed by our moderation team within 24 hours.
Contact WAAFI
For privacy-related requests, contact support@waafi.com. WAAFI's current target for responding to privacy requests is within 30 days, subject to applicable law and the nature of the request.
12. Security
WAAFI takes reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information. Information sent between the WAAFI application and WAAFI servers is encrypted in transit, and stored WAAFI data is encrypted at rest.
WAAFI also:
- Scans systems for vulnerabilities and malware;
- Restricts access to personal information to authorized staff who need it;
- Uses access controls for systems containing personal information;
- Uses a payment gateway for card payment processing rather than storing full card payment details on WAAFI servers.
WAAFI messaging is encrypted in transit and at rest but is not end-to-end encrypted. No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a security incident affects personal information, WAAFI will take appropriate steps to investigate, contain and address the incident and will notify affected parties and relevant authorities where required by applicable law.
13. Children and minimum age
WAAFI's age requirements depend on the service being used. The general WAAFI onboarding process does not currently collect or record the user's age. Users must be 18 years or older to use WAAFI Money, which requires additional identity and KYC information as described in this policy.
If you believe that a child has provided information to WAAFI in circumstances where the service is not permitted for that child, contact support@waafi.com.
14. Changes to this policy
WAAFI may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When changes are made, WAAFI will update the date shown at the top of this policy. Where a change is significant, WAAFI may provide additional notice through the application or other appropriate means before the change takes effect.
15. Contact us
Questions about this Privacy Policy or the information WAAFI holds about you can be sent to the address below.
WAAFI SASIMMEUBLE CONTINENTALE, PLACE 27 JUIN, P.O. Box 3073, Republic of Djibouti
support@waafi.com
