PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date: September 2, 2026

AfroYap ("AfroYap," "we," "our," or "us") is operated by Muhammed Jatta in Colorado, United States. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use AfroYap on iOS, Android, or the web, how we use and share it, and the choices you have.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide

  • Account information: username, password (stored securely by our authentication provider, never in readable form), and date of birth.

  • Optional contact information: email address and phone number, if you add them for verification or sign in with Google.

  • Profile information: profile photo, bio, heritage/country, and where you live, if you choose to add it.

  • Content: Yaps, Shouts, replies, polls, images, videos, tribe and forum posts, and direct messages.

  • Interactions: likes, follows, friend connections, tribe memberships, blocks, and reports.

  • Gold: your balance and how it is earned and spent.

Information collected automatically

  • Device and technical information: device type, operating system, app version, and crash and error logs.

  • Activity information: when you were last active, when you typically open the app, your time zone, and how you use features.

  • Push notification tokens: so we can send you notifications.

Information from others

  • If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and account identifier from Google.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Create and manage your account and verify your identity

  • Provide AfroYap's features, including feeds, tribes, messaging, and Gold

  • Send notifications, including activity recaps

  • Keep the community safe, enforce our Terms, review reports, and apply age-based protections

  • Measure how people find AfroYap and improve the app

  • Comply with legal obligations

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as follows:

  • With other users: your profile and content are visible according to where you post and your settings (see Section 4).

  • With service providers that help run AfroYap, including Google Firebase (hosting, database, authentication, and notifications) and our email delivery provider.

  • With Meta: we share limited information about app activity, such as signups and installs, with Meta to measure the effectiveness of our advertising. On iOS, this happens only if you allow tracking through Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. We do not share information about users under 18 for advertising purposes.

  • With moderators: community moderators can see reported content and account information needed to enforce our Terms.

  • For legal reasons: when required by law, or to protect the safety of users or the public.

  • If AfroYap is transferred: as part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this Policy.

4. Who Can See Your Content

  • Public content (such as Yaps on the main feed and your public profile) can be seen by anyone using AfroYap, and some public content may be visible to signed-out visitors on the web.

  • Private and approval-only tribes and groups: posts are visible only to members.

  • Direct messages: visible only to you and the people in the conversation, plus moderators when a message is reported.

  • Blocked users cannot see your content.

5. Users Aged 16 and 17

AfroYap is for users 16 and older. Users aged 16 and 17 receive additional protections, including limited visibility in search, and their content is never used in our marketing. We do not share their information for advertising purposes. If we learn that a user is under 16, we will delete the account and its data.

6. Your Choices and Rights

  • Access and correction: you can view and edit most of your information in the app. To request a copy of your data, email us.

  • Deletion: you can delete your account from within the app (see Section 8).

  • Notifications: you can turn off push notifications in the app or in your device settings.

  • Tracking: on iOS, you can allow or decline tracking through Apple's prompt and change your choice in your device settings.

Depending on where you live, such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, or California, you may have additional rights, including the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data, and to opt out of certain sharing. To use these rights, email us. We will not treat you differently for exercising them.

7. Data Retention

We keep your information while your account is active. When you delete your account, we remove your profile and content from AfroYap within [30] days. Copies may remain in backups for up to [90] days. We may keep limited information longer when needed for safety or legal reasons, such as records of permanent bans to prevent ban evasion.

8. Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time from within the app. Deleting your account removes your profile and content from AfroYap, subject to the retention limits in Section 7. Messages you sent may remain visible to recipients in some cases [confirm].

9. Security

We use reputable providers and reasonable safeguards to protect your information. No system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. International Users

AfroYap is operated in the United States, and your information is stored and processed in the United States. By using AfroYap, you understand that your information will be transferred to the United States.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. For significant changes, we will notify you in the app before they take effect.

12. Contact Us

For privacy questions or requests: [afroyapteam@gmail.com]