Privacy Policy

We collect information at the point you give it to us, and only for the thing you are doing at the time.

When you create an account

We collect your full name, email address and password. Passwords are stored hashed, so we cannot read yours and neither can anyone who obtained the database. You may also choose to provide additional profile fields, including phone number, WhatsApp, title, gender, country, address, occupation, industry, LinkedIn URL, and a profile photo.

School and community details

Members who register as an Old Boy may provide school details including house, admission year, Year of exit, class joined, and subject taught. Well-wishers may provide their relationship to the school. These fields are optional and help build the alumni community. You may update or remove them at any time from your profile.

When you place an order

We ask for your name, phone number and delivery address so we can deliver your items. An email address is optional; if you provide one, we email you an order confirmation and tracking link. Anyone with that link can view the order, so treat it as private.

When you donate

A phone number is required because the payment prompt is sent to that number. Your name, email and address are optional. If you tick the anonymous box, we do not attach your name, email or address to the donation. Donations are processed by MarzPay.

When you list a business

If you submit a business to the Business Directory, we collect your business name, description, category, image, contact details, and your author email. A one-time listing fee (currently UGX 5,000) is payable via MarzPay before listings go live.

When you use Ekiganiro (Open Chat)

Messages you send in the community chat are stored along with your name, profile photo, and title as they appeared at the time you sent the message. You may also upload images or videos through the chat. Chat uses the E-Ntare backend and optionally a Firebase Realtime Database connection for live delivery.

When you submit a review, story, or quote

Reviews store your name, role, rating and comment. Blog posts capture the author name and email. Icon quotes store your name and the submitted text and optional image. All are moderated before publication where applicable.

When you message us

The contact form asks for your name, phone number and message. On the website there is also an optional button that attaches your current location. It is entirely optional; your browser will ask permission first. If you tap it, we store the address and coordinates alongside your message. The mobile app does not request your location.

Quizzes and Today on Ntare

Quiz participation is linked to a device identifier rather than your account. Leaderboard names are pseudonymous. Today on Ntare entries are publicly visible and not tied to individual accounts.

What we do not collect

We do not use analytics tools, advertising pixels, or crash reporting. We do not build a behavioural profile of you or follow you onto other sites. On the mobile app, your device library is accessed only when you choose to upload a photo, and notifications require your explicit permission. Like any website, our hosting provider keeps standard server logs of requests for security and troubleshooting.

We use what we collect to:

• Create and manage your E-Ntare account
• Process payments and deliver your orders
• Record donations and credit them to the right campaign
• Send confirmations, receipts and order updates
• Facilitate the Open Chat and community interactions
• Display business listings and professional opportunities
• Reply when you contact us
• Moderate reviews, blog posts, quotes, and chat messages
• Keep the platform secure and stop abuse
• Keep the records that tax and accounting rules require

We do not send marketing messages and we do not use your details for anything you did not come here to do.

Mobile money payments are handled by MarzPay. When you pay, the PIN prompt comes from MarzPay and goes straight to your phone. Your PIN never passes through us and we never see it. What we receive back is the amount, a reference, and whether the payment went through.

We do not sell your data. We share it only with the services that make the platform work:

• MarzPay — mobile money payments and payouts
• Cloudinary — storing images uploaded by users (profile photos, business images, chat attachments, blog covers, quotes)
• MongoDB Atlas — the primary database
• Vercel — hosting the website and API
• Firebase Realtime Database — optional real-time delivery for Ekiganiro chat messages (messages are published by the server; clients only listen)
• Our email provider (SMTP) — order confirmations, receipts, security codes and password reset emails
• OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — only if you tap the location button on the website contact form. Your coordinates are sent to convert them into a street address. The mobile app does not use this.

Each provider has its own privacy policy. We may also hand over data where the law requires it, or where we need to protect users and the platform.

Orders, donations, payment records, and business listing fees are kept for as long as tax and accounting rules require. Account data is retained for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion to fulfil outstanding orders or comply with legal obligations. Chat messages remain in the chat history. Contact messages are kept until we no longer need them. When a record is no longer needed, we delete it or strip out the parts that identify you.

Traffic runs over HTTPS, passwords are hashed (bcrypt), payment PINs stay with MarzPay, and administrative actions such as withdrawals require a one-time code sent by email before they go through. The mobile app stores your login token in secure, encrypted device storage. That said, no online system is completely secure, and we would rather say so than promise otherwise.

You can:

• Donate anonymously, so no name is attached to the public donation record
• Skip optional fields such as email when ordering, or the location button when messaging
• Request a copy of what we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and personal data — see section 8

For any of these, email us at e.ntare.com@gmail.com.

You can deactivate (close) your account at any time:

• Website: go to Profile and tap "Deactivate account"
• Mobile app: go to the "More" tab and tap "Deactivate account"
• Email: send a request from the address on your account to e.ntare.com@gmail.com

When you deactivate your account, it is hidden and you are signed out; you will no longer be able to log back in. 30 days after deactivation your account is permanently deleted: we remove your profile data and personally identifiable information from content you authored where that content can be linked to your account (including chat messages and Icon quotes). Completed donations and orders are retained as anonymised records because we are required to keep them for tax and accounting purposes.

We use very few cookies and local storage, and only where the service needs them. There are no advertising cookies and nothing that follows you to other websites.

Session cookie (website)

Signing in to the website sets a secure session cookie so the site knows it is still you as you move between pages. Signing out clears it. Without it you cannot stay logged in.

Preference cookie (dashboard)

Inside the admin dashboard we remember whether you left the side menu open or collapsed. It holds no personal information.

Browser local storage (website)

Your shopping cart and wishlist live in your browser rather than on our servers, so they survive until you clear your browser data. We also store a cookie-notice acknowledgement flag.

Device storage (mobile app)

The mobile app stores your login token in encrypted device storage (Keychain / Keystore). It also caches recently viewed pages and list data on your device so the app still shows content when you are briefly offline. None of this data leaves your device.

Notifications (mobile app)

If you grant permission, the app may show local system notifications for new Ekiganiro messages. This requires your explicit opt-in; the app never enables notifications without your permission.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time. Blocking the session cookie means you will not be able to sign in on the website.

The service is not intended for children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information. If we learn that we have, we delete it. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has provided personal information, please contact us.

We update this page when the way we handle data changes, and the date at the top always reflects the latest version. If a change is significant, we will say so in the app or on the site.

If you have any questions, reach out anytime: