Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how LoqalGems collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use the LoqalGems website, Android application, application programming interfaces, and related support services (together, the “Service”).

LoqalGems is currently an independently operated service based in Kenya. For purposes of applicable data protection law, the operator of LoqalGems determines how and why personal information is processed and acts as the data controller. You can contact the operator at info@loqalgems.com.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways.

Information you provide

• Account information: your name, username, email address, phone number, password-derived authentication information, account type, and account identifiers.
• Profile and business information: profile and cover images, biography, address or city, company details, contact information, business hours, services, team information, and social links that you choose to provide.
• Property information: listings, prices, addresses, descriptions, amenities, ownership or agency information, map locations, photographs, videos, and related enquiries.
• Community and messaging content: posts, comments, reactions, saved content, reports, direct messages, attachments, shared map pins, and other content you submit. Public posts, profile details, listings, and comments may be visible to other users. Direct messages are visible to their participants and are not represented as end-to-end encrypted.
• Verification information: documents and supporting information submitted to verify an identity, company, agency, or property relationship.
• Support and request information: information in enquiries, feedback, reports, appeals, account-deletion requests, and privacy requests.

Location information

With your device permission, the Android app may access your precise foreground location to show nearby properties, local community content, maps, weather, and location-aware assistant results. You may instead choose an area or map pin manually. The app does not currently request background location.

Your selected location may be stored on your device. Coordinates or area information may also be sent to Google Maps, Places, or Geocoding, WeatherAPI, or LoqalGems servers when needed to provide a feature. A location attached to a listing, community post, map share, or message may be stored and shown to the audience selected for that content. Location supplied to the LoqalGems assistant may be used for that assistant request.

Camera, microphone, photos, videos, and files

If you choose to create or upload content, the Android app may request access to your camera, microphone, selected photos or videos, media library, or files. We receive only the content you choose to capture or submit and information needed to process it, such as file type and size. A selected file may contain metadata created by your device, including location metadata. Device permissions can be changed in Android settings.

Information collected automatically

• Usage and diagnostics: screen and feature events, session identifiers and duration, app version, build version, operating-system version, Android API level, general device type and age class, crash information, error information, and performance or delivery events.
• Network and security information: IP address, user agent, request timestamps, authentication and security events, and information used to prevent misuse and protect accounts.
• Notification information: an Expo push token, platform, app version, notification preferences, and delivery or interaction information needed to send notifications.
• Website technologies: cookies, local storage, and similar technologies used on the website. See our Cookie Policy for more information.

Before usage analytics or diagnostics begin on a new installation or browser, LoqalGems shows a notice with both categories enabled by default. You can switch either category off before continuing or at any time in Settings > Privacy on Android or the website settings. First-party product telemetry uses random session identifiers and is not routinely linked to your account. LoqalGems analytics are designed not to include passwords, message or post text, search text, or precise coordinates. Diagnostic reports sent to Sentry are configured to exclude default personal information, screenshots, view hierarchies, request data, and session replay.

2. How We Use Information

We use personal information to:

• create, authenticate, maintain, and secure accounts;
• publish and manage profiles, listings, posts, comments, and media;
• provide search, maps, nearby results, weather, messaging, and notifications;
• operate the LoqalGems assistant and respond to assistant requests;
• personalize local content and recommendations;
• respond to support, privacy, verification, and deletion requests;
• moderate content, investigate reports, prevent fraud, and enforce our terms;
• measure feature usage, diagnose faults, and improve the Service; and
• comply with legal obligations and protect users, LoqalGems, and the public.

Depending on the context, we process information because it is needed to provide the Service you request, because you have consented, because it is necessary for a legitimate interest such as security or service improvement, or because the law requires or permits it. You may decline optional information or permissions, although the related feature may then be unavailable.

3. AI Assistant

When you communicate with the LoqalGems assistant, your prompt, relevant conversation context, and any area or coordinates supplied for that request may be processed by LoqalGems and OpenAI to generate a response. Assistant conversations may be stored as message history. Do not submit unnecessary confidential or sensitive information. AI responses may be incomplete or inaccurate and should not replace independent property, financial, legal, or safety advice.

4. When We Share Information

We may disclose information as follows:

• Other users and the public: when you publish a profile, listing, post, comment, media item, or location for a chosen audience, or send a message to another user.
• Service providers: providers supporting hosting and databases, media storage and delivery (including Bunny.net), email delivery (including Resend), Android and push-notification delivery (including Google/Firebase and Expo), maps and place services (Google), weather information (WeatherAPI), diagnostics (Sentry), and AI responses (OpenAI). These providers process information for the relevant service subject to their terms and privacy practices.
• Legal, safety, and enforcement reasons: when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to a lawful request, investigate fraud or abuse, protect someone from harm, or establish or defend legal claims.
• Business changes: in connection with a proposed or completed financing, reorganisation, merger, sale, or transfer of the Service, subject to appropriate confidentiality and notice where required.
• With your direction or consent.

We do not sell personal information. We do not currently use a third-party advertising SDK or use information to track you across other companies’ apps and websites. LoqalGems may display promoted listings or commercial posts within the Service.

5. International Processing

Some service providers may process information outside Kenya. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to use providers and safeguards appropriate to the information and the requirements of applicable law. Contact us if you would like more information about a particular provider or transfer.

6. Retention

We retain personal information only while it is reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, including providing the Service, maintaining conversation or transaction history, resolving disputes, preventing abuse, and meeting legal obligations. Retention is determined by the type of information and what happens in the Service:

• Account and profile information is generally retained while the account is active and is removed or anonymised through the account deletion process.
• Listings remain while active. When an account is deleted, its listings are removed from active publication, although limited records may remain where needed for integrity, disputes, fraud prevention, or legal compliance.
• Posts, comments, and messages may remain after account deletion when they form part of another user’s conversation or shared community history. Public identity is replaced with “Deleted User” where the deletion process supports this. Reported content may be retained while a safety or moderation matter remains relevant.
• Verification documents are retained during review and for up to 90 days after a final decision, then the stored files and their URLs are deleted. The verification result and decision dates may remain while the account exists. Documents are also queued for deletion when an account is deleted unless a legal hold applies.
• Push tokens are retained until they are removed, replaced, or the associated account is deleted.
• Product telemetry stored by LoqalGems is scheduled to expire after 90 days.
• Contact, support, and feedback records are generally retained for 24 months from submission. Privacy, moderation, security, deletion, fraud, and legal records may be retained longer when needed to resolve and document the matter or protect legal rights.
• On-device information remains until removed by the app, cleared in device settings, or removed when the app is uninstalled, depending on the Android platform behaviour.
• Deleted information may remain temporarily in restricted operational backups for a rolling maximum of 30 days. If a backup is restored, deletion and retention work must be reapplied.

We delete, anonymise, or restrict information when it is no longer reasonably necessary under the applicable retention rule. A longer period may apply when required by law, a legal hold, safety needs, or the protection of legal rights.

7. Account Deletion

Signed-in users can request deletion from Settings > Security > Delete account. If you cannot sign in, use our account deletion page or email info@loqalgems.com from the address associated with the account.

Account deletion removes sign-in access, disables notifications, delists properties, removes listing contact details and certain saved and relationship data, deletes any legacy first-party telemetry still linked to the account, and removes or anonymises personal profile information. Current first-party telemetry is account-unlinked. Shared history may remain under “Deleted User” as explained above. We may ask for information reasonably necessary to verify that the requester controls the account.

8. Your Choices and Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may ask to access, correct, receive a copy of, object to or restrict the use of, or delete personal information about you. You may also withdraw consent where processing relies on consent. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal.

You can manage notification preferences and analytics or diagnostics settings in the app, change Android permissions in device settings, update available profile details, or request account deletion. For any other request, email info@loqalgems.com. We may need to verify your identity and account relationship before fulfilling a request.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

9. Security

We use measures intended to protect information, including encrypted network connections, password hashing, restricted access, secure token storage in the Android app, data minimisation in diagnostics, and security monitoring. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that information will never be lost, misused, or accessed without authorisation.

10. Adults Only

LoqalGems accounts and interactive features are intended only for people aged 18 or older. Do not create an account, post, message, list property, or submit personal information if you are under 18. Public property information may be viewable without an account, but the Service is not directed to children. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 18, we may suspend the account and delete or otherwise handle the information as required by law.

New account registrations and existing accounts are required to pass an age check. The submitted birth date is used to determine whether the person is at least 18 and is not retained; we retain the date and method of confirmation, the client source, and the applicable policy version.

11. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to websites or services that LoqalGems does not control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own notices, and we encourage you to review them before providing personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes to the Service, providers, or legal requirements. We will post the updated version here and change the effective date. If a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will provide additional notice where reasonably practicable or legally required.

13. Contact Us

For privacy questions, requests, or complaints, contact LoqalGems at info@loqalgems.com.