Privacy policy

What we collect

• Account details: your mobile number, name, district and account type.
• Your ads: text, photos, price and location. We remove hidden location data (GPS) from photos when you upload them.
• Messages: chats you send through Sooka, including photos.
• Activity: ads you view, save or report, and when you reveal a seller's number or start a chat, so we can show sellers their stats and fight fraud.
• Technical data: your browser type and a login cookie that keeps you signed in.

How we use it

• To run your account, show your ads and connect buyers and sellers.
• To send SMS codes and the notifications you choose (you can turn SMS notifications off in your profile).
• To keep Sooka safe: checking ads for scams, investigating reports, and suspending accounts that break the rules.
• To improve Sooka, using aggregated statistics.

Who can see what

• Anyone can see your ads, your name and when you joined. Your phone number is shown only when a buyer taps "Show phone number" or WhatsApp.
• Chats are private between the two people in them. If a chat is reported, trained Sooka moderators may read it to investigate. Every such access is logged.
• We share data with service providers that help us run Sooka (for example, our SMS provider), only as needed, and with authorities when Ugandan law requires it.
• We never sell your personal data.

How long we keep it

We keep your data while your account is open. When you delete your account, your profile, ads and photos are deleted. Limited records (such as moderation logs) may be kept longer where needed for safety or legal reasons.

Your rights

You can see and correct your details in your profile, and delete your account at any time. You may also ask us for a copy of your data, object to how we use it, or complain to Uganda's Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO).

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact our data protection officer through the help page.