Privacy policy
Who we are
Zoteni is a digital commerce discovery platform that connects people with businesses, products and services across Africa. Zoteni is operated by Zotify Limited(Co. No. PVT-MA17D6OJ), Nairobi, Kenya. For the purposes of the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019 (the "Act"), Zotify Limited is the data controller for the personal data described below. You can reach us at hello@zoteni.com or through any contact channel shown on this site.
What we collect - and why
- Early-access and pre-sign-up leads. If you sign up we store your email address, your phone number (so we can reach you on WhatsApp), the area or county you entered, and - for businesses - your business name, what you sell, whether you have an online store (Shopify, WooCommerce, none or other), how you take orders today, and roughly how many products you carry; for shoppers, the categories you said you shop for. We use this only to set up your listing and to tell you when Zoteni opens in your area. Lawful basis: your explicit consent - the box is never pre-checked, and you choose exactly which channels we may use (WhatsApp, SMS and/or email). We send launch and marketing messages only on the channels you ticked. You may withdraw consent at any time (see Your rights); no message is implied without it.
- Search and browse data. When you search or browse, we record the search terms and basic technical events (for example, a search that returns no results is recorded as demand so shops can stock what people ask for). These records are not linked to your identity unless you sign in.
- Order data. When you place an order or a request to buy, we store your name, phone number and delivery details so the business can fulfil your order. On shops that have not joined Zoteni, your name and number stay private until the business confirms by a one-time code sent to its listed phone.
- Country and area. Your country (defaulting to Kenya) and the town or area you enter, so we can tell you when Zoteni opens near you. Our mission is commerce discovery for Africa; while we are pre-launch, our operations are in Kenya - we never claim presence in markets we are not in.
- Business information. For businesses, we build listings from public sources ("discovered" shops) and from what the business or its agents provide when it claims its listing. We mark every shop truthfully - discovered, claimed or verified - and never display a trust label a business has not earned.
- Cookies. We use a session cookie to keep you signed in, and - only with your permission through the consent banner - analytics cookies to understand how people use the site. You can accept or reject analytics cookies at any time.
What we do NOT do
- We do not sell your personal data.
- We do not send marketing messages beyond what you asked for, on the channels you chose (WhatsApp, SMS, email - the launch notice for your area).
- We do not publish your phone number; WhatsApp contact happens through a click-to-chat link, and your number is not stored in the page.
- We do not generate fake reviews or ratings; we display none at all until real ones exist.
Your rights
Under the Act you have the right to know whether we hold your personal data; to access it; to have inaccurate data corrected; to have it deleted where retention is no longer necessary; to object to processing; and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, email hello@zoteni.com with the email or phone number you used. We will respond within a reasonable period and in any case within the timelines the Act requires.
How long we keep data
- Early-access and pre-sign-up leads: until we launch in your area and have onboarded or notified you, or until you withdraw consent - then deleted.
- Order records: retained as needed to fulfil and support orders, handle returns, and meet our legal and tax obligations.
- Search demand records: retained in aggregate form; identity (where any exists) is removed.
Sharing
We share personal data only with the business fulfilling your order (the seller receives what it needs to deliver), and with service providers who help us run the platform (for example, hosting and payment processors) under contract to process it only on our instructions. We do not transfer your data outside the purposes described here.
Security
We protect personal data in transit and at rest, restrict access to it, and keep secrets in a managed secret store - never in code. If a data breach affecting you ever occurs, we will notify you and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner as the Act requires.
Changes
If this policy changes we will update this page and change the date above. Material changes affecting your data will be announced clearly.