ABALOBI ICT4Fisheries NPO (“Company,” “We,” “Us,” or “Our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use the ABALOBI Monitor and ABALOBI Fisher mobile apps (referred to as “Services”). By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
Interpretation
The words with initial capital letters have meanings defined under the following conditions. These definitions apply regardless of whether they appear in singular or plural.
Definitions
- You: The individual accessing or using the Service.
- Company: Refers to ABALOBI ICT4Fisheries NPO.
- Service: Refers to the ABALOBI Monitor and ABALOBI Fisher apps.
- Personal Data: Information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
- Usage Data: Data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (e.g., app usage analytics).
COLLECTING AND USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Types of Data Collected
Personal Data
We may ask You to provide certain personally identifiable information during the use of our Services, which may include:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Role or organization affiliation
Usage Data
Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service. This may include:
- Your device's Internet Protocol (IP) address
- Device type and unique device identifiers
- App usage details (e.g., frequency of use, features accessed)
The ABALOBI Monitor app automatically collects GPS location data to determine and submit the site at which monitoring is conducted, but only if the user has explicitly granted the app permission to access location services.
ABALOBI Fisher App: Your Data Belongs to You
We believe in supporting our users. The data you submit belongs to you. While the core ABALOBI team may access all data to maintain the system, we commit to treating all data with the utmost privacy. You will always have access to your data via the app. If you require a printout of your data, you can contact support at any time by using the HELP button in the app.
ABALOBI Monitor App: The Data You Collect Belongs to Your Employer
If you are using the ABALOBI Monitor app as part of your employment with a government agency, conservation organization, or other legal entity, the data you collect belongs to your employing organization. Deleting your account will not delete data submitted through the app, as this data is owned and retained by the organization for regulatory, research, and monitoring purposes
USE OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:
- To provide and maintain our Services: To ensure the proper functioning of our apps and monitor their usage.
- To manage your account: To provide personalized features based on your registration details.
- To contact you: For updates, important notices, or support regarding the functionality of the apps.
- To improve our Services: For analytics and research purposes to enhance user experience and app performance.
- To respond to user requests: To address inquiries, complaints, or requests made by users, including the deletion of data.
ACCOUNT DELETION POLICY
Users may request the deletion of their personal accounts. However, the following conditions apply:
- Deleting an account will remove personally identifiable information (such as name, email, and phone number) from our systems.
- Any data submitted via the ABALOBI Monitor app will not be deleted, as it belongs to the organization that employs the user.
- To ensure compliance with both privacy regulations and organisational data retention policies, submitted data may be retained but de-identified by removing the user's personal details while preserving the integrity of the information.
If you wish your account to be deleted, you can request deletion by contacting us at products@abalobi.org.
DATA SHARING AND ACCESS
Privacy and Sharing Rules
- We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your Personally Identifiable Information to outside parties without your explicit consent.
- Aggregated Data: We may publish aggregated, anonymized data (e.g., total catch statistics across regions) to support research, advocacy, or community development initiatives.
- Authorities: Your data will only be shared with authorities or other organizations if you provide explicit consent.
THIRD-PARTY LINKS
We do not include or offer third-party products or services on our apps.
GOOGLE AND ADVERTISING
We adhere to Google's Advertising Principles, which are designed to ensure a positive user experience. You can review these principles here: Google Advertising Principles.
We have not enabled Google AdSense on our apps but may choose to do so in the future.
RETENTION OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.
The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or when we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.
Usage Data and submitted records within the ABALOBI Monitor app may be retained indefinitely for regulatory, research, and conservation purposes, even after an individual user's account is deleted.
TRANSFER OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company's operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. This may involve transferring and maintaining data on computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ from your jurisdiction.
Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.
The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place, including the security of your data and other personal information.
DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Business Transactions
If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.
Law Enforcement
Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).
Other Legal Requirements
The Company may disclose your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
- Comply with a legal obligation
- Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
- Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
- Protect the personal safety of users of the Service or the public
- Protect against legal liability
SECURITY OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
The security of Your Personal Data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
The ABALOBI Platform is a cloud-based solution leveraging Amazon Web Services secure-by-design data centres. AWS has certification for compliance with ISO/IEC 27001:2022, 27017:2015, 27018:2019, 27701:2019, 22301:2019, 20000-1:2018, 9001:2015, and CSA STAR CCM v4.0.
ABALOBI adheres to its data security and privacy policy in alignment with applicable laws and policies, including South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 (ECT Act), and the National Data and Cloud Policy (GG No. 50741), as well as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where applicable.
DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Service Providers have access to your Personal Data only to perform their tasks on Our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.
USER RIGHTS
You have the right to:
- Access the Personal Data we hold about you.
- Request correction or deletion of your Personal Data.
- Withdraw consent for the processing of your data, where applicable.
To request deletion of your data, contact us at products@abalobi.org.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and you will be notified of significant updates via email or an in-app notification. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy reflects the most recent changes.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: products@abalobi.org