Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

HourBadge is operated by HourBadge, registered in Kenya. Our registered address is Nairobi 00100, Kenya. References to "HourBadge", "we", "us", or "our" in this policy refer to this entity. You can reach our data team at privacy@hourbadge.com.

2. What data we collect

Data you give us directly

• Name, phone number, email address, date of birth
• Location (city and county)
• Skills, cause interests, and availability
• Profile photo (optional)
• Identity documents (for KYC when cash-equivalent redemptions are enabled)
• Organisation details (for institutions: legal name, registration number, contact person, logo)

Data generated by your activity

• Volunteer sessions: date, location, hours, organisation, role
• Check-in and check-out timestamps and GPS coordinates
• Points earned, redeemed, and transaction history
• Ratings given and received
• Application history and status

Data collected automatically

• Device type, operating system, and app version
• IP address and approximate location (from network)
• Usage patterns and feature interactions (for product improvement)
• Push notification interaction data

3. Why we collect it and the legal basis

4. How we share your data

With organisations you volunteer with

When you apply to an opportunity, the posting organisation receives your name, profile summary, past volunteer hours, and rating. They do not receive your phone number unless you choose to share it.

With reward partners

When you redeem airtime or mobile data, we share your phone number with the relevant telco or payment processor to complete the transaction. We share only what is necessary.

With service providers

We use third-party providers for hosting (cloud infrastructure), analytics, push notifications, and payment processing. All providers are contractually bound to process your data only on our instructions and to maintain appropriate security.

For legal reasons

We may disclose data to law enforcement or regulatory bodies where required by Kenyan law or a valid legal process.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers.

5. Your verified CV and public profile

Your HourBadge profile, including your verified hours and organisation history, is visible to anyone with the link if you choose to share it. You control this. Your profile is set to private by default. You can switch it to public, or generate a shareable link for specific uses (e.g. a university application) without making your full profile public.

6. Data retention

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain certain records for legal or tax compliance purposes. Anonymised, aggregated data (e.g. total platform volunteer hours) is retained indefinitely as it cannot identify you.

7. Your rights

Under the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent for marketing at any time
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC)

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@hourbadge.com. We will respond within 21 days.

8. Security

We protect your data using industry-standard measures: encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, access controls, regular security reviews, and limited staff access to personal data. No system is perfectly secure. If we become aware of a breach affecting your data, we will notify you and the ODPC as required by law.

9. Cookies and tracking

See our separate Cookie Policy for full details on what cookies we use, why, and how to manage them.

10. Children

HourBadge is available to users aged 13 and above. Users under 18 are subject to age-appropriate content filtering and cannot access cash-equivalent rewards without parental consent. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us immediately at privacy@hourbadge.com.

11. Changes to this policy

We will notify you of material changes via in-app notification and email before they take effect. Continued use of HourBadge after the effective date means you accept the updated policy.