What we collect, and why.

Who we are

SpeaSoko is an online marketplace for car parts, solar equipment, and electrical accessories, operated from Nairobi, Kenya. When this policy says “SpeaSoko,” “we,” “us,” or “our,” it means the company running speasoko.com.

If you have any questions about this policy, contact us at support@speasoko.com.

What this policy covers

This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use speasoko.com, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over it. It applies to buyers, sellers, and anyone who visits the site.

1. Information we collect

1.1 Information you give us directly

When you create an account:

• Your full name
• Your email address
• Your county or area in Kenya
• Your business or display name (sellers only)
• Your phone number (added in Settings, optional until you make a purchase)

When you list a part or product:

• Photos of the item
• The price you set
• Condition and fitment details
• Your delivery areas and terms

When you buy or chat:

• The part or product you are looking for
• Your vehicle details (make, model, year, chassis number)
• Messages you send in chat
• Your delivery area

When you verify your account (sellers):

• National ID or passport number
• KRA PIN (optional, but required for the verified seller badge)
• Business registration documents (optional)

When you contact support:

• The contents of your message and any attachments

1.2 Information we collect automatically

When you visit speasoko.com, we collect:

• Your IP address
• The type of device and browser you are using
• Pages you visit and how long you spend on them
• Search terms you enter
• Which links you click

We collect this through standard web server logs and cookies. See Section 7 for more on cookies.

1.3 Information from third parties

Google sign-in: if you choose to sign in with Google, we receive your full name and email address from Google. We do not receive your Google password.

Payment processors: we use M-Pesa and other payment services for transactions. They handle payment details directly. We never store your full card number or M-Pesa PIN.

2. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

Run the marketplace

• Match your part requests to sellers who have what you need
• Show you comparison prices from multiple sellers
• Let buyers and sellers communicate through our in-app chat
• Process orders and coordinate delivery

Keep your account secure

• Verify your identity when you sign in
• Send you security alerts when your account is accessed from a new device
• Process verification documents for seller accounts

Send you emails and notifications

• Transactional emails about your orders, offers, and account (from noreply@speasoko.com)
• Security and account-change alerts
• Partner and verification communications (from partners@speasoko.com)
• Support responses (from support@speasoko.com)
• Payment and financial records (from admin@speasoko.com)

We only send marketing or summary emails if you opt in. You can change your notification preferences at any time in Settings.

Improve the platform

• Understand which features buyers and sellers use
• Fix bugs and improve search accuracy
• Build the part-type and vehicle taxonomy that makes search work

Prevent fraud and abuse

• Detect and remove fake listings and spam accounts
• Monitor chat for contact details shared outside the platform (phone numbers, WhatsApp links)
• Review disputes between buyers and sellers

Comply with the law

• Retain transaction records as required under Kenyan law
• Respond to lawful requests from government authorities

3. Your phone number, how we handle it

This section deserves its own place because it is the promise at the centre of SpeaSoko.

While you are comparing and chatting: your phone number is never visible to sellers, other buyers, or anyone outside your SpeaSoko account. Every conversation happens inside the app. Sellers see your full name and your part request, not your number.

After you confirm a purchase: we will ask, in a clear and separate step, whether you want to share your number with the seller to arrange delivery. This is explicit, optional, per-order, and never automatic. You can tap “Not now” and still coordinate delivery through in-app chat.

If you share your number for delivery: it goes to that seller, for that order only. Sharing it for one order does not share it for future orders. We log when and for which order consent was given.

We never sell your phone number to anyone, for any reason.

We never share your phone number with any third party except the seller you explicitly consent to share it with, or if required by law.

4. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the following cases.

4.1 With other users of the platform

When you use SpeaSoko as a buyer, sellers see:

• Your full name
• Your vehicle details and the part you need
• Your general area (county or neighbourhood, not your address)
• Your review, if you leave one

When you use SpeaSoko as a seller, buyers see:

• Your display name or business name
• Your star rating and reviews
• Your verified badge (if verified)
• Your listing prices and delivery areas

No one sees your email address, password, ID documents, KRA PIN, or M-Pesa details.

4.2 With service providers

We use trusted third-party services to run the platform. These providers process your data only on our instructions and are contractually required to protect it.

4.3 For legal reasons

We may share your information with police, courts, or regulatory authorities if:

• We are required to by Kenyan law
• We believe it is necessary to prevent fraud, protect someone's safety, or enforce our Terms of Service

We will tell you if we receive such a request unless we are legally prohibited from doing so.

4.4 In a business transfer

If SpeaSoko is acquired, merged, or its assets are sold, your information may be transferred to the new owner. We will notify you before that happens and you will have the right to delete your account.

5. How long we keep your information

We keep transaction records longer than account data because Kenyan law requires it. Deleting your account removes your personal profile, listings, and chat history. Transaction records that must be kept for legal compliance are retained in anonymised or minimal form.

6. Your rights

You have the right to:

Access your data: ask us what personal information we hold about you. We will respond within 30 days.

Correct your data: update inaccurate information directly in Settings, or contact us to correct something you cannot change yourself.

Delete your account: go to Settings, then Danger zone, then Delete account. Your profile, listings, and chat history will be permanently deleted within 7 days. Transaction records required by law are kept separately.

Object to processing: if we process your data for a purpose you disagree with, you can object. We will stop unless we have a legal reason to continue.

Withdraw consent: if we process your data based on your consent (for example, marketing emails), you can withdraw that consent at any time in Settings under Notifications.

Data portability: you can request a copy of the data you have given us in a standard format.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@speasoko.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on your request.

7. Cookies

Signing in and your shopping cart use your browser's local storage, not cookies - clearing your browser's site data for speasoko.com signs you out and empties your cart, the same as clearing cookies would elsewhere.

Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used - which pages get visited, roughly where from, and which searches lead somewhere useful. This is the only optional tracker on the site. We do not use Facebook Pixel, advertising cookies, or retargeting, and we do not use Google Analytics' advertising features. A banner asks for your consent before analytics cookies are set, using Google's Consent Mode - if you decline, no analytics cookies are set and no analytics data is sent for your visit.

Google Maps. Typing a location when searching or listing loads Google Maps, which may set its own cookies under Google's own privacy policy - this isn't something we control.

Paystack. Paying for an order takes you to Paystack's own hosted checkout page, which may set its own cookies there - not on speasoko.com, and not something we control.

You can also manage or block cookies directly in your browser settings. Disabling local storage/cookies entirely will stop sign-in and the cart from working, regardless of the choice above.

8. Security

We take security seriously because money and identity are involved on our platform.

What we do to protect your data:

• All data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS (TLS 1.2 or higher)
• Passwords are hashed and we cannot see your password
• Verification documents are stored in access-controlled storage, not public
• Sensitive account changes such as email, phone, and payout method require re-authentication via OTP
• We send you an alert any time a sensitive change is made to your account
• Chat contact-stripping removes phone numbers and external links shared in messages

What you should do:

• Use a strong, unique password if you create one
• Sign out on shared devices
• Enable two-factor authentication in Settings when available
• Contact us immediately at support@speasoko.com if you believe your account has been compromised

No platform is 100% secure. If we become aware of a breach that affects your personal data, we will notify you promptly by email.

9. Children

SpeaSoko is not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we discover we have collected data from a child, we will delete it immediately.

If you believe a child has created an account, contact us at support@speasoko.com.

10. Links to other websites

speasoko.com may link to other websites, for example courier tracking pages or payment portals. This privacy policy does not cover those sites. We recommend reading the privacy policy of any site you visit.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when:

• We add new features that affect how we handle data
• The law changes
• Our service providers change

When we make a significant change, we will:

• Update the “Last updated” date at the top
• Send registered users an email notice at least 14 days before the change takes effect
• Keep the previous version available on request

Continuing to use SpeaSoko after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

12. Contact us

For any privacy question, data request, or concern:

Email: support@speasoko.com
Response time: within 30 days

For partnership or seller-specific questions: partners@speasoko.com

For payment and billing queries: admin@speasoko.com

SpeaSoko
Nairobi, Kenya
speasoko.com

This Privacy Policy was written for speasoko.com and reflects the actual data practices of the platform as of the effective date above.