PRIVACY POLICY

This Privacy Policy describes how eSooq ("we", "us", or "our") handles information through our website, merchant dashboard, online stores, Telegram bot, and related services.

It covers:

• Merchants: Shop owners and staff who use eSooq to manage products, stock, and orders.
• Shoppers: People who browse a merchant’s store, place orders, or contact the merchant about a purchase.

The information we handle depends on how you use the service and which features you enable:

• Account & Store Details: Your name, email address, sign-in credentials or linked sign-in provider identifiers, and the phone number, store handle, address, and other business details you provide. Linked Google or Telegram accounts may also provide profile information.
• Store content: Product names, descriptions, prices, stock quantities, categories, and images uploaded by merchants.
• Customer Order Information: Names, phone numbers, optional email addresses, delivery or pickup details, order items, and instructions supplied at checkout or entered by a merchant.
• Payment & Subscription Records: Selected payment methods, transaction references, uploaded payment proofs, payment review outcomes, subscription records, and receiving account details supplied by merchants. Payment providers handle information entered directly on their own payment pages.
• Connected Telegram Accounts: Telegram user and chat identifiers, connection settings, operator permissions, and messages or button actions sent to our bot to use its features.
• Usage & Technical Information: Store visit and order activity, request timestamps, and information such as IP addresses and browser details used for reporting, troubleshooting, and service security.

We use this information to operate and support eSooq:

• Accounts & Subscriptions: Signing users in, checking access permissions, managing subscriptions, and reviewing subscription payments.
• Stores & Orders: Showing store content, recording orders and in-person sales, updating inventory, and helping merchants manage fulfillment and payments.
• Notifications & Telegram Tools: Sending account or order messages through configured email and Telegram channels, and responding to authorized bot actions.
• Reports: Preparing store visit, order, and sales summaries for merchants.
• Support & Security: Responding to requests, investigating faults or payment disputes, preventing abuse, and meeting applicable legal obligations.

Information is shared with the merchant handling an order and with service providers needed to operate enabled features. These include:

• Payment Providers: Connected gateways, such as Chapa where configured, receive the details needed to initiate and verify payments. A manual bank or mobile-money transfer is reviewed separately and does not imply a gateway connection.
• Messaging and sign-in: Telegram receives messages and connection information when you use our bot or Telegram sign-in. Google receives sign-in requests when you choose Google sign-in. These providers also process information under their own policies.
• Email delivery: Email service providers process recipient addresses and message content to deliver account and order messages.
• Hosting and file delivery: Service providers host the application, store files, and deliver website content. Providers may process information outside Ethiopia; the location depends on the service used.
• Legal authorities: We may disclose information when required by a valid court order, applicable law, or a lawful request from Ethiopian authorities.

Responsibility depends on why the information is being processed:

• Merchant Store Operations: The merchant determines the purposes of processing their customer order data, including delivery and customer service. eSooq processes that information on the merchant’s behalf to provide store and order tools.
• eSooq’s Own Operations: We determine how account, subscription, support, and security information is used to run the platform and meet our own legal obligations.

For a request about an order, contact the store that received it. You can also contact eSooq at [email protected] about information we handle. We may need to verify your identity and coordinate with the merchant to respond.

We use cookies and browser storage for sign-in, shopping carts, and preferences:

• Sign-in: Session cookies keep merchants signed in to the dashboard.
• Shopping carts: Local and session storage keep cart selections as shoppers browse the store.
• Preferences: Remembering language and interface choices, including whether the landing page introduction has already been shown during your visit.

We do not use cross-site advertising cookies or retargeting pixels that follow you across unrelated websites.

We use safeguards to limit unauthorized access. No system can guarantee complete security:

• Connections & Credentials: Public eSooq websites use HTTPS. Passwords used for email sign-in are stored as hashes rather than readable passwords.
• Access Controls: Account sessions, store membership, and permission checks restrict access to merchant tools and records. Connecting a Telegram notification chat does not itself grant permission to change stock or orders.
• Retention: We retain information as needed to provide the service, handle payments and disputes, protect the platform, and meet applicable legal obligations. Account closure does not automatically erase every order, payment, log, or backup record.
• Deletion Requests: Contact support to request deletion. We review the request, verify identity where needed, and explain any information that must be retained.

Subject to applicable data protection law, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, or object to or seek restriction of its processing. Other rights, including portability and withdrawal of consent where consent is the basis for processing, may also apply. To make a request:

• Contact Us: Write to [email protected] with enough detail to identify the account or order and describe your request. Do not send passwords or unnecessary sensitive information.
• Use Available Tools: Merchants can update supported profile and store details and export available product and order data as CSV files from the dashboard. These exports are not a complete export of every personal record held by the service.
• Review & Response: We may verify identity, coordinate with the merchant, and apply legal exceptions or retention requirements. You may also raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority.

We may update this policy when the service or applicable law changes.

The effective date at the top of this page identifies the current policy. Material changes may also be communicated through available account or support channels, with any additional notice required by applicable law.

For privacy questions or requests about your personal information, contact eSooq: