Who we are

CHAI (Connecting Humans and Artificial Intelligence) operates https://chai.africa (“Site”). The data controller is Kytabu Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our”). This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and the rights you have.

What this policy covers

1. Visitors to the Site
2. People who create accounts, comment, upload media, join the community, participate in the CHAI Hackathon (including public voting), or contact us
3. Embedded content and links hosted by third parties (e.g., YouTube, Google, social platforms)

Information we collect

a) Information you provide
Account & profile data: name, email, username/handle, country, bio, team info.
Applications & submissions: proposals, whitepapers, case studies, demos, links.
Community content: comments, posts, messages, uploaded images/video (please remove EXIF GPS data before upload).
Support requests: messages and contact details.
Public voting: content you choose to display publicly and votes you cast.

b) Information we collect automatically
Usage & device data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referral URLs, pages viewed, time on page, clicks, approximate location.
Cookies & similar tech: see Section 8.If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

c) Information from third parties
Analytics & anti-spam tools (e.g., WordPress services such as Akismet/Gravatar, Google tools).
Single sign-on / social (if enabled later).
Partners & service providers helping us run the hackathon.

We do not intentionally collect special category data (health, religion, etc.). Please don’t include it in submissions.

How we use your information (purposes & legal bases)

We process data to:

If you are in the EEA/UK, we rely on consent, contract, legitimate interests, and legal obligation as applicable.

When information is public

1. Comments, profiles, and team pages may be visible to other users or the public, depending on your settings.
2. Public voting & showcases: if you participate, your team name, country, and project details may be displayed publicly. Only share content you’re comfortable making public.

Who we share information with

We share information only as needed to operate CHAI:

1. Service providers/processors: hosting, security, anti-spam, email/SMS, analytics, customer support, and event tools. Typical categories include: website hosting, WordPress plugins, email services (e.g., Google Workspace/Gmail), form and survey tools, video platforms (e.g., YouTube/Vimeo), content delivery and caching.

2. Partners: carefully selected hackathon partners may receive aggregated or de-identified insights; if we need to share personal data with a named partner, we’ll do so with your consent or as disclosed at the point of collection

3. Legal and safety: to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, or protect rights, safety, and security.

4. Business transfers: if we restructure or transfer operations, data may transfer under this policy’s safeguards.

We do not sell personal data.

Cookies & tracking technologies

a) What we use cookies for

Essential (security, login sessions, load balancing)
Preferences (remembering site choices)
Analytics (understanding usage and improving the Site)
Media/Embeds (e.g., YouTube thumbnails, social embeds may set their own cookies)

b) Managing cookies

You can control cookies in your browser settings (block, delete, or limit). Blocking essential cookies may impact site functionality. If we deploy a cookie banner, you can manage non-essential cookies there.

Embedded content & links

Pages may include embedded videos, images, posts, or scripts from other websites. Embedded content behaves as if you visited that site, which may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction—especially if you’re logged into those services (e.g., YouTube). Review their privacy policies.

Data retention

Accounts & profiles: kept while your account is active. If you deactivate, we retain what’s needed for legal or security reasons and backups for a limited period.

Comments & community content: retained to preserve conversation history unless you delete or request deletion.

Applications & hackathon records: retained for the life of the program and for reporting and legitimate archiving; where feasible, we may de-identify older records.

Logs/analytics: typically 12–24 months (varies by provider).
We keep data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above or as required by law.

Your rights

Your rights may include (subject to your location and applicable law, e.g., Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, GDPR/UK GDPR):

Access your data and get a copy
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
Erase data (right to be forgotten) where applicable
Object to or restrict processing in certain cases
Data portability (receive your data in a usable format)
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
Complain to a supervisory authority (e.g., Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner or your local authority in the EEA/UK)

To exercise rights, contact us. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Children’s privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 16 (or the age required by your jurisdiction). If you believe a child provided personal data, contact us to remove it.

Security

We use technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk (HTTPS, access controls, backups, limited retention). No system is 100% secure; please use strong, unique passwords and protect your account.

Email communications

We may send:

Community and opportunity updates (you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in the email or by emailing support@kytabu.com

Service/transactional emails (required for accounts, hackathon updates)

Changes to this policy

We’ll post updates on this page and update the “Effective date.” Significant changes may also be notified by email or banner.

How to contact us

Kytabu Inc. (CHAI)
Email: support@kytabu.com