1. Who we are

ABVENTS is an event-planning platform operated from Dodoma, Tanzania. For the personal information described in this policy, ABVENTS decides how and why it is used, and is responsible for it under the Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 of Tanzania.

When an organiser uploads a guest or contributor list, the organiser decides whom to contact and why. ABVENTS processes that list to provide the service the organiser asked for, and both the organiser and ABVENTS must handle it lawfully.

2. Information we collect

What we collect depends on how you use ABVENTS.

Everyone with an account

• Name, email address and phone number.
• Your password, stored only in scrambled (hashed) form so that we cannot read it.
• Phone verification records, language preference and account settings.
• Messages you send and receive in ABVENTS chat.

Organisers

• Event details: names, dates, venues, programmes, budgets, tasks and card designs.
• Guest, contributor and committee lists you add, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, pledges and payments you record.
• Token purchases and usage, payment references and receipts.
• Booking requests, bookings, reviews and disputes.

Service providers

• Business name, category, location served, description, prices, photos and availability.
• Mobile money details for receiving escrow payments.
• Bookings, commission records, settlement receipts you upload, reviews and verification information.

Guests and contributors

• The name, phone number and, sometimes, email address the organiser gave us.
• Your RSVP answer, number of people admitted, check-in time at the gate, and contributions or pledges the organiser records.
• Delivery status of the messages sent to you.

Committee members

• Your name and verified phone number, the committees you belong to, the access the organiser gave you, and the tasks, notes and updates you record.

Visitors and information collected automatically

• IP address, device and browser type, pages visited and the time of the visit, used for security and for visitor statistics.
• Records of sign-ins, failed sign-in attempts and verification code requests.
• Cookies and similar browser storage, as described in our Cookie Policy.

3. How we use information

• To create and run your account and the events, campaigns, committees and listings you set up.
• To send invitations, contribution cards, reminders, thank-you messages and RSVP and check-in confirmations on the organiser's instruction.
• To connect clients with service providers and to manage bookings, escrow payments, commission and disputes.
• To process token purchases and keep financial records.
• To verify phone numbers, keep accounts secure, and prevent fraud, spam and bookings being taken off the platform to avoid commission.
• To send you service messages about your account, bookings, payments and events.
• To understand how the platform is used and improve it, using statistics.
• To comply with the law, answer lawful requests from authorities, and establish or defend legal claims.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use guest or contributor details to advertise to them.

4. Why we are allowed to use it

Under the Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 we use personal information only where we have a lawful reason, namely:

• to perform our agreement with you, such as running your account, sending the cards you pay for and handling bookings;
• to comply with legal obligations, such as keeping financial records for tax;
• for legitimate interests that do not override your rights, such as security, fraud prevention, enforcing our terms and improving the platform;
• with consent, where we ask for it. For guest and contributor lists, the organiser confirms that the people listed agreed to be contacted about the event.

5. SMS, email and WhatsApp messages

• To deliver a message, we pass the recipient's phone number or email address and the message text to the provider that delivers it.
• Messages to phones are written in Swahili. Event messages are sent in the organiser's name and are paid for from the organiser's tokens.
• We keep delivery records so that undelivered messages can be refunded to the organiser and problems can be investigated.
• To limit misuse, we send no more than 2 phone verification codes to the same number per day.

If you received a message about an event and do not want further messages, ask the organiser or contact us to remove your details from that event.

6. Payments

Token purchases and escrow booking payments are processed by ClickPesa. You enter your mobile money or card details with ClickPesa; ABVENTS does not store card numbers or mobile money PINs. We receive and keep the payment reference, amount, status, phone number used and time of payment.

Contribution money is paid directly to the organiser's own accounts. ABVENTS does not receive it; we only store the records and receipts the organiser enters.

For direct-payment bookings, service providers upload commission receipts, which our team checks.

7. Who we share information with

Other users, as part of the service

• Service provider profiles are public.
• When you book or are booked, the other party sees the booking details, and sees your phone number and email once the booking is confirmed (and, for escrow, the deposit is paid).
• Organisers see the RSVP answers, check-ins and contribution records of their own guests and contributors. Committee members see what the organiser allows.

Service providers who work for us

We use the following providers, who may process personal information only to provide their service to us:

• ClickPesa, for mobile money and card payments and payouts.
• Beem, for sending SMS.
• Google (Gmail), for sending email.
• WhatsApp, when a message is delivered by WhatsApp.
• Hosting and network providers that run our servers and carry traffic to our website.

When the law requires it

We may disclose information to authorities, courts or regulators when the law requires it, or where it is necessary to prevent fraud or harm, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or of ABVENTS.

Some of our providers, such as Google, may process information outside Tanzania. Where that happens, we rely on their security commitments and take the steps the law requires to protect it.

8. Contact details in chat and bookings

Until a booking is confirmed (and, for escrow bookings, the deposit is paid), we do not show clients and service providers each other's phone numbers or email addresses.

Phone numbers, email addresses, links and social media handles typed in chat before then are hidden automatically. We record these attempts to protect users from fraud and to enforce the rule that bookings stay on ABVENTS. Our team may review chats when investigating a dispute, a report or suspected misuse.

9. How long we keep information

• Account, event and listing information is kept while your account is open, and deleted or anonymised after you ask us to close it, except as below.
• Token, payment, commission and booking payment records are kept for 5 years for accounting and tax, even if you clear your history view or close your account. After that they may be deleted.
• Guest and contributor lists stay with the organiser's event until the organiser deletes them or the organiser's account is closed.
• Information needed for an open dispute, an investigation or a legal claim is kept until the matter is closed.

10. How we protect information

• Our website is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection.
• Passwords are stored only in hashed form.
• Private files such as receipts are available only to signed-in users who are allowed to see them.
• Access by our team is limited to people who need it for their work.
• We limit repeated sign-in attempts and verification code requests.

No system is completely secure. Keep your password private, and tell us straight away if you think your account has been misused. If a breach affects your personal information, we will act as the law requires, including informing you and the authorities where necessary.

11. Children

You must be 18 or older to hold an ABVENTS account. Organisers who include children on a guest list, for example in a family invitation, are responsible for having the consent of a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has opened an account, contact us and we will close it.

12. Your rights

Subject to the Personal Data Protection Act, 2022, you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
• ask us to delete your account and information, except records we must keep by law, such as the 5-year financial records;
• object to or ask us to limit certain uses of your information;
• withdraw consent where we rely on it;
• complain to the Personal Data Protection Commission of Tanzania.

To use these rights, email info@abvents.com from the email address on your account, or call +255 765 031 258. We may ask you to confirm your identity before acting. You can also correct much of your information yourself in your account settings.

Guests and contributors

If an organiser added your details and you want them removed, ask the organiser or contact us with your phone number and the event name. We will remove your details and let the organiser know.

13. Cookies

We use cookies and similar browser storage to keep you signed in, remember your language and settings, protect the site and count visits. Our Cookie Policy explains them in detail.

Read the Cookie Policy

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services or the law change. We will change the date at the top and, for important changes, tell users through the platform or by email.