Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Alga Ale (አልጋ አለ) is a travel and local intelligence platform operated by the Yichalal Family Initiative. We connect locals, diaspora, and foreign travelers with verified hotels, experiences, and transport across Ethiopia. References to "Alga Ale," "we," "us," or "our" in this policy refer to this entity.

For questions about this policy, contact us at privacy@algaale.com.

2. What Data We Collect

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and password when you register a profile.
• Travel Preferences: Budget, travel dates, interests, dietary restrictions, and accessibility needs used to power our AI Travel Planner.
• Booking History: Records of hotels, experiences, and transport you have booked or inquired about through the platform.
• Payment Data: We do not store raw card numbers. Payments are processed via Telebirr, CBE Birr, or Stripe. We retain transaction references and amounts for booking records.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, search queries, and interaction patterns, collected via cookies and analytics to improve the platform.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To process and confirm bookings with verified providers.
• To power our AI Travel Planner with personalized itineraries and recommendations.
• To send transactional communications (booking confirmations, reminders, support).
• To improve platform safety and quality through anonymous aggregated analytics.

We will never sell your personal data to third-party advertisers. Your data is used solely to serve you on the Alga Ale platform.

4. Data Sharing

We share minimal data with third parties only as required to operate the service:

• Verified Providers: Your name, contact detail, and booking specifics are shared with the hotel, tour operator, or transport provider you book.
• Payment Processors: Stripe, Telebirr, and CBE Birr receive payment details under their own privacy policies.
• Legal Obligations: We may disclose data when required by Ethiopian law or a competent legal authority.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active, or as required by applicable law. Booking records are retained for 5 years for financial compliance. You may request deletion of your account at any time by emailing privacy@algaale.com.

6. Your Rights

In accordance with GDPR, POPIA, and NDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Object to or restrict how we process your data.
• Receive a portable copy of your data.

Submit requests to privacy@algaale.com. We respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies

We use essential cookies to keep you signed in and functional cookies to remember your language and currency preferences. Analytics cookies (aggregated, anonymised) help us improve the platform. You may disable non-essential cookies in your browser settings.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify registered users by email for material changes. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.