This policy explains what the Rekina Smart Farm mobile application
(com.rekinasmartfarm.rekina) collects from you, why, who else sees it,
and how you can get it removed. It covers the app and the services behind it.
Who we are
Rekina Smart Farm is an agricultural platform operating in Tanzania. We are the data controller for the information described below. You can reach us at [email protected].
What we collect
Information you give us
| Data | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name, phone number, and email address if you provide one | When you create an account | To identify your account and let you sign in. A phone number alone is enough — email is optional. |
| Password | At sign-up | Stored only as a cryptographic hash. We cannot read it. |
| Region and district | At sign-up | To show prices, experts and advice relevant to where you farm. |
| National ID (NIDA) number, TIN, date of birth, sex | Only if you apply to be a verified expert, distributor or professional, or apply for a loan or insurance | To verify you are who you say you are before other farmers pay you, and because finance and insurance partners require it. Ordinary farmers are never asked for these. |
| Mobile money number or bank name, account number and account holder name | Only if you sell, or are an expert receiving payouts | To pay you. We do not store card numbers; payment card handling is done by our payment processor, not by us. |
| Farm name, soil type, and the mapped boundary of your farm | When you map a farm | The boundary is a set of precise GPS coordinates you draw. It is used to calculate area and show your farm on a map. |
| Messages, community posts and your profile photo | When you post or chat | To deliver them to the people you are talking to. |
Information collected automatically
- Precise location — only when you map a farm or run a crop scan, and only with your permission. A scan records where it was taken so that disease patterns can be understood regionally. You can decline, and the scan still works.
- Camera and photos — when you photograph a crop for diagnosis, or set a profile picture. The app checks the photo on your device for blur and brightness before anything is uploaded.
- Push notification token — a device identifier from Google Firebase, so we can notify you about bookings, orders and replies.
- Basic technical logs — IP address, timestamps and error records on our server, kept for security and debugging.
Crop scan photos
Your scan photos are only stored if you agree.
When you scan a crop, the photo is sent for analysis and a diagnosis is returned. We keep the photo afterwards only if you give consent, and we ask separately for that. Stored photos are used to check how accurate the scanner is and to improve future versions of it. If you decline, the diagnosis still works and the photo is not retained.
Whether or not the photo is kept, we record the result of the scan: the crop, the suspected problem, how confident the system was, and the coordinates if you allowed location. This is how we measure accuracy and spot outbreaks.
Who else receives your data
We do not sell your personal data. We share only what a service needs to do its job:
| Service | What it receives | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Google (Gemini AI) | Crop photos you scan; the text of your questions to the in-app assistant | Image analysis and agricultural advice |
| Kindwise (crop.health) | Crop photos and approximate location | Crop disease identification |
| ClickPesa | Phone number and transaction amount | Mobile money payments and payouts |
| Beem Africa | Phone number | SMS verification codes and alerts |
| Resend | Email address | Email notifications |
| Google Firebase | Device push token | Push notifications |
We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or where it is necessary to investigate fraud or protect someone's safety. Some of these providers operate outside Tanzania, which means your data may be processed abroad.
Other people on the platform
Rekina connects farmers with experts, buyers and sellers. When you book an expert or place an order, the other party sees what they need to complete it — typically your name, region, and the details of the request. An expert's phone number is not revealed to you, and yours is not revealed to them, until a booking is paid for. Anything you post in a community forum is visible to other users of the app.
How long we keep it
- Account information — while your account exists, and for a short period afterwards so that disputes and payments can be settled.
- Payment and payout records — retained as long as Tanzanian tax and financial record-keeping law requires, even after an account is closed.
- Scan photos you consented to — kept until you ask us to delete them.
- Scan results without photos — kept in a form that is not linked to you, for accuracy measurement.
- Server logs — a limited period for security purposes.
Your rights
Under Tanzania's Personal Data Protection Act, 2022, and equivalent laws that may apply to you, you can ask us to:
- Show you the personal data we hold about you;
- Correct anything that is wrong;
- Delete your account and the data attached to it;
- Withdraw consent you previously gave — including consent to store scan photos;
- Object to a particular use of your data.
You can delete your account yourself in the app, under Account → Settings → Delete my account. If you cannot sign in, use rekinasmartfarm.com/delete-account. For anything else write to [email protected] and we will respond. Some records, such as completed payments, must be kept even after deletion because the law requires it; we will tell you if that applies.
Security
Traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted with TLS. Passwords are stored as hashes, never in readable form. Access to the production system is restricted to key-based administrator login. No system is perfectly secure, and we do not claim otherwise — if a breach affects you, we will tell you.
Children
Rekina Smart Farm is intended for adults who farm, trade or provide agricultural services. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us data, contact us and we will remove it.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes in a way that affects you, we will update the date at the top and, where the change is significant, notify you in the app.