Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 18, 2026
This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) explains how Chapa Financial Technologies (“Chapa,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and otherwise processes personal information in connection with Link by Chapa, our application and related services (together, the “Platform”). It applies to all individuals who access or use the Platform (“you” or “Users”).
This Policy is intended to meet our obligations under Ethiopia's Personal Data Protection Proclamation (No. 1321/2024) and, where applicable to Users located in Canada, Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Region-specific provisions are set out in Section 9.
By creating an account or otherwise using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy.
1. Scope
This Policy covers personal information processed through:
- The Link by Chapa mobile app
- Your interactions with RAS, Chapa's AI assistant
- Chapa's storefront, event ticketing, and donation features accessed through the Platform
It does not cover third-party websites, apps, or services that you may reach through links on the Platform. Those are governed by their own privacy policies.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: information you provide, information collected through your use of the Platform, and information we may receive from other sources.
2.1 Information You Provide
- Account Information. When you register for Link by Chapa, we collect your name, phone number, and email address. This information is used to create and administer your account, verify your identity, and communicate with you as necessary.
- Delivery Information. If you place an order through Chapa's storefront, we collect the shipping address and any related delivery details needed to get your order to you. We do not request this information for donations or event ticket purchases, where it isn't relevant.
- Conversations with RAS. When you interact with RAS, we collect and store the content of those conversations — what you ask, and how RAS responds. We retain this chat history so RAS can maintain context across sessions and so we can improve the quality of the assistant over time.
- Transaction Information. When you buy an event ticket, make a donation, or purchase a product, we process information about that transaction — the items or cause involved, the amount, and its status. Payment credentials themselves (such as full card numbers) are handled by Chapa's payment infrastructure and are not stored by the Link app directly.
- Information You Choose to Share. If you contact our support team, respond to a survey, or otherwise communicate with us directly, we collect whatever information you include in that communication.
2.2 Automatically Collected Information
When you use the Platform, we automatically collect certain technical information, including:
- Device information (device type, operating system, app version)
- Usage information (features used, session activity, general in-app behavior)
- Diagnostic information (crash logs, performance data)
We use this category of information to keep the Platform stable and to understand, in aggregate, how people use it — not to build a profile of you individually.
2.3 Information We Obtain from Other Sources
If you buy an event ticket or product from a merchant or organizer using the Platform, we may receive confirmation details from that merchant or organizer relevant to fulfilling your order. Where required, they are responsible for having lawfully obtained your information before sharing it with us.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information described above to:
- Create, maintain, and secure your account
- Process and fulfil purchases, donations, and ticket bookings
- Deliver physical products ordered through the storefront
- Operate RAS, including maintaining conversational context and improving its responses using your chat history
- Send transactional communications — receipts, confirmations, order status, and account or security notices
- Provide customer support
- Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, unauthorized activity, or abuse of the Platform
- Comply with applicable law, regulatory requirements, and lawful requests, including those arising from Chapa's status as a financial technology provider
- Improve and develop the Platform, including through aggregated or de-identified analysis
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your RAS chat history to serve you third-party advertising.
4. How We Share Your Information
We share personal information only where necessary, and only with the following categories of recipients:
- Service Providers. Vendors who perform functions on our behalf — hosting, payment processing, delivery and logistics, customer support tooling. They are contractually restricted to using the information only to provide the relevant service to us.
- Merchants and Event Organizers. If you make a purchase or book a ticket, we share the information needed to fulfil that order with the relevant merchant or organizer (for example, your name and delivery address).
- Legal and Safety Purposes. We may disclose information where required by law, regulation, legal process, or a valid request from a competent authority — including regulatory bodies overseeing financial services in Ethiopia.
We do not share, rent, or sell personal information to data brokers or advertisers.
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Platform may use cookies, SDKs, or similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember preferences, and understand basic usage patterns. We do not use these technologies for third-party ad targeting. Where required by applicable law, we will request your consent before deploying non-essential technologies of this kind.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as your account remains active, and for a reasonable period afterward where necessary to meet legal, tax, or regulatory recordkeeping obligations — particularly around financial transactions, which Ethiopian and international financial regulations may require us to retain for a defined number of years.
Your RAS chat history is retained to support continuity of the assistant experience. You may request that we clear your chat history independently of deleting your full account — see Section 8.
Once retention is no longer necessary, we delete or irreversibly de-identify the information.
7. International Data Transfers
Because Link by Chapa may involve infrastructure or service providers located outside Ethiopia, your information may be transferred to, stored, or processed in other countries, including Canada. Where we transfer personal information across borders, we take steps required under applicable law — including the Ethiopian Personal Data Protection Proclamation's requirements around cross-border transfers — to ensure the information continues to receive an appropriate level of protection.
8. Your Rights and Choices
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Delete your account and associated personal information
- Clear your RAS chat history without deleting your account entirely
- Object to or restrict certain processing of your information
- Withdraw consent, where processing is based on consent, at any time going forward
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we'll respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
9. Region-Specific Information
9.1 Ethiopia
If you are located in Ethiopia, we process your personal information in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024. This means:
- We process your personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so, such as your consent, the necessity of processing to perform a contract with you, or compliance with a legal obligation.
- You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Ethiopian Communications Authority, the supervisory authority responsible for enforcing the Proclamation, if you believe your rights have been violated.
- We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard personal information in line with the Proclamation's requirements, including with respect to cross-border transfers described in Section 7.
9.2 Canada
If you are located in Canada, we process your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy laws. This means:
- We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, and only with your knowledge and consent, except where the law permits otherwise.
- You may withdraw consent to certain uses of your information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
- You have the right to challenge our compliance with these principles by contacting us directly (Section 12), or by escalating to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you're not satisfied with our response.
10. Children's Privacy
Link by Chapa is not directed at, and is not intended for use by, individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.
11. Security
We apply technical and organizational safeguards — including encryption in transit, access controls, and secure infrastructure practices — designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. No system can be guaranteed fully secure, and we encourage you to protect your own account credentials and notify us immediately of any suspected unauthorized access.
12. Contact Us
For questions, concerns, or to exercise any of the rights described in this Policy, reach out to:
If you are located in Ethiopia and are unsatisfied with our response, you may contact the Ethiopian Communications Authority. If you are located in Canada, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, the Platform, or applicable law. Where changes are material, we will provide notice through the Platform or by email prior to such changes taking effect. The “Last updated” date at the top of this Policy reflects the date of the most recent revision.