Privacy Policy

1.1 Information from Service Providers

When you register as a service provider, we collect:

• Business name, phone number, and email address
• Business category, services offered, and pricing
• Operating hours and staff information
• Payment information for subscription billing
• Business location (city, area)

1.2 Information from Customers

When customers book appointments or join queues via WhatsApp, we collect:

• Phone number (from WhatsApp)
• Name (as provided during booking)
• Booking details: date, time, service selected
• Queue entries: join time, position, wait time
• Message content exchanged during the booking flow

1.3 Automatically Collected Information

• WhatsApp message metadata (timestamps, delivery status)
• Channel of interaction (WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS)
• Booking and queue usage analytics (aggregated)

We use collected information to:

• Facilitate appointment bookings and queue management
• Send booking confirmations, reminders, and queue updates via WhatsApp
• Provide service providers with analytics and client insights
• Display provider listings in our discovery directory
• Process subscription payments
• Improve our platform and develop new features
• Prevent fraud and ensure platform security
• Comply with legal obligations

Buka uses the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) to send and receive messages. By interacting with a business through Buka on WhatsApp:

• Your messages are processed through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform infrastructure
• Meta's own WhatsApp Privacy Policy applies to the messaging service itself
• We receive your phone number, name, and message content as part of the WhatsApp Business API webhook
• We use this data solely for the purpose of facilitating bookings and queue management

• Data is stored in encrypted PostgreSQL databases
• All data transmission uses TLS/HTTPS encryption
• Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel only
• We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties
• Backups are encrypted and stored securely

• Booking records: Retained for 24 months after the appointment date, then anonymised
• Queue records: Retained for 12 months, then anonymised
• Conversation logs: Retained for 6 months for service quality purposes
• Provider accounts: Retained while the account is active and for 12 months after cancellation
• Customer phone numbers: Retained as long as there are active booking records

Enterprise clients may have custom retention policies as specified in their service agreement.

We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

• With service providers: Customer name, phone number, and booking details are shared with the provider the customer is booking with
• With Meta: Through the WhatsApp Business Platform for message delivery
• With payment processors: For subscription billing (we support Orange Money, MyZaka, and card payments)
• When required by law: In response to valid legal process under Botswana law

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data — request a copy of the information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your data — request that we erase your personal information
• Withdraw consent — stop receiving messages by texting "STOP" to the business on WhatsApp
• Data portability — request your data in a machine-readable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected].

Bukanako is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 18, we will delete it promptly.

The Bukanako web platform (provider dashboard and directory) uses essential cookies for session management and authentication. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking on the booking flow, which operates entirely within WhatsApp.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify service providers of significant changes via email or WhatsApp. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.