Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to Maed, a nutrition tracking application designed to help you monitor your dietary intake and achieve your health goals. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your Personal Data when you use the Maed App.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency about our data practices. By using Maed, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Users of the Maed App.

1. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information to provide and improve our services to you.

1.1 Account Information

When you create an account with Maed, we collect:

• Email address: Used for account authentication and communication
• Password: Authentication credentials are securely managed by Firebase Authentication.
• User ID: Automatically generated unique identifier
• Account creation date: Timestamp of when your account was created
• Age, sex, height, weight (nutrition calculations)

1.2 Nutrition and Health Data

To provide nutrition tracking functionality, we collect and store:

• Meal logs: Your daily food entries organized by meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)
• Food entries: Specific food items you log, including portions and nutritional values
• Weight measurements: Your weight tracking data over time
• Progress data: Statistics and trends based on your nutrition and weight data
• Daily targets: Your personalized calorie and macronutrient goals
• Custom foods: Any custom food items you create within the app

1.3 Device Information

We may collect limited device information to ensure app compatibility and functionality:

• Operating system: Android version
• App version: Version of Maed you are using
• Crash reports: Automatic error logs if the app crashes (to improve stability)
• Push Notification Token: A unique identifier that allows us to send notifications to your specific device.

1.4 Usage Data

We may collect anonymized usage patterns to improve the app experience:

• Feature usage frequency
• App session duration
• Navigation patterns within the app

1.5 Payment Information

We do not permanently store full bank account numbers or sensitive payment credentials. Certain payment-related identifiers, such as partial account numbers or phone numbers, may be temporarily processed for payment verification purposes.

• Transaction reference IDs (payment verification)
• Bank account numbers (last digits only) (CBE: last 8, Abyssinia: last 5)
• Phone numbers (Telebirr payments)

1.6 Information We Do NOT Collect

For your privacy, we explicitly do NOT collect:

• Location data or GPS coordinates
• Sensitive payment credentials
• Contact lists or device contacts
• Personal photos or media files unrelated to app functionality
• Biometric data
• Social media account information

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

2.1 Provide App Functionality

• Authenticate your account and maintain your login session
• Store and synchronize your Nutrition Data across devices
• Calculate nutritional statistics and progress metrics
• Display your meal history and weight trends
• Generate progress reports and visualizations

2.2 Improve User Experience

• Personalize your app experience based on your goals
• Provide relevant food suggestions based on your history
• Optimize app performance and loading times

2.3 Analytics and Performance

• Identify and fix bugs and technical issues
• Understand how Users interact with the app
• Improve app features and develop new functionality
• Monitor app stability and performance

2.4 Communication

• Send important updates about the app
• Respond to your support requests
• Notify you of significant changes to this Privacy Policy

3. Data Storage and Security

3.1 Firebase Services

Maed uses Google Firebase as its backend infrastructure provider. Your data is stored and managed through:

• Firebase Authentication: Manages User accounts, email addresses, and authentication tokens securely
• Cloud Firestore: Stores all Nutrition Data including meal logs, food entries, and progress data

Firebase Services are provided by Google LLC and are subject to Google's security practices and privacy policies. You can learn more about Google's privacy practices at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

3.2 Data Location

Your data is stored in Google Cloud Platform data centers. The specific region may vary based on Firebase configuration, but typically includes:

• United States (us-central)
• Europe (europe-west)

Data storage locations are managed by Google and comply with their data processing terms.

3.3 Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your Personal Data:

• Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Authentication: Secure password hashing and token-based authentication
• Access controls: Strict database security rules ensure Users can only access their own data
• Regular updates: We keep our security practices up to date with industry standards

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

4. Data Sharing and Third Parties

4.1 No Sale of Personal Data

We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your Personal Data to third parties for marketing purposes. Your Nutrition Data is yours alone.

4.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to valid legal requests, such as:

• Court orders or subpoenas
• Government investigations
• Protection of our legal rights
• Prevention of fraud or illegal activity

4.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your Personal Data may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change in ownership.

4.4 Service Providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our app:

• Google Firebase: We use Firebase for account authentication, database management, app analytics, and sending push notifications. Google processes this data according to their Privacy Policy.

4.4 Payments and Transactions

We use third-party payment providers to process payments for premium features and services.

When a payment is made, we may store limited transaction-related information such as:

• Transaction/reference identifiers
• Payment status
• Selected payment provider
• Subscription or account access status

We do not collect or store sensitive payment credentials such as account passwords.

We may use payment providers such as Telebirr, CBE, or Abyssinia to process payments.

5. Your Rights and Choices

You have several rights regarding your Personal Data:

5.1 Access Your Data

You can access all your Personal Data directly through the Maed App:

• View all meal logs and food entries in the app interface
• Review your weight history and progress charts
• Check your account information in the Settings page

5.2 Correct Your Data

You can correct or update your data at any time:

• Edit meal entries and food logs
• Update weight measurements
• Modify your account email address in Settings
• Adjust your daily calorie and macro targets

5.3 Delete Your Account

You have the right to delete your account and all associated data. To delete your account:

1. Open the Maed App and navigate to the Settings page
2. Scroll down and select "Delete Account"
3. Confirm your decision by entering your password
4. Your account and all associated data will be permanently deleted within 30 days

Important: Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All your Nutrition Data, meal logs, and progress history will be permanently removed.

5.4 Export Your Data

You can export your data in human-readable format:

• Generate PDF reports of your progress and meal history
• Access the export functionality in the app Settings
• Download your data for personal records or transfer to another service

5.5 Notification Management

The app may schedule reminders and notifications related to nutrition tracking, meal reminders, or app functionality.

You can manage or opt-out of both remote (Firebase) and local notifications at any time by:

• Adjusting your preferences within the Maed App Settings.
• Disabling "Notifications" for Maed within your Android system settings.

6. Data Retention

We retain your Personal Data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services.

Active Accounts

While your account is active, we retain:

• All Account Data (email, user ID)
• All Nutrition Data (meal logs, weight history, progress data)
• Usage data and analytics (if not opted out)

Deleted Accounts

When you delete your account:

• Within 30 days: Your account and all associated data are permanently deleted from active databases
• Up to 90 days: Some data may persist in backup systems for disaster recovery purposes
• After 90 days: All traces of your data are completely removed from all systems

For more informations check this guide: Account-deletion guide

Inactive Accounts

If your account remains inactive (no login) for more than 3 years, we may contact you via email to confirm whether you wish to keep your account. If we receive no response within 60 days, we reserve the right to delete inactive accounts.

7. Children's Privacy

Maed is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us immediately at the email address provided below. We will take steps to delete such information from our systems.

Users between the ages of 13 and 18 should use Maed with parental guidance and supervision.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors.

Notification of Changes

When we make significant changes to this Privacy Policy, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document
• Notify you via email (if you have provided an email address)
• Display a prominent notice in the app
• Post an announcement on our website and Telegram channel

Your Continued Use

Your continued use of Maed after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the app and delete your account.

Review Regularly

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. The current version is always available at maed.et/privacy.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We will respond to your inquiries within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 7-14 business days.