Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 2025

Effective Date: January 2025

The Online Knowledge Company Limited ("The OK Company," "we," "us," or "our") operates The Online Kenyan website at https://www.theonlinekenyan.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our service.

1. Our Commitment to Privacy

Your privacy is fundamental to our mission. We believe in providing valuable news services while collecting only the minimum data necessary. Key principles:

• Minimal Data Collection: We collect only what's essential for our service
• No Data Sales: We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information
• Transparency: We clearly explain what data we collect and why
• User Control: You have control over your data and privacy settings
• Security: We implement appropriate measures to protect your information

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Social Login Information: When you create an account using social authentication (Google, Twitter), we collect:

• Your unique social media identifier (not your username or handle)
• Basic profile information necessary to create your account
• Email address (if provided by the social platform and needed for our service)

Note: We only request the minimum permissions necessary and do not access your social media posts, friends lists, or other personal data.

Preferences and Favorites: When you use our service, we may store:

• Stories you bookmark or mark as favorites
• Reading preferences and customization settings
• Audio playback preferences (voice selection, speed)

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Analytics: We use PostHog analytics to understand how our service is used:

• Pages visited and features used
• Time spent reading articles
• Click patterns and navigation flows
• Device type and browser information
• General geographic location (country/city level)

Technical Information: Our hosting infrastructure (Vercel) may collect:

• IP addresses for security and performance optimization
• Request logs for debugging and service improvement
• Performance metrics to ensure fast loading times

2.3 Cookies and Local Storage

We use minimal cookies and local storage:

• Essential Cookies: Required for user authentication and basic site functionality
• Preference Storage: Local browser storage for your reading preferences and settings
• Analytics: PostHog may use cookies to track usage patterns (can be opted out)

Future Implementation: We may implement Google Analytics for additional insights, with appropriate opt-out mechanisms.

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Service Provision

• Provide personalized news content and recommendations
• Enable user accounts and save your preferences
• Deliver AI-powered features like summaries and audio content
• Remember your reading history and favorites

3.2 Service Improvement

• Analyze usage patterns to improve our platform
• Optimize content organization and recommendation algorithms
• Enhance performance and fix technical issues
• Understand which features are most valuable to users

3.3 Communication

• Send important service updates and security notifications
• Respond to your questions and support requests
• Notify you of new features that might interest you (optional)

4. AI Services and Third-Party Processing

4.1 AI Content Processing

We use artificial intelligence services to enhance our content:

• OpenAI Services: Content summarization and text-to-speech generation
• Google Gemini: Content analysis, summaries, and voice synthesis
• OpenRouter: AI model routing and optimization

Important: We send only news content (articles, headlines) to these AI services, not your personal data or usage information.

4.2 Generated Content Storage

• AI-generated summaries are stored on our servers for performance
• Audio files (TTS) are cached on Cloudflare R2 storage for faster delivery
• This cached content contains no personal information about users

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 We Do Not Sell Your Data

We never sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing or any other purposes. Your data is not our product.

5.2 Limited Sharing

We may share information only in these specific circumstances:

• Service Providers: With trusted partners who help us operate our service (hosting, analytics, AI processing)
• Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our legal rights
• Safety: To prevent fraud, abuse, or harm to our users or service
• Business Transfer: In the event of a merger or sale (with same privacy protections)

5.3 Aggregated Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized statistics about our service (like "our users read 10,000 articles per day") that cannot identify individual users.

6. Advertising and Monetization

6.1 Our Advertising Approach

We plan to implement non-intrusive advertising to support our service:

• Contextual Ads: Advertisements based on the content you're reading, not your personal profile
• No Behavioral Tracking: We don't create detailed profiles for advertising purposes
• Clear Labeling: All advertisements are clearly marked as such
• User Choice: We may offer ad-free options in the future

6.2 Third-Party Advertising

We may use advertising services like Google Ads:

• These services may use cookies for ad delivery and fraud prevention
• You can opt out of personalized advertising through your Google account settings
• We do not share personal user data with advertising partners

7. Data Retention

7.1 Account Data

• We keep your account information while your account is active
• You can delete your account and associated data at any time
• After account deletion, we may retain some data for legal or security purposes (up to 30 days)

7.2 Usage Data

• Analytics data is typically retained for up to 2 years for service improvement
• Log files are retained for 90 days for security and debugging purposes
• Cached content (summaries, audio) may be retained indefinitely for performance

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 Account Management

• Access: View and manage your account information and preferences
• Correction: Update incorrect information in your account
• Deletion: Delete your account and associated personal data
• Export: Request a copy of your data (favorites, preferences)

8.2 Communication Preferences

• Opt out of non-essential communications
• Choose your preferred communication methods
• Unsubscribe from newsletters or updates

8.3 Analytics and Cookies

• Disable analytics tracking through browser settings or PostHog opt-out
• Control cookie preferences through your browser
• Use private browsing mode to limit data collection

9. International Users and GDPR

9.1 Our Primary Audience

The Online Kenyan primarily serves users in Kenya and East Africa. However, we welcome visitors from anywhere in the world.

9.2 GDPR Compliance (EU/UK Users)

For users in the European Union or United Kingdom, you have additional rights under GDPR:

• Lawful Basis: We process your data based on legitimate interests (service provision) and consent
• Right to Access: Request details about data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to certain types of data processing

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@theok.co.ke.

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is designed for general audiences and does not specifically target children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Since we aggregate news content that may cover mature topics, we recommend parental guidance for younger users, though we use automated systems to filter inappropriate content.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at info@theok.co.ke.

11. Data Security

11.1 Security Measures

• Industry-standard encryption for data transmission (HTTPS)
• Secure hosting infrastructure through Vercel and Cloudflare
• Regular security monitoring and updates
• Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Secure storage of cached content and user preferences

11.2 Your Responsibility

• Keep your social media accounts secure (since we use social login)
• Log out of shared or public computers
• Report any suspected security issues to us immediately

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. When we make material changes:

• We will post the updated policy on our website
• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top
• For significant changes, we may notify users via email or website notice
• Your continued use of our service constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

13. Contact Us

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

The Online Knowledge Company Limited
Address: Langata Road, Langata, Jamhuri Heights Apartment
Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Email: info@theok.co.ke
Website: https://theok.co.ke

14. Consent

By using The Online Kenyan, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use our service.

Thank you for trusting us with your privacy. We are committed to earning and maintaining that trust.