Privacy policy

OpenNairobi is an open-source, map-based public governance tool for Nairobi County. This policy explains what information we process when you use the web app, chat, or related channels, and how that information is handled.

What we collect

• Issue reports — category, description, approximate location (coordinates), optional photo, and status history. These are public by default so neighbours and officers can see and act on them.
• Account data — if you sign in with Google or GitHub, we receive your name, email, and profile image from that provider. Your identity is not shown on public map pins.
• Moderation reports — when you flag a pin, the reason and optional detail are stored privately and tied to your account so the same account cannot report the same pin twice.
• Messaging contacts — if you use WhatsApp or Telegram adapters when available, channel identifiers may be stored for staff follow-up. Those contacts are never joined into public issue payloads.
• Technical logs — operational and security audit events (for example sign-in, status changes, moderation actions). Privileged audit fields are not part of the public map API.

How we use information

• Publish and update public service issues on the map.
• Enable upvotes, flagging, and officer status updates.
• Prevent abuse (duplicate reports, spam, unsafe content).
• Improve reliability, security, and language support.

Public vs private

Public issue fields typically include category, description, location, status, upvote counts, image URL, and a flag summary. Private fields include reporter account ids, OAuth email/name, messaging phone or chat ids, and moderation detail text.

Photos

Attached images become part of the public issue when accepted. Do not upload photos that identify private individuals without a clear public interest, or that contain sensitive personal documents.

Legal basis and retention

We process personal data to operate a civic reporting service in the public interest and, where you sign in, to perform the contract of providing your account. We keep public issues and status history while they remain useful for accountability. Account and contact data are kept while your account is active or as needed for security and moderation. Hidden or removed pins may remain in internal records for audit.

Sharing

Public issue data is visible to anyone using the map or APIs. We do not sell personal data. Processors that host infrastructure (database, object storage, auth providers) only receive what is needed to run the service. County officers with elevated roles may see private fields required for follow-up and moderation.

Your choices

• Browse the map without signing in.
• Sign out at any time from the account menu.
• Flag misleading or harmful pins when signed in.
• Contact the project maintainers (see the repository SECURITY.md) for privacy or security concerns.

Children

OpenNairobi is intended for general public use around local infrastructure. It is not directed at children under 13. Do not submit reports that expose a child’s identity.

Changes

We may update this policy as the product evolves. The “Last updated” date above will change when we do. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Related

See also our Terms of use. Moderation behaviour is described for contributors in the project documentation.