01Who we are and what this covers
EIGHTSIXTEEN DYNAMICS, trading as 816 Dynamics ("we", "us"), is a software company based in Nairobi, Kenya. We are the data controller for the personal information described here, and you can reach us at hello@816-dynamics.com or on WhatsApp at +254 183 626 811.
This policy covers our website at www.816-dynamics.com, our WhatsApp channels and automated assistants, our products (Birdseye, Academix, TerraTrack and Echorent) and the work we do for clients. Where a product publishes its own privacy policy, that policy applies to the product and this one covers everything else.
We handle personal information in line with the Data Protection Act, 2019 of Kenya and its regulations.
02What we collect
We only collect what we need for the purpose at hand. Depending on how you deal with us, that can include:
- Contact details you give us, such as your name, email address, phone number and organisation, when you fill in our contact form, email us, call us or message us.
- Messages you send us by email, through the website or on WhatsApp, including any files or images you attach.
- Account details when you sign up for one of our products: your name, email address, phone number, password (stored only as a one-way hash) and, if you sign in with Google, your Google name, email address and profile picture.
- Information you put into a product, such as farm, school, land or tenancy records. You or your organisation decide what goes in, and we process it only to run the product for you.
- Payment details when you pay by M-Pesa: the phone number used, the amount, the M-Pesa receipt number and the time of payment. We never see or store your M-Pesa PIN.
- Technical information when you visit the website or use a product: IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed and error logs.
03How we use it
We use personal information to:
- answer your enquiries and messages, and send quotes and proposals you ask for;
- create and run your product account, including sign-in, reminders and notifications you have switched on;
- take payments and keep financial records, as the law requires;
- deliver projects we have agreed with clients;
- keep our systems secure, find and fix faults and prevent fraud or abuse;
- understand how the website is used so we can improve it.
Our legal grounds are your consent, the performance of a contract with you, our legal obligations, and our legitimate interest in running and securing our services. We do not sell personal information, and we do not use the data you keep in our products for advertising.
04Messaging us on WhatsApp
When you message one of our WhatsApp numbers, including an automated assistant, we receive your WhatsApp phone number, your profile name and the content of your messages, including anything you attach. WhatsApp is run by Meta Platforms, and messages reach us through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so Meta's own terms and privacy policy also apply to your use of WhatsApp.
We use these messages to reply to you, carry out what you ask (for example booking a call, sending information or helping with a product account), and keep a record of the conversation so we can follow it up. Some replies are produced automatically. Where an automated assistant uses an AI service to understand and answer messages, the message content is sent to that service only to produce the reply, and is not used to advertise to you. You can ask to speak to a person at any time.
We only send you WhatsApp messages after you have contacted us or agreed to hear from us. To stop messages, reply STOP or tell us in the chat. Conversation records are deleted within 12 months of your last message unless they form part of an ongoing account, order or support case.
06Where it is stored and how we protect it
Some of our service providers store data on servers outside Kenya, including in the European Union and the United States. When information is transferred outside Kenya we do so in line with the Data Protection Act, with providers that offer appropriate safeguards.
We protect data with encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, encryption of sensitive credentials at rest, access limited to the staff who need it, two-factor sign-in on administrative tools and regular backups. No system is perfectly secure, and if a breach puts your information at risk we will tell you and the Data Protection Commissioner as the law requires.
07How long we keep it
We keep personal information only as long as we need it. Enquiries that do not lead to work are deleted within 24 months. Product account data is kept while the account is open and deleted within 90 days of the account being closed, apart from backups, which expire on their own schedule. Payment and tax records are kept for seven years, as Kenyan law requires.
08Your rights
Under the Data Protection Act you have the right to:
- be told how your personal information is used;
- get a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
- have inaccurate information corrected;
- have information deleted, where we no longer need it or have no legal reason to keep it;
- object to or restrict how we use it, including for direct marketing;
- receive your data in a portable format;
- withdraw consent you have given, at any time.
To use any of these rights, email hello@816-dynamics.com. We will reply within 30 days and may ask you to confirm your identity first. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner at odpc.go.ke.
09Deleting your data
You can ask us to delete your personal information at any time. Full steps are on our data deletion page. In short:
- WhatsApp conversations: enter the number you messaged us from in the form on our data deletion page.
- Email: write to hello@816-dynamics.com with the subject "Delete my data" and the phone number or email address we know you by.
- Product accounts: account owners can close their account from the product settings, or ask us to do it.
We confirm when the request is done, normally within 30 days. We may keep information we are required by law to hold, such as payment records, and we will tell you if that applies.
11Children
Our services are meant for adults and organisations. Where a school uses Academix, the school decides what student information is recorded and is responsible for having the right to do so; we process that information only on the school's instructions. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children.
12Changes to this policy
We will update this policy when our services or the law change. The date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change materially affects how we use your information, we will tell account holders by email or in the product before it takes effect.
13Contact
Questions about this policy or your information: hello@816-dynamics.com, or WhatsApp +254 183 626 811. EIGHTSIXTEEN DYNAMICS (816 Dynamics), Nairobi, Kenya.