Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This policy explains how KalHope (“we”, “us”) handles your personal data when you use kalhope.com. KalHope is operated by KalHope Technology Group in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is the controller of your personal data. For the full detail behind this summary, see our GDPR page, our Cookie Policy and our Terms of Service.

2. What We Collect

• Account details: name, email, username, your password (stored only as a hash) and, if you add one, your phone number. If you sign in with Google, GitHub or Facebook, we also receive the basic details that provider shares, such as your email and name.
• Content you create: your profile and portfolio content, workspace items, messages and attachments, stories, events and giveaway entries.
• Sign-in and device data: for each session, the IP address, browser and device details and when it was last active. You can review and end your sessions in Settings.
• Payments and earnings: your plan, order and transaction records, manual payment references and proof-of-payment screenshots, and affiliate payout details you enter. We do not store full card numbers.
• Messages to us: what you send through the contact form or a job application, including any resume or portfolio link.
• Hope AI chats: the messages you type to Hope AI and the account lookups it runs for you. We do not save Hope AI conversations in our database.
• Technical data: IP addresses and request information used to prevent abuse, and standard server request data such as browser type and referring URL.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To create and secure your account, including sign-in, two-factor authentication and account recovery.
• To provide your portfolio, workspace, community and Hope AI features.
• To process payments, subscriptions, ad orders and affiliate payouts.
• To send transactional emails such as verification codes, password reset and security notices.
• To show you aggregate view counts for your published portfolio.
• To prevent fraud and abuse, including rate limiting and review of referral activity.
• To answer contact messages and job applications, and to meet legal obligations.

We do not currently send marketing emails. If that changes, we will ask for your consent first. We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data.

4. What Is Public

Anything on a portfolio you publish (classic or Spatial) is visible to anyone who visits it, and search engines may index it. Your email address, location and activity are shown on your profile only according to your privacy settings. Unpublished portfolios are not shown publicly.

5. Who We Share Data With

We share data only with the services we need to run KalHope:

• Abay Host: our hosting provider. The application, database and files you upload run on its servers in Ethiopia.
• Chapa: payment processing for subscriptions paid through Chapa's checkout. It receives your name, email, optional phone number, the amount and a transaction reference.
• Groq: powers Hope AI. When you chat with Hope AI, Groq receives your recent messages (up to the last 10), your username and the account information Hope AI looks up to answer you. Please avoid typing sensitive information you would not want processed by Groq.
• Google, GitHub and Facebook: only if you choose to sign in with them.
• Cloudinary: only if you connect your own Cloudinary account. Files stored there stay under your control.

Some of these providers are based outside Ethiopia, including in the United States, and handle data under their own terms and privacy policies.

6. How Long We Keep Data

We keep account data while your account exists. You can delete your account yourself at any time from Settings. This permanently removes your profile, portfolios, workspace content, sessions, messages, subscription and earnings records and the files you uploaded to KalHope that can be linked to your account. A few items, such as some shared uploads and the record of an ad you bought, are not removed automatically; email us and we will handle them. Section 6 of our GDPR page lists exactly what is and is not removed.

7. How We Protect Your Data

We use HTTPS encryption, salted password hashes, optional two-factor authentication, account lockout after repeated failed sign-ins, rate limiting on sensitive actions, and session controls. No system is 100% secure, so we encourage you to use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication. Details are in Section 10 of our GDPR page.

8. Your Choices and Rights

• Access, correct or update your information in your dashboard and Settings.
• Delete your account yourself from Settings.
• Choose what appears on your public profile in your privacy settings.
• Ask us by email to access or export your data, restrict or object to certain processing, or delete data we cannot remove for you automatically.

To use any of these rights, write to info@kalhope.com. We will respond within 30 days. If you believe your rights have been violated, you may also complain to your local data protection authority, though we encourage you to contact us first.

9. Cookies

We use session and security cookies, a referral cookie, a portfolio-view cookie and a theme preference. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. See our Cookie Policy for the full list and how to manage them.

10. Children

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are under 18, you need the consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will tell you about material changes by email or through a notice on our platform, and we will update the date at the top of this page.

12. Contact Us