Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

When you register for an account we collect your name, email address, phone number, and role (pet owner, veterinarian, or seller). If you register as a vet, we also collect your KVB licence number and supporting documents for verification.

When you use the platform we automatically collect usage data including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and interactions with features. This data helps us improve the platform and detect abuse.

If you book an appointment, we collect the appointment details including the pet's name, species, and reason for visit. If you complete a payment, your transaction reference number is stored; we do not store full card numbers or M-Pesa PINs.

2. How we use information

We use your information to provide and improve our services, to process payments, to send appointment confirmations and reminders, and to communicate with you about your account and our platform.

We may use anonymised and aggregated data to understand usage patterns, improve our vet matching algorithm, and publish platform statistics (for example, "340 KVB-verified vets"). This data cannot be used to identify individual users.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties. We share data with trusted service providers (such as SendGrid for email, Safaricom for M-Pesa, and Pesapal for card payments) only to the extent necessary to deliver our services.

3. KVB verification & vet referrals

As part of vet onboarding, we share vet licence numbers with the Kenya Veterinary Board to confirm registration status. This is a one-way check; we do not receive any information from KVB beyond confirmation of registration status.

When a pet owner books an appointment or requests a referral, we share the pet owner's name, contact details, and relevant pet health information with the selected vet. This sharing is necessary to deliver the service and is done with your implicit consent at the time of booking.

When a vet refers a patient to another vet through the platform's referral feature, limited clinical notes and pet health data may be shared between vets with the pet owner's knowledge. Pet owners can revoke referral access at any time from their profile settings.

4. Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 compliance

We process personal data in compliance with the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 (DPA 2019) and the associated Data Protection (General) Regulations 2021. We are registered as a data controller with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).

The lawful bases on which we rely for processing your data include: performance of a contract (your account and service usage), legitimate interests (platform security and fraud prevention), consent (marketing communications), and legal obligation (KVB verification).

Cross-border data transfers, where necessary, are made only to countries or organisations that provide an adequate level of protection or under appropriate contractual safeguards.

5. Cookies & tracking

We use session cookies that are strictly necessary for authentication and platform functionality. These cookies are deleted when you close your browser.

We use local storage to remember your dark mode preference and offline pet data for the mobile app. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any other third-party tracking or advertising technology on the platform.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings, but doing so may prevent some features from working correctly.

6. Pet health data

Pet health records, vaccination histories, prescriptions, and clinical notes are special-category data under the DPA 2019 because they relate to the health of animals and are linked to identifiable pet owners. We treat this data with enhanced security controls.

Pet health data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Access is restricted to: the registered pet owner, any vet who the owner has explicitly authorised through the booking system, and our core engineering team under strict access controls and audit logging.

You can export your pet's complete health record in machine-readable format at any time from your profile settings. If you close your account, your pet's health records will be retained for 5 years as required by veterinary regulations in Kenya, after which they will be securely deleted.

7. Your rights

Under the DPA 2019 you have the right to: access the personal data we hold about you; correct inaccurate data; request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention obligations); restrict or object to our processing; and receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please email privacy@petnvet.alatlabs.com with your request. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing the request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) if you believe we have not handled your data correctly.

8. Children's data

Our platform is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe a child has registered on the platform, please contact us at support@petnvet.alatlabs.com and we will investigate and delete the account promptly.

Minors may use the platform under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who holds the registered account and accepts responsibility for all activity under that account.

9. Privacy requests

For all privacy-related requests, complaints, and enquiries, please contact our Data Protection Officer at:

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email and via an in-app notification at least 14 days before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the date of the most recent revision.

If the changes are material and you do not accept them, you may close your account before the changes take effect.