Privacy Policy

Mau is used by and for children, so protecting personal information is central to how we build it. This policy explains what we collect, why, and the choices you have.

1. Our approach for children

Everything a child makes in Mau stays on the phone. The sentences they build, the boards and categories a supporter arranges, the symbols and photos added, and any voice recorded onto a button are all written to storage on the device itself. None of it is uploaded to us, so none of it is ours to read, lose or hand over.

What we do hold is the small amount needed to run an account, listed in full below. We do not sell personal information, we do not use children's data for advertising, and there is no advertising in the app.

2. Information we handle

• Account details. The email address, phone number and name given when the account is created. These identify the account and let us contact the adult who set it up.
• Device records. Which devices the account is set up on, so the limit on devices per account can be enforced. A device is identified by a value the app generates; it is not a phone number or an advertising id.
• Subscription record. Whether the account is paid up, and until when. Payment is handled by Google Play; we never see a card number.
• Email confirmation. A record that the address answered its confirmation code.
• Waitlist details. If you join the waitlist on this website, the details you enter, used only to tell you about the launch.

We never receive the boards, symbols, recordings, photos or sentences — everything the child actually uses the app for. Those are on the phone. We do not collect advertising identifiers, contact lists, location, or any record of what a child said.

3. Why we handle it

We use information to provide the app, to keep accounts secure, to support you when you contact us, to tell waitlist members about the launch, and to improve how Mau works. We only handle personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Consent and who sets up the app

Mau is intended to be set up by a parent, legal guardian or an authorised professional. By setting up the app for a child, you confirm you have the authority to provide consent on that child's behalf.

5. Storage and location of data

Where data is stored off the device, we aim to store and process it in line with the Zambia Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021, including any data localisation requirements. The account information described above is stored in MongoDB Atlas, and accounts are authenticated through Firebase.

6. Sharing

We do not sell personal information. We only share data with service providers who help us run Mau, under agreements that protect it, or where the law requires us to.

7. Keeping data safe

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. No system is perfectly secure, but we take the safety of children's data seriously and design with that in mind.

8. Your rights

Subject to Zambian law, you may ask to access, correct or delete personal information, or withdraw consent. To make a request, contact us at expressme.aac@gmail.com. You may also raise a concern with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

9. Keeping and removing data

We keep account information only as long as the account exists. Delete the account and it goes with it — outright, not hidden or marked inactive.

You can do this yourself at any time from inside the app: Settings, then Delete account, under Mau account. That erases our copy and the phone's copy together. If the app is no longer installed, use Delete your account and we will action it within 30 days.

Deleting the account does not cancel a Google Play subscription. That has to be cancelled in the Play Store separately, or it keeps renewing.

10. Changes and contact

We may update this policy as Mau grows and as we complete our review under the Data Protection Act. For any privacy question, write to expressme.aac@gmail.com