Privacy Policy
Effective date: July 14, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how uLam ("uLam", "we", "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information, in accordance with the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173) and its implementing rules.
1. Information We Collect
Information you give us:
- Account details — name, username, email address, password (stored encrypted/hashed, never in plain text), and an optional secondary email;
- Profile details — photo, bio, household size, dietary preferences;
- Location details — barangay, city/municipality, province, region, and (only if you use location features) your GPS coordinates;
- Content you create — recipes, posts, comments, ratings, price reports, store listings, and photos;
- Payment references — when you pay for seller features, we record the payment reference number and amount. We never see or store your GCash PIN, bank credentials, or full wallet details.
Information collected automatically:
- Usage data — features you use, content you view (e.g., which recipes you open), XP and activity streaks;
- Device data — device model and operating system (used for support and push notifications);
- Approximate network information — such as IP address, in server logs kept for security.
We do not use third-party advertising trackers.
2. How We Use Your Information
- To operate the app: accounts, meal plans, budgets, community feeds, price information, and seller listings;
- To generate AI meal plans — your budget, household size, and dietary preferences are sent to our AI provider to produce your plan;
- To show nearby markets and stores — your coordinates are used to search locations near you;
- To process and verify payments for seller features;
- To send service emails (e.g., verification codes, password reset codes) and push notifications you can control in your device settings;
- To keep the community safe: moderation, fraud prevention, and enforcing our Terms;
- To improve the app using aggregated, non-identifying statistics.
We do not sell your personal information. Ever.
3. Sharing of Information
We share data only with the service providers needed to run uLam:
- Anthropic (Claude AI) — receives your budget, household size, and dietary preferences (not your name or contact details) to generate meal plans;
- Resend — delivers our emails (verification and password-reset codes) to your email address;
- Expo — delivers push notifications to your device token;
- OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — receives coordinates (never your identity) for location lookups;
- Payment providers (e.g., PayMongo, when active) — process payments for seller features;
- Authorities — only when required by law, court order, or to protect users from harm.
Other users can see what you choose to publish: your profile name/username/photo, your posts, recipes, comments, ratings, and store listings. Your email, exact location coordinates, and budget details are never shown to other users.
4. Data Retention
- Account data is kept while your account is active.
- If you delete your account, your profile, content, stores, budgets, and activity data are permanently deleted. Payment records are retained as required for financial and legal record-keeping.
- Security logs are kept for a limited period and then deleted.
5. Data Security
- Passwords are hashed; sensitive secrets (such as two-factor keys) are stored encrypted;
- Access to production data is restricted to the operator;
- Verification codes expire within minutes and are single-use.
No system is 100% secure, but we work to protect your data with industry-standard measures appropriate to our size.
6. Your Rights
Under the Data Privacy Act, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you;
- Correct inaccurate data (most details can be edited directly in Settings and Edit Profile);
- Delete your data — available anytime in Settings → Danger Zone → Delete Account;
- Object to certain processing, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- Data portability — request a copy of your data in a usable format;
- Lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (privacy.gov.ph).
To exercise any of these rights, contact us through Help & Support or the email below.
7. Children's Privacy
uLam is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
8. Marketing Communications
We currently send only service communications (verification codes, payment confirmations, important notices). If we ever introduce marketing messages, they will be opt-in and easy to unsubscribe from.
9. Changes to This Policy
When we publish an updated Privacy Policy, the app will show it to you and ask for your acceptance before you continue. The version number and effective date appear at the top of this document.
10. Contact
For privacy questions or requests, reach us through Help & Support inside the app, or by email at cessto103@gmail.com.
uLam — Para sa bawat Pilipinong pamilya.