Privacy Policy — Qareeb+ (قريب+)

Last updated: 19 August 2026. The public version is published at

https://qareeb-sd.com/privacy.

Qareeb+ is a ride-hailing and taxi application operating in Sudan. It is owned and

operated by QARIB PLUS APPLICATION FOR TRANSPORT & TAXI (Reg. No. BN 1175035). This policy explains what

data we collect, why, how we protect it, and what rights you have over it.

1) Data we collect

• Account data: name, phone number, date of birth, password (hashed).
• Driver data: driving licence, vehicle licence, transport permit, vehicle photos, bank/transfer details.
• Trip data: pickup and drop-off locations, route, time, fare, payment method — that is, your ride history.
• Live location: the driver's location while online or on a trip, and the rider's location when requesting a ride.
• Emergency contacts: numbers you choose for trip sharing or the SOS button.
• Financial data: wallet balance, transactions, top-ups.
• Technical data: device push token (FCM), device type, error logs.
• In-app messages: the chat between rider and captain during a trip, and support messages.
• Additional captain data: email address, home address, personal photo.
• Device-link records: which account signed in from which device — to prevent fraud and duplicate accounts.
• Advertising: in-app ad impressions and clicks (no advertising profiles, and no sharing with external ad networks).
• Trip-sharing link: when you share your trip, anyone holding the link can see the live trip location until it ends, without signing in. That is its purpose. The link is random and unguessable and stops working when the trip ends. Share it only with people you trust.

2) Why we use it

To deliver trips and match drivers with riders; to calculate fares, commission and

settlement; for safety (trip sharing, SOS, driver identity verification); for support and

complaint handling; to prevent fraud; and to improve the service.

We do not sell your data to third parties.

3) Your phone number and WhatsApp verification messages

We use your phone number to create your account, sign you in, and connect you with your

captain during a trip. To confirm the number is really yours, we send it a

one-time verification code (OTP).

• Verification code messages are sent over the WhatsApp Business API provided by Meta (Meta Platforms, Inc.), from our business number +249 910005089.
• What reaches Meta for this purpose is your phone number and the message text only: not your location, not your ride history, not your wallet data.
• Processing of these messages is also subject to Meta's own policies, and they are sent at your request when you enter your number in the app.
• We may use the same channel for operational notifications about your trip (order confirmation, captain arrival). We do not send marketing messages without your consent.
• These messages are never used for advertising, and your number is not shared with advertisers.

To stop the messages: turn off notifications in the app, or write to

admin@qareeb-sd.com. The verification code itself remains

required to sign in, because it is a security measure and not a marketing choice.

4) Sharing

We share the minimum necessary: the rider's or driver's name and location during a trip

with the other party; map and notification providers (Google/Firebase) to run the service;

and official authorities only upon a binding legal request. We do not sell or rent

personal data to any third party.

5) Retention

We keep trip and location data for as long as operationally and legally necessary, then

reduce or anonymise it. Live driver locations are not stored longer than needed to run the

trip and for safety.

Captain photos and documents — a distinction that matters to you:

• Identity, licence and registration documents are held in private storage and are read only through short-lived signed links that expire within an hour. They are never shown to a rider; only the reviewing staff member sees them.
• The captain and vehicle photos shown to you in the app are held in storage read by a direct link, because their purpose is for you to see them before you board, which is itself a safety measure. The link is unguessable (random identifier plus timestamp) and the storage cannot be listed, but anyone who obtains the link can open the image — we say so plainly rather than let you assume stronger protection. The photo is deleted when the account is deleted.

6) Your rights

• Access your data and correct it.
• Delete your account and data — from inside the app: "Profile → Delete my account permanently", or at https://qareeb-sd.com/delete-account. Your name, number, date of birth, emergency contacts, addresses and devices are deleted (along with captain documents and photo), you can no longer sign in, and your number is released for a new registration. What remains is **the trip record and its financial entries, without your name or number**: they also belong to another party (the driver or the rider) and carry accounting and legal obligations.
• Export your core data.
• Withdraw your consent to location use (this may disable some features).

For requests: contact support inside the app, or email

admin@qareeb-sd.com. We respond within thirty days.

7) Security

Password hashing; row-level security (RLS) preventing access to other people's data;

private document storage; OTP verification at sign-up; and audit logging of sensitive

operations. Even so, no system is 100% secure, and we work on continuous improvement.

8) Children

The service is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone below the

legal age.

9) Changes

We may update this policy; the updated version will be published in the app with its date.