This Privacy Policy explains how Ahmed Hesham Bekheat ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal information when you use the Fakka mobile application (the "App") and its related online services (together, the "Service"). It also explains the choices and rights you have.
Please read this Policy together with our Terms of Service. By creating an account, continuing as a guest, or otherwise using the Service after confirming that you accept this Policy, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
1. Who we are
The Service is provided by Ahmed Hesham Bekheat, an independent developer based in Egypt (the "Controller"). References to "we", "us" and "our" in this Policy mean Ahmed Hesham Bekheat. We are responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is processed as described in this Policy.
For any privacy question or request, contact us at support@fakkaeg.com.
2. Summary
- Fakka is a personal finance tracker. You decide what to enter. We do not connect to your bank accounts and we never ask for card numbers, bank passwords or PINs.
- You can use Fakka as a guest. In guest mode your information stays on your device and is not sent to our servers.
- If you create an account, the financial information you enter is stored on our cloud database so it can be backed up and kept in step across your devices. Each account can only access its own data.
- We do not sell your personal information. We do not show ads, and we do not use third-party analytics or advertising trackers in the current version of the App.
- You can delete your account and your server-side data at any time from Settings → Legal & Privacy → Delete account.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Information you give us when you create an account
- You can create an account with Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple. We do not offer password accounts, so we never hold a password for you.
- Sign in with Google: your email address and your Google account identifier. Google may also share your name and profile picture address with our authentication provider; we do not use them in the App.
- Sign in with Apple: your Apple account identifier and the email address Apple shares with us, which may be a private relay address chosen by you.
- A record that you accepted our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy: the version of each document, the date and time you accepted, the sign-in method, your device platform (iOS or Android) and the App version.
3.2 Information you enter in the App
The App works with the information you choose to type in. Depending on the features you use, this may include:
- Profile: the name you give yourself, your type of work (for example employee, freelancer or student) and the date you started using Fakka.
- Income: sources and amounts of income, pay day, one-off income and whether money arrived by transfer.
- Spending: expenses with amount, category, note, date and, for bank-message entries, the shop name.
- Installments: the installment provider (for example a buy-now-pay-later app), the item, the monthly amount, months left and due day.
- Loans: loan type, lender, monthly payment, remaining balance, due day and, for mortgages, a property nickname, price and amount paid.
- Bills: bill type, name, amount and due day.
- Gam'eya (rotating savings groups): name, monthly amount, number of members, your turn and start month.
- Savings and goals: savings held (for example gold, foreign currency or custom items) with quantities and prices, savings goals with targets, deadlines and progress.
- Price alerts: the gold or currency price at which you want to be notified.
- Payment status: which payments you marked as paid each month.
- Shop categories: the category you chose for a shop so future entries from that shop are sorted automatically.
- Scores: your monthly Financial Health Score and its parts, calculated on your device from the information above.
- Preferences: language, theme, colour, whether amounts are hidden, whether reminders are on, and similar settings.
Together we call this "Financial Information". It is information you provide about your own finances. It is not obtained from your bank.
3.3 Bank text messages (optional, iPhone only)
If you turn on Automatic logging (Settings → Bank messages), you can set up an Apple Shortcuts automation on your iPhone that forwards bank and wallet text messages to our server, using a personal link that contains a secret key. The App itself does not read your text messages and does not request SMS permissions on any platform.
When a message arrives at our server:
- It is read in memory to find a payment or income. The full text of the message is not saved.
- If it is a payment or income, we store only the extracted transaction: whether it is money in or out, the amount, the currency, the name of the shop or the other party as written by your bank (this can be a person's name for transfers), the payment channel (for example card, InstaPay, wallet, transfer or ATM) and the date.
- The transaction waits in a private inbox linked to your account until you open the App. It is then added to your records or discarded, and removed from the inbox. At most 300 transactions can wait at a time.
- Your secret key is stored only as a one-way cryptographic hash. You can reset or turn off the link at any time, which stops it working immediately.
Messages may contain information about people you transact with. Only forward messages you are entitled to share.
3.4 Shared shop categories
When you are signed in and choose a category for a shop that came from a card payment, we store that choice (a simplified version of the shop name, the category and your account identifier) so that the App can suggest the most common category for that shop to other users. Other users only ever see an aggregated result (a category and a vote count), only once at least two people agree, and never your identity. We never share people's names, phone or wallet numbers from transfers, InstaPay, wallet or ATM transactions in this way.
3.5 Information that stays on your device
- Receipt photos you take or attach are saved only inside the App's private storage on your device. They are not uploaded to our servers. Note that your device's own backup service (for example iCloud or Google backup) may include App data according to your device settings.
- Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint or device passcode checks used for the App lock are performed entirely by your device's operating system. We never receive biometric information; the App only learns whether the check succeeded.
- Payment reminders are scheduled locally on your device. We do not collect push notification tokens.
- In guest mode, all Financial Information stays on your device.
3.6 Information collected automatically
- Service and security logs: when the App communicates with our servers, our hosting provider records technical information such as IP address, request time, the address requested, response status and device or browser type. These logs are used to operate, secure and troubleshoot the Service and are kept for a short period set by our hosting provider.
- Exchange rates and gold prices: to show current prices, the App requests public data directly from open.er-api.com and api.gold-api.com. These requests do not include your Financial Information or account details, but, like any internet request, they reveal your IP address and basic request information to those providers.
We do not use cookies, advertising identifiers, device fingerprinting, location data, contacts, or third-party analytics in the current version of the App.
4. Financial information
We understand that financial information is sensitive. We handle it as follows:
- We only process the Financial Information you choose to enter or forward, and only to provide the Service to you.
- We do not have access to your bank, card, wallet or installment accounts, and we cannot move money or make payments on your behalf.
- We do not use your Financial Information to make credit decisions, to profile you for marketing, or to sell or share with lenders, banks, data brokers or advertisers.
- Staff access to production data is limited to what is strictly necessary to operate, secure or support the Service (for example to investigate a fault you report), and is subject to confidentiality obligations.
5. How we use information
We use personal information only for these purposes:
- To provide the Service: creating and managing your account, storing your Financial Information, syncing it across your devices and showing you totals, scores and reminders.
- To process bank messages you forward, if you turn on Automatic logging.
- To suggest shop categories using aggregated choices from users.
- To keep the Service secure: preventing fraud and abuse, protecting accounts and investigating security incidents.
- To maintain and improve the Service: fixing errors and making the App work better.
- To communicate with you: responding to your requests and sending essential service messages such as important changes to our Terms or this Policy.
- To comply with law: meeting legal obligations, responding to lawful requests from authorities and enforcing our Terms.
- To keep a record of your acceptance of our Terms and this Policy.
6. Legal bases for processing
Where the law requires a legal basis for processing, we rely on:
- Performance of a contract: to provide the Service you asked for under our Terms of Service.
- Consent: for optional features such as Automatic logging, and where the law requires consent for processing financial information. You may withdraw consent at any time by turning the feature off or deleting your account; this does not affect processing that took place before withdrawal.
- Legitimate interests: to keep the Service secure, prevent abuse, and improve the App, where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
- Legal obligation: where we must process or keep information to comply with the law.
Where Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020 and its executive regulations apply, we process personal data in line with that law, including any requirements for consent, licensing or registration applicable to us.
7. How information is stored and secured
- Your account and the Financial Information you sync are stored with our database and authentication provider, Supabase, on servers located in the European Union (Frankfurt, Germany).
- Data is encrypted in transit between the App and our servers using TLS, and is encrypted at rest by our hosting provider.
- Our database enforces row-level security: each signed-in account can only read and change its own records. Requests without a valid sign-in cannot read any personal records.
- Personal keys for bank message forwarding are stored only as one-way hashes.
- You can protect the App with Face ID, fingerprint or your device passcode, hide amounts on screen, and the App hides its content in the app switcher.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we use reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please keep your device and your Google or Apple account secure, and contact us immediately if you believe your account has been compromised.
8. Third-party service providers
We share personal information only with service providers that help us run the Service, under contracts that require them to protect it and use it only on our instructions, and only to the extent needed:
- Supabase Inc. (authentication, database and server functions; data hosted on Amazon Web Services in the EU). Supabase processes your account details, Financial Information you sync, forwarded bank-message transactions, consent records and service logs.
- Google LLC, if you choose Sign in with Google. Google's handling of your Google account data is governed by Google's privacy policy.
- Apple Inc., if you choose Sign in with Apple or use Apple Shortcuts to forward messages. Apple's handling of that data is governed by Apple's privacy policy.
- open.er-api.com and api.gold-api.com, which receive anonymous price requests from your device as described in section 3.6.
- Apple App Store and Google Play, which handle App downloads, updates and any purchases under their own terms and privacy policies.
We may also disclose information:
- If required by law, regulation, court order or a lawful request by public authorities.
- To protect the rights, property or safety of our users, the public or us, including to prevent fraud or abuse.
- If the Service is transferred to a company we set up to run it, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing or sale of all or part of the Service, in which case the recipient must honour this Policy or notify you of changes.
- With your explicit consent or at your direction.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
9. Data retention
- Account and Financial Information: kept for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account, it is deleted from our primary database immediately.
- Bank-message inbox: each transaction is removed as soon as you review it in the App, and is deleted with your account.
- Shop category choices: kept while your account exists and deleted with your account. Aggregated category suggestions that no longer identify you may remain.
- Consent records: kept while your account exists and deleted with your account, unless we must keep them longer to comply with the law or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
- Backups: deleted data may persist in encrypted backups held by our hosting provider for up to [BACKUP RETENTION PERIOD] before being permanently overwritten. Backups are not used for any other purpose.
- Service logs: kept for a short period set by our hosting provider for security and troubleshooting.
- Guest mode and on-device data: stays on your device until you delete it in the App or uninstall the App.
10. Deleting your account
You can delete your account at any time in the App: Settings → Legal & Privacy → Delete account. You will be asked to confirm by typing DELETE.
When you delete your account we permanently delete your sign-in account and all server-side data linked to it: your synced Financial Information, any bank-message inbox items, your personal message-forwarding key, your shop category choices and your consent records. We also clear Fakka's data from the device you used to delete the account, including receipt photos saved by the App. If you use Fakka on other devices, they will be signed out, but information already saved on them stays on those devices until you delete it in the App there or uninstall the App.
Deletion cannot be undone. If you sign in again later with the same Google or Apple account, a new, empty account will be created.
If you cannot access the App, you can ask us to delete your account by emailing support@fakkaeg.com from the email address linked to your account, or by using our web request page at https://fakkaeg.com/delete-account. We may need to verify your identity before acting on the request.
11. Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights:
- Access: to know whether we process your personal information and to receive a copy.
- Correction: to correct inaccurate information. You can edit most information directly in the App.
- Deletion: to have your information deleted. You can delete your account directly in the App.
- Portability: to receive the information you provided in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Restriction and objection: to ask us to limit or stop certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests.
- Withdrawal of consent: to withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier lawful processing.
- Complaint: to complain to a data protection authority, such as Egypt's Personal Data Protection Center or the supervisory authority in your country of residence.
To exercise a right, contact us at support@fakkaeg.com. We will respond within the time required by applicable law, and in any case within 30 days where possible. We may need to verify your identity, and we may decline requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive or that the law allows us to refuse. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
12. Children's privacy
The Service is intended for adults aged 18 or over (or the age of legal majority where you live, if higher). It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@fakkaeg.com and we will delete it.
13. International data transfers
We are based in Egypt, and our servers are located in the European Union. If you create an account, your information will therefore be transferred from Egypt, or from wherever you use the Service, to the European Union, and may be processed in other countries where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws different from those in your country.
Where required, we put appropriate safeguards in place for such transfers, such as the standard contractual clauses included in our service providers' data processing agreements, and we comply with any additional cross-border transfer requirements of applicable law, including Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020.
14. Data breaches
If we become aware of a security breach that affects your personal information, we will investigate promptly, take steps to contain it and reduce its effects, and notify the competent data protection authorities and affected users where and when required by applicable law (for example, within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach where the law requires it). Notices to you will describe what happened, the information involved, what we are doing and what you can do to protect yourself.
15. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time, for example to reflect new features, legal requirements or the introduction of advertising or paid plans. The version and effective date at the top show when it last changed. If we make material changes, we will notify you in the App and ask you to review and accept the updated Policy before you continue using the Service. Where the law requires your consent to a change, we will not apply the change without it.
16. Contact us
Ahmed Hesham Bekheat, independent developer, Egypt Email (privacy questions, requests and support): support@fakkaeg.com
17. Financial disclaimer
Fakka is a personal record-keeping and budgeting tool. We are not a bank, lender, payment service, investment adviser, tax adviser or other licensed financial institution. Totals, scores, exchange rates, gold prices, reminders and other figures shown in the App are estimates based on the information you enter and on third-party price sources, and may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate. Transactions read from bank messages may be misread. Nothing in the App is financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Always check important figures with your bank or provider and consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. See our Terms of Service for full details.
Installment providers, banks, wallets and other company names shown in the App are trademarks of their owners. Fakka is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.