Privacy Policy

3Men Pty Ltd (ABN 83 678 873 839), trading as OurRoots.Africa (“we,” “us,” or “our”), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you hold over it. It applies to our website at ourroots.africa, the OurRoots Journal at ourrootsafrica.com, and all related platforms and services.

We comply with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Where we process personal data of individuals in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, we also comply with the applicable provisions of the UK/EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1. Who We Are

Legal entity: 3Men Pty Ltd  ·  ABN: 83 678 873 839
Address: Level 1, 63–73 Ann Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Email: support@ourroots.africa  ·  Phone: +61 433 960 900

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account & waitlist registration: name, email address, country of residence, and diaspora region
• Travel DNA Quiz: responses to cultural readiness questions; this information is used solely to generate your personalised heritage profile and preparation recommendations
• Amen AI interactions: questions and conversation history with our AI cultural companion; used to improve response quality and your personalised experience
• Community participation: content you post in Community Hubs, messages sent to other members, and feedback you provide
• Payment information: when you subscribe or purchase, payment is processed by Stripe; we do not store card numbers or banking details on our servers
• Communications: emails or support messages you send us

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data: pages visited, time on page, links clicked, and navigation paths
• Device & technical data: IP address, browser type, operating system, and screen resolution
• Cookies: we use essential cookies for site functionality and, with your consent, analytics cookies to understand how the site is used. See Section 9 for details.

2.3 Sensitive Information

Cultural and heritage information you share — including ancestral connections, diaspora identity, and emotional responses to heritage content — is treated as sensitive information and afforded the highest level of protection. We will never use this information for advertising, profiling by third parties, or any purpose outside the delivery of OurRoots.Africa services.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Manage your account and deliver platform features including the Travel DNA Quiz, Amen AI, and Community Hubs
• Send transactional emails (account verification, receipts, service updates)
• Send marketing communications you have opted into (newsletters, cultural content, launch announcements) — you may unsubscribe at any time
• Personalise your heritage preparation and AI companion responses
• Analyse and improve platform performance, features, and content
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations

3.1 AI & Automated Processing (Amen AI)

Our AI cultural companion Amen AI processes your queries to provide culturally aware guidance. Automated processing is used only to personalise your experience; no decisions with significant legal or similar effects are made by automated means alone. You may request human review of any AI-generated output or recommendation.

3.2 Legal Bases (GDPR)

Where GDPR applies, we rely on:

• Consent — for marketing emails and optional analytics cookies
• Contract — to provide services you have signed up for
• Legitimate interests — for fraud prevention and internal analytics (balanced against your rights)
• Legal obligation — where required by Australian or applicable law

4. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with:

• Service providers operating under data-processing agreements: Resend (transactional email), Stripe (payments), and our cloud hosting provider
• Sister platforms within the 3Men Pty Ltd ecosystem — specifically Afrofeast.com.au — only where you have expressly consented to cross-platform personalisation
• Law enforcement or regulators where required by a valid legal obligation, court order, or to protect the safety of our users
• Professional advisors (lawyers, auditors) bound by confidentiality

5. International Data Transfers

OurRoots.Africa is based in Australia and serves a global diaspora community. Your data may be stored or processed on servers located outside your country. When transferring data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place — including standard contractual clauses for transfers to or from the EEA or UK.

6. Data Retention

• Account data: retained for the life of your account plus 2 years after closure
• Quiz & AI interaction data: retained for 12 months from last use unless you request earlier deletion
• Payment records: retained for 7 years for Australian taxation and financial compliance
• Marketing consent records: retained until you withdraw consent and for 3 years thereafter

7. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correct — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Delete — request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Restrict — request that we limit processing in certain circumstances
• Port — receive your data in a machine-readable format (GDPR users)
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing

To exercise any right, email support@ourroots.africa. We will respond within 30 days. If you are in the EEA or UK and we fail to resolve your complaint, you may contact your local data protection authority.

If you are in Australia and your privacy concern is not resolved, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

8. Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures including encrypted data transmission (TLS), access controls, and regular security reviews. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure; we encourage you to use a strong, unique password and contact us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access.

9. Cookies

• Essential cookies: required for site functionality (session management, security). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: used with your consent to understand how visitors use our site (page views, navigation paths). You may decline these when prompted.

You can manage cookies at any time through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

10. Children’s Privacy

OurRoots.Africa is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

11. Third-Party Links

Our site links to third-party websites including Afrofeast.com.au, AmenAI.Africa, and social platforms. This Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email (if you have an account) or by posting a notice on our website. The “Effective Date” at the top of this page reflects when the current version came into effect. Continued use of our services after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.