AnaChef العربية

Privacy policy

Version 1.0 · Last updated July 11, 2026

This website

The website anachef.sa collects no personal data except what you enter yourself in the "Notify me at launch" form: your email address, and whether you would like to try the beta. We use it only to write to you at launch, and we never share it. The site uses no cookies and no tracking tools. The policy below applies to both the app and the website.

1. Introduction

"AnaChef" (أنا شيف) is a recipe-sharing app that allows users in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries to publish recipes, follow other cooks, and interact with content bilingually (Arabic and English).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data when you use the AnaChef app or our website, anachef.sa.

By using the App, you agree to the practices described in this Policy. In handling your data, we comply with the provisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and its implementing regulations.

This Policy should be read together with our Terms of Service, which govern your use of the AnaChef app and its website.

2. Definitions

  • "The App": refers to the AnaChef app and its website, anachef.sa.
  • "User": any person who uses the App, whether as a visitor (Guest Mode) or as a registered account holder.
  • "Account": the profile linked to the email address created by the user upon registration.
  • "Content": any recipe, photo, comment, rating, or other material created or uploaded by a user to the App.
  • "Recipe": a specific type of Content representing a cooking recipe published by a user, which is either "Published" (public) or "Draft" (private).
  • "Personal Data": any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, whether directly or indirectly.
  • "Block": an action taken by a user to prevent another user from interacting with them within the App.
  • "Content Moderation": the actions taken by the AnaChef team to review reports and take necessary action regarding violating content.

3. Data We Collect

We collect the following types of data:

  • Account data: email address, password (stored encrypted; we do not access it directly), and display name.
  • Profile data (optional): bio, country, years of cooking experience, and social media links (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X).
  • Content: recipes (title, description, ingredients, steps, photos, prep and cook time, servings), comments, and ratings.
  • Interaction data: likes, saves, follows, blocks, and reports of violating content.
  • Usage and analytics data: general events such as opening the app, logging in, publishing a first recipe, viewing a recipe, and searching, in addition to technical crash reports when they occur, for purposes of improving app stability. We do not record any text written by the user (such as search text or comments) as part of this data.
  • Website data: when visiting anachef.sa to view a shared recipe, we may collect basic browsing data through visit-analytics tools.

The App does not currently collect your phone number or your full legal name.

4. How We Collect Your Data

  • Directly from you: when creating an account, editing your profile, publishing a recipe, writing a comment or rating, or submitting a report.
  • Automatically through your use of the App: usage, analytics, and crash-report data is collected automatically as you use the App, without any direct input from you.
  • From technical service providers: the App's infrastructure relies on trusted technical service providers (such as hosting, authentication, and databases), and some data reaches us through them as part of operating these services. See Section 13 for the list of service providers currently in use.

5. Purposes and Legal Basis

We collect and use your data for the following purposes:

  • Providing the App's core services (creating accounts, publishing recipes, interacting with content), in performance of the contractual relationship between us when you use the App.
  • Personalizing and improving your experience within the App.
  • Maintaining community safety through moderation, reporting, and blocking mechanisms.
  • Analyzing app usage, developing the App, and diagnosing technical faults.

These activities rely on your consent given upon registration and use of the App, on the necessity of performing the service requested of you, and on our legitimate interest in operating, protecting, and developing the App, consistent with the Personal Data Protection Law.

6. Public and Private Data

  • "Published" recipes are visible to all App users, including guests using Guest Mode without logging in.
  • Recipes saved as "Drafts" are visible only to their owner.
  • Your display name, profile photo (if any), and public profile statistics (number of recipes, followers, following) are shown publicly to all users.
  • Your email address and password are entirely private data and are never shown to any other user under any circumstance.
  • When you block a user, or a user blocks you, neither of you can see the other's content or profile in the App (see Section 7).

7. Content Moderation, Reporting, and Blocking

We provide mechanisms within the App to protect our users from violating content or conduct:

  • Reporting: any user may report a recipe or comment they consider violating (such as inappropriate content, an intellectual-property violation, or spam), and our team reviews the report.
  • Moderation: based on report review, the AnaChef team may take action including hiding violating content, removing a comment, or restricting a violating account. Every moderation action (its type, date, and the moderator who took it) is recorded in an internal log dedicated to accountability and review, and this log is not accessible to anyone outside the moderation team.
  • Blocking: the App allows any user to block another user to prevent them from following, liking, commenting on, or rating their content. Blocking has mutual effect: once it occurs, neither party sees the other's content or profile in the App. Blocking does not affect interactions that occurred before it was applied — it only prevents new interactions after that date. The user who applied the block may remove it at any time through the "Blocked Users" list.
  • Blocking and reporting data is used exclusively to verify permissions, enforce restrictions, and operate the moderation system; it is not used for any other purpose, and it is not shared with anyone outside the AnaChef team.

8. How We Share Your Data

  • We do not sell your personal data to anyone, and we do not share it for advertising purposes.
  • We rely on trusted technical service providers to operate the App (such as hosting, authentication, database, and analytics) — see Section 13 for the parties currently used. Your data is handled by these parties under data-processing agreements they are bound to comply with.
  • Your data may be processed or stored on servers located outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, depending on the global infrastructure of these services. In such cases, we take care to ensure these parties meet internationally recognized data-protection standards, consistent with the Personal Data Protection Law's requirements on transferring data outside the Kingdom.
  • We may disclose your data if required by law or by an order issued by a competent authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

9. Data Retention and Deletion

  • We retain your data for as long as your account remains active and for as long as necessary to provide the Service.
  • When you delete a recipe, it is immediately hidden from all users. We may retain some data for a limited period when needed for technical, security, or legal purposes, before it is permanently deleted.
  • Internal moderation records (such as the log of actions taken on violating content) are kept for a longer period for accountability and review purposes, and are not accessible to anyone outside the moderation team.
  • If you wish to delete your account entirely, you can do so directly within the App (Settings → Closing your account → Delete my account), or by request through the means we provide for contacting us. Your account and personal data are deleted as soon as you confirm the request, unless the law requires retaining some data for longer.

10. Your Rights Under the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law

Under the Personal Data Protection Law of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Request correction of any inaccurate data.
  • Request deletion of your personal data, subject to the exceptions provided by law.
  • Withdraw your consent to the processing of your data at any time, where processing is based on consent.
  • File a complaint with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) if you believe our processing of your data violates the law.

You may exercise any of these rights by contacting us at privacy@anachef.sa.

11. Children's Privacy

The App may not be used by anyone under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under this age. If we become aware that an account belongs to a child under the permitted age, we will work to close it and delete its data.

12. Security Measures

We take technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:

  • Encrypting passwords and sensitive account data.
  • Strict database security rules that determine and control who can access each type of data.
  • Protections against unauthorized automated access to our data.

That said, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we continually work to develop our security measures.

13. Third-Party Services

The App relies on a number of Google and Firebase services to operate:

  • Firebase Authentication: for managing login and accounts.
  • Cloud Firestore: the App's primary database.
  • Firebase Storage: for storing uploaded photos (recipe photos and profile photos).
  • Firebase Analytics: for analyzing overall app usage.
  • Firebase Crashlytics: for monitoring technical crashes and improving app stability.
  • Firebase Hosting: for hosting our website, anachef.sa.

These services are subject to Google's Privacy Policy, available at: https://policies.google.com/privacy

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes through the App or via your registered email address, and the "last updated" date will appear at the top of this page. Your continued use of the App after any amendment is posted constitutes your acceptance of it.

If an amendment materially affects how we process your personal data, we will notify you before the change takes effect where required under applicable law.

15. Contact Information

For any inquiry relating to your privacy or personal data, you may contact us at: