Zerko
Back to zerko.app

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 18, 2026

Overview

Zerko is an AI operating system for businesses. It connects to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, and website chat on a business's behalf, and its AI assistant ("Otto") reads and drafts replies to customer messages, while also handling CRM, sales, invoicing, hiring, and reporting for that business. This policy explains what data we collect across the Zerko web portal, admin console, and mobile app, and how it's used.

Zerko is developed and operated by ForgeLabs. In this policy, "we", "us", and "our" refer to Zerko/ForgeLabs.

Information We Collect

We collect different data depending on how you use Zerko:

  • Business account data — business name, industry, working hours, escalation contact number, team member names/emails/roles, and settings you configure (tone, automation rules, invoice branding, etc.).
  • Customer/contact data— when a business connects a channel, we process the messages, names, phone numbers, emails, and profile info of that business's customers as they message the business on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, or the website widget. This includes text, images, voice notes, and other attachments sent in those conversations.
  • Payment data — subscription and message-bundle purchases are processed by our mobile-money payment partner, Snippe. We store the payment reference, amount, and status, but Zerko does not store your card or mobile-money PIN — that stays with Snippe and your mobile money provider.
  • Device and push-notification data — if you enable notifications in the mobile app, we register your device with our push provider, OneSignal, so we can alert you about new messages, approvals, and billing events.
  • Usage analytics — the mobile app uses Firebase Analytics to understand feature usage and crashes, so we can improve the product.
  • Account credentials — email and a securely hashed password (or sign-in via your device session). We never store passwords in plain text.

How Otto (Our AI) Processes Messages

Customer messages sent to a connected business are processed by large-language-model providers to understand intent and draft a reply. A business can configure Otto to send replies automatically or to require human review before sending, and can take over any conversation manually at any time. Message content is used to generate that specific reply and to power the business's own CRM/reporting features — it is not used to train shared models across unrelated businesses, and each business's data is kept isolated from every other business on Zerko.

Third-Party Service Providers

We rely on the following providers to run Zerko. Each only receives the data it needs to do its job:

  • Zernio — connects and routes WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook messages on behalf of a business.
  • Appwrite — our database and file storage backend, hosting business, contact, and conversation records.
  • OneSignal — push notification delivery.
  • Firebase — mobile app analytics and crash reporting.
  • Snippe — mobile-money payment processing for subscriptions and message bundles.
  • Large-language-model providers — process message text to generate Otto's draft/auto replies.

How We Use Information

  • Operate Otto: receiving, understanding, and replying to customer messages.
  • Run CRM, sales, invoicing, hiring, and reporting features for the business.
  • Send push and in-app notifications (new messages, approvals, billing, stock alerts).
  • Process payments and maintain accurate billing/usage records.
  • Diagnose bugs, secure accounts, and improve the product.
  • Comply with legal obligations (e.g. tax/financial record-keeping).

We do not sell personal data to third parties, and we do not share one business's customer data with another business.

Data Retention

We retain business and conversation data for as long as the account is active, so the business can keep using its CRM/message history. If an account is deleted (see our Account Deletionpage), we remove the associated data within the timeframe described there, except for records we're legally required to keep (e.g. financial transaction records for tax purposes).

Your Rights

You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your data at any time by emailing [email protected], or by visiting our Account Deletion page for full account removal.

Data Security

We use encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all traffic between the app, portal, and our backend, and access to tenant data is scoped so one business can never see another's records. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.

Children's Privacy

Zerko is a business tool and is not directed at, or knowingly used to collect data from, children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as Zerko evolves. We'll update the "Last updated" date above when we do, and material changes will be communicated in the app or by email.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email [email protected].