Terms & Conditions
1. Acceptance of Terms
By creating an account, forming a group, or conducting any activity on aluung.com, you agree to these Terms & Conditions. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the platform.
2. Nature of the Platform
Aluung is strictly an academic research project, developed as part of a PhD in Finance research initiative by a PhD Candidate.
The platform exists solely for educational, scientific, and research purposes, including the study of financial literacy, trust in technology, social capital, and fintech adoption in emerging economies.
Aluung is not a commercial service, financial institution, or profit-seeking enterprise.
3. Not-for-Profit Commitment
All services on aluung.com are completely free of charge. No fees, commissions, or charges apply to any transactions, features, or group activities. This ensures accessibility for underserved communities and aligns with the academic mission of the project.
4. Purpose of the Platform
Aluung provides digital tools to support:
- Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs)
- Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs)
- Njangis, Tontines, and similar informal savings groups
- School alumni associations
- Community-based financial networks
The platform digitizes activities traditionally recorded in notebooks, registers, Excel sheets, or WhatsApp messages. This supports research on:
- Social networks
- Financial inclusion
- Informal finance
- Technology adoption in low-resource settings
5. User Responsibilities
Users agree to:
- Provide accurate information when creating accounts or groups.
- Use the platform only for lawful, community-based financial activities.
- Avoid harmful, fraudulent, or misleading behavior.
- Respect the academic purpose of the platform.
Users are responsible for all actions taken under their accounts.
6. Group Creation & Management
Group creators (“Admins”) manage the rules, membership, and activities of their groups. Admins must ensure that group activities reflect legitimate savings, lending, or investment practices. Groups may not promote hate, harassment, political agendas, or illegal activities. Aluung may remove any group that violates these Terms or disrupts the research purpose.
7. Transactions and Financial Records
All transactions recorded on Aluung are peer-to-peer interactions between users. Aluung does not handle, store, or transfer money. The platform only provides digital record-keeping tools for research and community use.
Users are solely responsible for verifying payments, contributions, loans, and balances outside the platform. Aluung does not guarantee the accuracy, delivery, or fulfillment of any financial commitments made between users.
8. Research Participation
By using Aluung, you acknowledge that:
- Your anonymized activity may contribute to academic research.
- Data may be analyzed to understand financial behavior, trust, and technology adoption.
- No personally identifiable information will be published in research outputs.
- Participation is voluntary, and you may stop using the platform at any time.
A separate Research Consent Notice may be provided where required.
9. Content Ownership & Data Use
Users retain ownership of the content and records they create. By using the platform, you grant Aluung a non-exclusive license to use anonymized data for academic research and platform improvement. Aluung will not sell or commercialize user data.
10. Privacy
Your use of Aluung is governed by our Privacy Policy. Users should avoid sharing sensitive personal information within groups or transaction notes.
11. Platform Rights
Aluung may:
- Modify or discontinue features as part of the research process.
- Remove content or groups that violate these Terms.
- Suspend accounts involved in harmful or abusive behavior.
- Update these Terms as the academic project evolves.
12. Limitation of Liability
Aluung is provided “as is” for academic and community use. The platform is not responsible for:
- Financial losses or disputes between users
- Errors in user-entered data
- Technical issues, downtime, or data loss
- Misuse of the platform by individuals or groups
Users engage with each other at their own risk.
13. Contact
For questions related to the platform or the research project, please contact the Aluung research team through the support channels provided on the website.