Web Version, Privacy, and Limitations

The web version

Isoko is primarily an Android app — there is no desktop/Electron build. For when you don't have your phone, there's a web version at isoko.paramira.org with its own onboarding: Start fresh (a new identity, right in the browser) or Import an identity (paste the bundle from iwacu or abantu's Settings/Profile → Export). You can also link the browser as a full device from your phone, the same way abantu and iwacu support.

Privacy in isoko

Your listings do not include your real identity. They are associated with your device's anonymous identifier — a pseudonym generated locally.

Your location is never sent automatically. If you include a location in a listing, use a general area (neighbourhood, district) not your home address.

Messages between buyer and seller are end-to-end encrypted. Peers who relayed your listing cannot read the message thread.

Voice messages are encrypted the same way as text messages before being sent.

Current limitations

• No photo hosting yet — photos in listings are experimental and may not transmit reliably to distant peers.
• No built-in payment integration. Payment records are bookkeeping, not processing — cash or external wallets only.
• Disputes flag a delivery and are visible to all parties, but resolution is up to your community. Reputation matters.
• Community Credits are an honour-system ledger on your own device — there is no global settlement between devices yet.
• Android for the full app; the web version covers the core loop, not every tab. No dedicated desktop build.
• Safety scanner uses simulated radio data in the current build.

Safety advice

Meet in public places for handoffs. Tell someone where you are going. Do not meet alone for high-value items.

Isoko reduces what a third-party platform can know about you, but it does not change the physical risks of in-person commerce. Use common sense.