Odoo Founder Shoots Down Claims of Data Selling

Recent reports circulating on Kenyan social media have accused Odoo, the global open-source ERP provider, of collecting and reselling user data without consent. The claims, which quickly gained traction online, have drawn sharp reactions from the company’s leadership.

Fabien Pinckaers, Odoo’s founder and CEO, has come out strongly to deny the allegations.

“Every software collects data. For example, if you upload an invoice to be processed in the accounting app, that’s data,” Fabien said in response to the claims. “But Odoo will never sell data (and never did). We value privacy, we’re GDPR compliant, and we sell subscriptions, not data.”

He even dropped the receipts, pointing curious (or skeptical) users to Odoo’s official legal documentation pages for data privacy and GDPR.

So, Who’s Pointing Fingers?

The accusations originated from a Kenyan social media user, Nyandia Gachago, whose post questioned whether Odoo was monetizing user information. While no evidence has been provided to support the claims, the skepticism reflects a broader trend where local consumers remain cautious of how tech companies handle personal data.

Kenyan telcos such as Safaricom have, in the past, faced similar accusations of sharing customer information with authorities despite repeatedly denying any wrongdoing. Such precedents explain why these allegations, however unverified, are spreading quickly.

Odoo’s Position on Data Handling

Here’s where things get less juicy and more technical:

• GDPR compliant in Europe, Data Protection Act 2019 compliant in Kenya – Odoo ticks the legal boxes required to handle personal information responsibly.
• On-premises hosting option – Businesses don’t have to give Odoo their data at all. They can buy the software, host it on their own servers with Odoo partners, and lock it behind their own keys. In that setup, Odoo literally cannot access your data.
• Custom privacy policies – Companies using Odoo can shape their data protection rules according to local laws and their customer expectations.

Fun fact: Odoo has offices in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia, but in Africa? Only Nairobi, Kenya makes the cut.

While the social media accusations remain unsubstantiated, Odoo leadership’s clear denial reiterates its commitment to privacy and compliance. Sure, the accusations may have been loud, but Fabien’s response was louder. Odoo says it doesn’t sell data, and with GDPR and Kenya’s Data Protection laws in the picture, it’s positioned to back that up.

Still, as Kenyan netizens know too well, “what’s on paper” and “what happens behind the scenes” don’t always align. For now, though, Odoo has made its stance clear that they only sell software subscriptions, not your personal information.