NaijaWorld
NaijaWorld
Building Nigeria's Best Forum

Privacy Policy

NaijaWorld · Last updated January 2025

NaijaWorld ("NaijaWorld," "we," "us," or "our") operates the NaijaWorld website at naijaworld.com and the NaijaWorld mobile app (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what choices you have. By using the Service you agree to the practices described here.

1. Data We Collect

Information You Provide

  • Account information: username, email address, optional bio, and profile photo. Your username is public; your email address is not.
  • Content you post: text, links, images, and videos you share as posts or comments.
  • Actions you take: votes, saves/bookmarks, follows, blocks, community subscriptions, and reports.
  • Communications: information you send us via the contact form or support requests.

Device Permissions (Mobile App)

  • Camera: accessed only when you choose to take a photo for your profile or a post. We do not access your camera at any other time.
  • Photo Library: accessed only when you choose to select a photo to upload. We do not scan or index your photo library.
  • Push Notifications: we store a device push token (provided by Apple or Google) to send you notifications. You can revoke this permission at any time in your device settings.

Information Collected Automatically

  • Log and usage data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device model, screens or pages visited, links clicked, and search terms.
  • Analytics: we use Firebase Analytics to collect aggregate, anonymised data about how users interact with the Service (screen views, feature usage, session duration). This data is not linked to individually identifiable information.
  • Crash reports: we use Sentry to automatically collect crash and error data, including device model, OS version, app version, and stack traces. Sentry is configured to avoid capturing personally identifiable information in error reports.
  • Cookies and similar technologies (web): we use cookies to maintain your session, remember preferences, and understand aggregate usage patterns. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

Third-Party Sign-In

  • Google Sign-In: if you sign in with Google, Google shares your name and email address with us. We do not receive your Google password.
  • Apple Sign-In (iOS): if you sign in with Apple, Apple shares your name and either your real email address or an Apple-generated private relay email with us. We do not receive your Apple ID password.

Third-Party Embedded Content

The Service may display embedded content from third parties such as YouTube. When you interact with embedded content, the originating service may collect data about you under its own privacy policy.

2. How We Use Your Data

  • Provide, operate, and improve the Service
  • Personalise your feed and content recommendations
  • Send push notifications and service-related communications
  • Monitor and enforce our Community Conduct guidelines
  • Diagnose crashes and fix bugs using crash-report data
  • Understand aggregate usage patterns through anonymised analytics
  • Comply with applicable legal obligations

3. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in these limited circumstances:

  • Firebase / Google: our backend infrastructure runs on Firebase (Google Cloud). Your data is stored and processed on Firebase servers, primarily in the United States.
  • Expo: push notification tokens are transmitted through Expo's push notification service to deliver notifications to your device.
  • Sentry: crash and error data is sent to Sentry for debugging purposes.
  • Legal requirements: we may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal process.

4. Data Security

We use Firebase security rules, HTTPS/TLS encryption in transit, Firebase Authentication for identity verification, and Firebase App Check to prevent unauthorised API access. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal information within a reasonable time, except where we are required to retain it by law. Public content (posts, comments) may be retained in anonymised form.

6. Your Rights and Choices

  • Access and correction: you may update your account information at any time from your profile settings.
  • Account deletion: you may request deletion of your account by contacting us. We will process your request within a reasonable time.
  • Analytics opt-out: you can limit ad tracking and analytics on your device through iOS Settings → Privacy → Tracking, or Android Settings → Privacy → Ads.
  • Push notifications: you can disable push notifications at any time in your device settings.
  • Camera and Photo Library: you can revoke these permissions at any time in your device settings. Revoking them will prevent photo uploads but will not affect other features.
  • Cookies (web): you can control or delete cookies through your browser settings.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible.

8. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Our Service is operated using Firebase infrastructure hosted primarily in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with the following third-party services, each governed by its own privacy policy:

  • Google Firebase (authentication, database, analytics, crash reporting)
  • Google Sign-In
  • Apple Sign-In
  • Expo (push notifications)
  • Sentry (crash reporting)
  • YouTube (embedded video content)

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes through the app or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, contact us.