Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Africlana (“we”, “our”, or “us”) collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your personal information when you access or use the Africlana mobile application (iOS & Android), our website — including africlana.com and associated domains — and our escrow marketplace services (collectively, the “Platform”).

Africlana connects global diaspora buyers with verified local sellers across Africa. Because we provide central escrow holding and programmatic payouts upon verified delivery, we handle sensitive identity and transaction data with rigorous security controls complying with NDPR, GDPR, and global e-commerce security standards.

We collect personal information in several ways depending on your interaction with the Platform as a buyer, seller or artisan, or visitor.

A

Account & profile information

When you register, we collect your full name, email address, password hash (salted using bcrypt), telephone number, profile photograph, and shipping/billing physical addresses.

B

Seller verification & KYC records

To maintain escrow security and prevent fraudulent listings, sellers and artisans undergo identity verification. This may include store registration details, government-issued IDs, Bank Verification Number (BVN), tax identification, and settlement bank account details, processed securely via our KYC partner, YouVerify.

C

Financial & payment tokens

Payment transactions are processed through PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant partners, Paystack and Stripe. Africlana does not store raw card numbers or CVV codes on our servers — only anonymized payment tokens, gateway transaction reference IDs, and escrow settlement status.

D

Location, device & technical data

We collect IP addresses, device identifiers (Expo/Firebase push tokens), operating system versions, and coarse location coordinates with your permission, used to calculate localized currency conversions and accurate cross-border shipping rates.

E

Communications, reviews & dispute evidence

When you contact support, submit ratings or reviews, or upload photos and videos as evidence during an escrow dispute, those files are stored securely in Cloudflare R2 object storage.

We use your personal data strictly for lawful, legitimate business purposes.

Order fulfillment & escrow operations

Processing multi-vendor shopping carts, locking escrow deposits, generating sub-orders, and executing automated vendor payouts upon verified delivery.

Logistics & tracking

Coordinating dispatch with in-house Africlana Logistics drivers or third-party couriers, and providing real-time package status notifications.

Dispute resolution

Investigating buyer claims — damaged goods, wrong size — and processing partial or full refunds through payment gateway APIs.

Security & anti-fraud

Monitoring unauthorized logins, detecting duplicate accounts, verifying vendor legitimacy, and preventing payment fraud.

Push notifications & system alerts

Sending transactional updates about order status, escrow release countdowns, and delivery milestones.

Regulatory compliance

Fulfilling tax obligations, financial accounting standards, and anti-money laundering (AML) requirements.

Our marketplace operates on a centralized holding model with programmatic payouts:

1. 1

   Escrow lock

   When a buyer pays for a multi-vendor cart, the total amount is locked into Africlana's secured platform holding account. Funds are never settled directly to sellers before delivery.

2. 2

   48-hour inspection period

   After an order is marked as delivered, the buyer has 48 hours to inspect items and confirm receipt.

3. 3

   Automated payout or dispute

   Upon confirmation, or auto-release after 48 hours without dispute, backend APIs trigger a transfer to the seller's bank account minus platform commission. If a dispute is raised, funds remain frozen until resolution.

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We disclose information only to vetted third-party service providers bound by strict confidentiality agreements.

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to provide services and comply with statutory obligations.

To request permanent deletion of your account at any time, visit our account deletion portal or use the in-app deletion button under Profile > Settings.

Depending on your jurisdiction — GDPR in Europe, NDPR in Nigeria, or CCPA in California — you hold specific privacy rights.

Access & portability

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you in a structured, machine-readable format.

Rectification

You may update or correct inaccurate profile or store information directly within the mobile app settings.

Erasure

You can permanently delete your account and associated data anytime via the app or our account deletion page.

Object or restrict processing

You may opt out of non-essential marketing emails by clicking "unsubscribe" in any promotional message.

We employ technical, administrative, and physical measures designed to safeguard your information against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration.

Encryption in transit

All web and mobile communications are encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3 / HTTPS).

Encryption at rest

Database assets, user passwords (salted bcrypt), and cloud storage files are encrypted at rest.

Role-based access control

Multi-factor authentication is enforced for platform administrators, with strict access controls limiting who can view dispute or seller files.

Automated audit logs

Critical security events — logins, role changes, payouts, deletions — are logged to tamper-evident audit trails.

Because Africlana facilitates cross-border commerce connecting the African diaspora in North America, Europe, and the UK with artisans across Africa, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your residence. We ensure all cross-border transfers are subject to Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and adequate data protection standards.

Africlana is not intended for individuals under the age of 18, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we discover a minor has created an account, we promptly delete all associated data.

If you have questions, feedback, or wish to exercise your data privacy rights, reach our data protection team.

Privacy officer

info@africlana.com

General support

info@africlana.com

Account deletion

africlana.com/delete-account