Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Creative Natives Inc., as the data controller for D.I.N., processes personal data when you visit, register for, or use the service. It is designed for users in Nigeria and applies alongside any mandatory protections that apply where you live.

We process personal data fairly, lawfully, transparently, and only for specified purposes. We collect and retain data that is relevant and limited to those purposes, protect it with appropriate safeguards, and review it for accuracy and retention needs.

We collect account and profile data you provide, such as your email address, username, display name, profile details, and authentication information. We also process the content, messages, reports, appeals, reactions, and requests you submit; information generated when you use the service, such as device, browser, IP address, cookies, log, security, and approximate location data; and information that others provide about you through reports, tags, or interactions.

Some content or reports may contain sensitive personal data. Do not submit sensitive information unless it is necessary for your chosen use of D.I.N. and you have a lawful basis to do so. We apply additional access controls to sensitive moderation and evidence material.

We use personal data to create and administer accounts; deliver feeds, social features, and user-requested actions; secure the service; detect abuse and fraud; moderate content; communicate with you; improve and measure the service; comply with legal obligations; and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Depending on the context, we rely on consent, performance of a contract with you, compliance with legal obligations, protection of vital interests, legitimate interests that do not override your rights, or another lawful basis permitted by applicable data-protection law. You may withdraw consent at any time, but this does not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal or processing based on another lawful basis.

We ask whether D.I.N. may send what you post (the text, your pictures, and stills from your videos) to OpenAI, an AI company in the United States, to check it for things like hate, threats and sexual content. If you agree, the same applies when someone asks D.I.N. to fact-check one of your posts: the AI researches the claim. OpenAI processes this data under its API terms only to give us that answer.

Nothing you post goes to OpenAI unless you say yes, and not answering counts as no. If you say no, a word list checks your text, your pictures and videos stay covered until one of our moderators has reviewed them, and our staff handle fact-checks of your posts. You can change your answer at any time in Settings under AI & ads; withdrawing stops future sending but does not undo checks already made.

We use these service providers to run D.I.N.: Railway (servers and database), Vercel (website hosting), Cloudinary (storing and serving pictures and videos), Cloudflare (encrypted database backups), Resend (sending email), Expo with Apple Push Notification service and Firebase Cloud Messaging (push notifications), OpenAI (AI safety checks, only if you agree), Google Analytics (website measurement, see below), Paystack (website payments and creator payouts), and Apple, Google and RevenueCat (in-app purchases).

Each provider receives only the data it needs for its task, is bound by contract or its published terms to protect that data at least as well as this Policy does, and may use it only to provide its service to us. We do not sell personal data. We also share data with other users when you make content public or interact with them, with professional advisers, in a corporate transaction, and with authorities or other parties where required or permitted by law.

If you allow notifications in the app, your phone gives us a push token, which we keep with your account so we can deliver alerts through Expo and Apple or Google. We delete it when you sign out on that device, deactivate your account, or schedule its deletion.

When you buy Verified, a tip, or a boost in the app, Apple or Google takes the payment; we never see your card. RevenueCat tells us what was bought, with a purchase identifier, so we can grant it. On the website, Paystack takes the payment and gives us a reference and the amount. Creators who withdraw earnings give us their bank, account name and account number; we pass these to Paystack to create a transfer recipient and keep only the bank, the account name, the last four digits and Paystack's recipient code.

Our providers or systems may process data outside Nigeria. Where a cross-border transfer occurs, we use safeguards required by applicable law. Essential cookies keep you signed in, protect your account, and remember preferences such as your theme. Analytics cookies are only set if you allow them (see Analytics below). You can also control cookies through your browser, though essential features may not work without them. We use organisational and technical safeguards, but no service can guarantee absolute security.

Our website uses Google Analytics, a service provided by Google, to understand how people use D.I.N. so we can improve it. It uses cookies to record information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, the website that referred you, your device and browser type, and your approximate location. Google Analytics does not store your IP address, and we do not send it your name, email address, or the content you post. The D.I.N. mobile app does not use Google Analytics.

Google Analytics only loads if you allow it: we ask the first time you visit, and you can change your answer at any time with “Cookie settings” at the bottom of our pages or under Settings → Privacy & permissions. If you say no, it never loads and D.I.N. works the same. Google processes this data on our behalf and may do so outside Nigeria, under the safeguards described above. Analytics data is kept for no longer than 14 months. You can also block or delete analytics cookies in your browser settings.

We keep your account data while your account is open. When you delete your account, it is deactivated straight away and permanently deleted after 30 days; you can cancel by signing back in before then. Deletion removes your profile, email address, date of birth, posts, replies, articles, drafts, pictures and videos, reactions, follows, blocks, trivia history, saved bank details and push tokens, and any You No Do Well report you sent that was not published.

A few records are kept without your name because other people or the law rely on them: You No Do Well reports that were already published (the reporter is removed), payments, tips, payouts and paid prizes (kept for accounting and tax law), and moderation and security logs needed to prevent abuse. Database backups are kept for 30 days, so deleted data leaves the backups within 30 days of deletion. Media checks made for fact-checks are kept for 30 to 180 days depending on type. We may de-identify or aggregate information so it can no longer reasonably identify you.

You can download your data from Settings: we email you a link that works for 7 days, and you can ask once a day. Subject to applicable law and verification, you may also request access to, correction of, deletion of, or restriction of processing of your personal data; object to certain processing; withdraw consent; and complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission or another competent authority. You can submit a request using the Data Request page or the contact below. We will respond within the time required by law and explain any lawful limitation.

D.I.N. is for people 16 and over. We ask for your date of birth to keep younger children off the service, to show graphic or sensitive media only to adults, and to check that trivia prize winners are 18 or over. Your date of birth is not shown on your profile or to other users. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 16, we close it and delete its personal data as described above. If you believe a child is using D.I.N., contact us so we can review it.

We may update this Policy when our processing or legal obligations change. Material changes will be communicated through D.I.N. or another appropriate channel. If you have a privacy concern, contact us first so we can investigate. You may also lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

D.I.N. is operated by Creative Natives Inc.. For privacy questions, data-subject requests, or privacy complaints, email hello@thisisnaija.com.ng. Please include the page or feature concerned, your D.I.N. handle where relevant, and enough information for us to identify and respond to your request.

We may ask for information reasonably necessary to verify identity, prevent fraud, protect other people, or comply with law. Do not send passwords, payment-card details, government identification, or other sensitive information unless we specifically request a secure method for it.