Yachdahv Privacy Policy

Acceptance of the Policy

By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the terms of this Policy. If you do not agree to any provision of this Policy, you must refrain from accessing or using the Service.

1. Who We Are

Yachdahv is operated by Yachdahv Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with its registered address at 15, Isheri Olofin Palace Way, Isheri Olofin, Lagos State, Nigeria.

For data protection purposes, Yachdahv is the Data Controller of the personal data described in this Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

2.2 Sensitive Personal Data

As a faith-based platform, Yachdahv processes specific categories of information that constitute sensitive personal data under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023. These categories include, but are not limited to:

1. Religious or similar beliefs, e.g. your faith background, church habits, and responses to faith-based onboarding questions.
2. Biometric data: facial geometry data derived from your verification selfie, used solely to confirm liveness and to check that your main profile photo shows you, reducing catfishing/fake accounts.
3. Data revealing aspects of your private/sex life inherent in dating preferences, matches, and relationship intentions.
4. We only collect sensitive personal data with your explicit, specific, and informed consent, obtained separately from our general terms of use, as required under Section 30 of the NDPA. You may withdraw this consent at any time (see Section 8), though this may limit your ability to use certain features (for example, withdrawing biometric consent may prevent you from completing identity verification).

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

1. Device information (device type, operating system, unique device identifiers).
2. Log data (IP address, access times, app crashes, pages/screens viewed).
3. Location data (approximate location, if you enable location services, used for match suggestions).
4. Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 9).

2.4 Information from Third Parties

1. If you sign up or log in via a third-party service (e.g., Google or Apple sign-in), we receive basic profile information from that provider as authorized by you.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal data for the following purposes and legal bases under the NDPA:

1. Creating and managing your account.
2. Matching you with other users based on faith, preferences, and profile data.
3. Verifying your identity via biometric liveness check, and checking that your main profile photo matches your verification selfie.
4. Facilitating faith-based onboarding (Bible character selection, love languages, etc.).
5. Enabling messaging between matched users.
6. Sending service updates, safety notices, and marketing communications.
7. Detecting fraud, fake profiles, and abusive behavior.
8. Complying with legal obligations, including NDPC requirements.
9. Improving and developing the Service, including analytics.

We do not use your religious or biometric data for any purpose beyond what you have specifically consented to (e.g., we do not sell faith-data profiles to advertisers or share them with employers, churches, or other institutions without your explicit permission).

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information in the following circumstances:

1. With other users: Your profile (photos, bio, faith-based answers you choose to display) is visible to other users as part of the core matching function. You control what appears on your visible profile.
2. Service providers: Vendors who process data on our behalf, such as cloud hosting providers, identity/biometric verification vendors, payment processors, and customer support tools, bound by data processing agreements consistent with NDPA requirements.
3. Legal and safety reasons: Where required by law, court order, or NDPC directive, or to protect the safety of our users (e.g., reporting credible threats of harm).
4. Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to continued protection of your data under this Policy or an equivalent standard.

4.1 Cross-Border Data Transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside Nigeria. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards consistent with NDPA requirements, including verifying the receiving country offers comparable data protection, using contractual safeguards, or obtaining your explicit informed consent to the transfer. We maintain records of the legal basis for each such transfer as required by the NDPC.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specifically:

1. Profile and account data: Retained while your account is active; deleted or anonymized within three (3) months of account deletion, except where retention is required by law.
2. Biometric verification data: Retained only as long as necessary to complete and periodically re-confirm verification, then deleted or irreversibly anonymized. We do not retain raw biometric images longer than six (6) months.
3. Messages: Retained while your account is active, deleted upon account deletion unless required for safety/moderation investigations already in progress.
4. Transaction records: Retained as required under applicable Nigerian financial and tax record-keeping laws.

6. Security of Your Information

We implement technical and organizational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data we hold, including:

1. Encryption of data in transit and at rest.
2. Access controls limiting internal access to sensitive data (especially biometric and faith data) on a need-to-know basis.
3. Regular security reviews and, where applicable, Data Protection Impact Assessments for high-risk processing (such as biometric verification).
4. Secure processing of payments through PCI-compliant third-party processors; Yachdahv does not store full card details.

No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach likely to result in risk to your rights, we will notify the NDPC within 72 hours of becoming aware, and notify affected users without undue delay, as required under the NDPA.

7. Children's Privacy

Yachdahv is intended for users 18 years of age and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that we have collected data from a minor, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a minor is using the Service, please contact us at info@yachdahv.com.

8. Your Rights as a Data Subject

As required by the NDPA, you have the right to:

1. Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
2. Correction: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
3. Deletion: request erasure of your personal data, including your account.
4. Objection: object to certain processing, including direct marketing.
5. Restriction: request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
6. Portability: request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
7. Withdraw consent at any time for processing based on consent, including biometric verification and faith-based data (without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal).
8. Complain: lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) if you believe your rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@yachdahv.com. We will respond within an appropriate time. We may need to verify your identity before actioning certain requests.

You may also manage many of these rights directly within the app (profile editing, message deletion, account deletion, and consent toggles).

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Service, remember preferences, and understand usage patterns. Non-essential cookies (e.g., analytics, marketing) are only set with your opt-in consent, which you can manage via in-app settings or our cookie banner. Essential cookies required for core security and functionality do not require consent.

See our Cookie Policy for the full list.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or integrate third-party services (e.g., payment processors, sign-in providers). This Policy does not apply to those third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy practices independently.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We may use automated processes to help suggest matches based on the profile and preference data you provide. You have the right to request human review of any decision that produces significant effects and to object to purely automated decision-making, per Section 24 of the NDPA. Contact info@yachdahv.com to exercise this right.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes via the app or email, and indicate the "Last Updated" date above. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, email us at info@yachdahv.com.