NaijaChat

Privacy

Privacy Policy for NaijaChat

Effective Date: November 3, 2026
Last Updated: November 3, 2026

Welcome to NaijaChat (“we”, “our”, or “us”). At NaijaChat, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. Our messaging platform is designed from the ground up so that your personal messages, calls, media, and private moments belong only to you and the people you choose to communicate with.

This Privacy Policy explains what information is collected, how it is used, and the choices and rights you have when using the NaijaChat mobile application, website, and related services (collectively, the “Services”).

1. Guiding Principles & Zero-Knowledge Architecture

  1. End-to-End Encryption by Default: Your one-on-one and group text messages, voice calls, video calls, voice notes, and shared media are encrypted end-to-end. Only you and your intended recipient(s) hold the encryption keys necessary to decrypt and view them.

  2. No Plaintext Stored on Servers: We cannot read your messages, listen to your calls, or inspect your decrypted files. Even in transit or if server systems were inspected, message content exists only in encrypted ciphertext.

  3. Metadata Minimization: We do not track or sell records of who you message, when you call, or your browsing habits. We retain only the bare minimum technical data required to route and deliver your messages.

  4. No Third-Party Advertising Trackers: NaijaChat does not sell, rent, or monetize your personal data, chat history, or contacts to advertisers or data brokers.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide

  • Account Registration: To create an account and receive verification codes, you provide your phone number. You may optionally choose to authenticate using your Google account or provide a display name, profile avatar, and “About” status.

  • Customer Support & Communications: If you reach out to our support team, we receive the email address or message details you provide to resolve your inquiry.

B. Messages, Media & Ephemeral Delivery

  • Undelivered Messages: If a recipient is temporarily offline when you send a message, the encrypted ciphertext is temporarily queued on the server until the recipient reconnects and downloads it (or until an expiration threshold is reached, up to 30 days), after which it is permanently purged from server memory.

  • Status Updates (Stories): Status posts and stories shared with your contacts automatically expire and are deleted after 24 hours.

  • Disappearing Messages: If you enable disappearing messages in a conversation (e.g., 24 hours or 7 days), messages are deleted automatically from both sender and recipient devices upon expiration.

C. Contact Discovery (Address Book)

  • To help you find contacts who are already using NaijaChat, the app can look up phone numbers from your device address book.

  • Cryptographic Protection: Contact discovery is conducted using one-way cryptographic salted hashes. Your unencrypted phone contacts and names are never stored on our servers or shared with any third party.

D. Device and Technical Data

When you use the app, our systems process minimal technical data necessary for connectivity:

  • Operating system version, app build version, and language preference.

  • Ephemeral IP addresses and push notification tokens (e.g., Firebase Cloud Messaging / FCM token) to deliver push notifications and incoming call alerts while the app is in the background.

3. Device Permissions & How We Use Them

NaijaChat requests only device permissions strictly required to provide messaging, calling, and media functionality:

Permission Purpose
Camera To take photos, record videos, and participate in two-way video calls.
Microphone / Record Audio To record voice notes and participate in voice and video calls.
Contacts To discover which of your existing contacts are on NaijaChat (processed via cryptographic hashing).
Notifications To notify you of incoming messages, calls, and chat reactions.
Storage / Media (Photo Picker) To select and attach photos, videos, or documents to send in chat. We utilize Android’s secure Photo Picker, avoiding broad external storage permissions.
Biometric / Fingerprint (Optional) To unlock the app if you choose to enable the Biometric App Lock feature. Biometric data never leaves your device hardware security module (Keystore).

4. How We Use Your Information

We process the minimal data collected strictly for the following purposes:

  • Authenticating your account and maintaining session security.

  • Facilitating the transmission of encrypted messages, voice notes, voice/video calls, and media.

  • Sending push notifications for new messages and incoming call alerts.

  • Detecting, preventing, and combating spam, abuse, or unauthorized access to our infrastructure.

  • Complying with applicable legal obligations and enforcing our Terms of Service.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We never sell, license, or commercialize your personal information. We disclose information only under the following limited circumstances:

  1. Other NaijaChat Users: The people you choose to communicate with will see your display name, profile avatar, status text, online presence (if enabled), and any messages or media you send to them.

  2. Infrastructure Service Providers: We work with trusted cloud and telecommunications providers (such as Google Cloud / Firebase for authentication, database routing, and FCM push notifications, or SMS gateways for login verification codes) who operate under strict confidentiality and security agreements.

  3. Legal Requirements: Because your conversations are protected by end-to-end encryption, we cannot produce decrypted message contents or call audio in response to government or legal requests. We only disclose basic account metadata (such as phone number registration date or connection timestamps) if strictly compelled to do so by valid legal process (e.g., a court order or subpoena).

6. Data Security & Storage

  • Local Storage: Your chat history, call logs, and contacts are stored locally on your device in a private SQLite database managed via Android Room.

  • Cryptographic Keys: Private cryptographic keys used for end-to-end encryption are generated on your device and never transmitted to our servers.

  • Safety Numbers: You can independently verify the security of any conversation by comparing the 60-digit safety number fingerprint with your contact in person or via an alternate secure channel.

7. Your Rights & Data Retention

  • Access and Correction: You can view and edit your profile name, picture, and status directly in the app settings at any time.

  • Deleting Your Account: You can request account deletion at any time by navigating to Settings > Account > Delete Account or by contacting our support team. Deleting your account removes your phone number, profile information, and unlinks all paired sessions.

  • Clearing Local Data: You can delete individual chats, clear call history, or clear all local app cache at any time through the app settings or Android device settings.

8. Children’s Privacy

NaijaChat is not directed to individuals under the age of 13 (or the minimum legal age required to consent to digital services in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal data, we will promptly delete such information.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may periodically update this Privacy Policy to reflect improvements, new features, or legal requirements. When changes are made, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide notice within the app.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions, feedback, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Team at:

  • Email: support@naijachat.com.ng)

  • Website: https://naijachat.com.ng

  • Subject Line: Privacy Policy & Data Request — NaijaChat