Skip to content
Area

Legal

Privacy policy

How Area collects, uses and protects your personal data. Last updated .

Draft, pending legal review

This policy is a working draft and will be finalised before Area launches.

This policy explains what personal data Area collects, why we collect it, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to this website, the Area app and the Area Pro app.

Who we are

Area operates a marketplace that connects people who need work done around the home with independent service providers (“providers”) in Nigeria. For the purposes of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA), Area is the data controller for the personal data described here.

What we collect

Information you give us

  • Waitlist sign-ups: your email address and whether you are joining as a client or a provider.
  • Contact form messages: your name, email address, optional phone number, topic and message.
  • When you use the apps: your account details, job descriptions and photos, addresses for jobs, messages with providers, and reviews.
  • If you join as a provider: identity documents, your NIN, proof of skills, references and bank details for payouts.

Information collected automatically

  • Basic technical data such as browser type and pages visited, used to keep the site secure and working.
  • Your light or dark theme choice, stored only on your device.

How we use your data

  • To tell you when Area launches near you.
  • To reply to your messages.
  • To match clients with providers and run bookings and payments.
  • To verify providers and keep the platform safe.
  • To meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

Our lawful bases

We process personal data with your consent (for example, joining the waitlist), where it is needed to provide a service you have asked for, to comply with the law, or for our legitimate interests in keeping Area safe and improving it.

Who we share it with

We share data only where needed: between clients and providers for a booking, with companies that help us run Area (such as hosting, payments and identity checks), and with authorities where the law requires it. We do not sell your personal data.

How long we keep it

We keep personal data only as long as we need it for the purposes above or as the law requires. Waitlist emails are deleted if you unsubscribe.

Your rights

Under the NDPA you can:

  • ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
  • ask us to correct or delete it;
  • object to or restrict how we use it;
  • withdraw your consent at any time;
  • complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission if you think we have mishandled your data.

Security

We use technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit and strict access controls.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page when our practices change and tell you about significant changes before they take effect.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email us at hello@area.ng.