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Lincs Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Uselincs ("we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects your personal data when you use the Lincs mobile application, website (if any), and related services (collectively, the "Platform").

We are committed to handling personal data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and other applicable Nigerian data protection laws and guidance. This Privacy Policy applies to all users, including Clients and Artisans.

1. Who We Are (Data Controller)

For personal data processed under this Privacy Policy, Lincs is typically the data controller (i.e., the entity that determines why and how personal data is processed), unless we state otherwise.

Controller Details:

  • Legal Name: Lincs
  • Contact Email: support@uselincs.com

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect personal data you provide directly, personal data generated through your activity on the Platform, and data from third parties where permitted by law.

2.1 Data You Provide

  • Identity & contact information: name, email address, phone number.
  • Account and profile details: role (Client or Artisan), business name (Artisan), profession, categories/services offered, business hours, bio/description.
  • Location and address details: home/work/service address, city, state, country, postal code (as applicable).
  • Verification/KYC information: ID documents (e.g., NIN/passport/driver's licence where applicable), selfies, facial verification results, portfolio uploads (photos/videos).
  • Support requests: information you send to us via help/support channels.
  • Referrals: referral codes (if used).

2.2 Data We Collect Automatically When You Use the Platform

  • Device and app data: device model, operating system, app version, unique device identifiers, language, time zone, crash logs, diagnostic data.
  • Usage data: features used, pages/screens viewed, clicks/taps, session duration, performance metrics.
  • Approximate location data: derived from device settings or IP address (especially for web).
  • Notification data: push notification tokens/identifiers (to send alerts like booking updates).

2.3 Data Generated Through Platform Activity

  • Bookings and service requests: service requested, notes, booking status (pending/accepted/completed), timestamps.
  • Chat messages: messages exchanged between Clients and Artisans (and related metadata).
  • Reviews and ratings: ratings, written reviews, review timestamps.
  • Payment and wallet data: wallet balance, transaction references, amounts, transaction status, refunds (where applicable).

2.4 Data from Third Parties

  • Payment processors: payment confirmations, transaction status, reference IDs (we typically do not store full card details if the processor handles them).
  • Verification service providers: identity verification results (pass/fail/status), where you complete KYC.
  • Analytics and crash reporting providers: aggregated usage and diagnostic data.

3. How We Use Your Data (Purposes)

We use personal data for the following purposes:

3.1 Provide and Operate the Platform

  • Create and manage user accounts.
  • Enable Clients to find and book Artisans.
  • Enable Artisans to set up profiles and list services.
  • Facilitate in-app chat between Clients and Artisans.
  • Show booking history, notifications, and account settings.

3.2 Payments and Wallet Services

  • Enable wallet funding and payments (where supported).
  • Validate transactions and prevent fraud.
  • Handle chargebacks, disputes, and refunds where applicable.

3.3 Verification, Trust, and Safety (KYC)

  • Verify identity and reduce fraud.
  • Determine access to specific features (e.g., artisan wallet withdrawals).
  • Maintain platform integrity and protect users.

3.4 Customer Support and Communications

  • Respond to support tickets and complaints.
  • Send service notifications (booking updates, verification prompts, security alerts).

3.5 Legal Compliance

  • Comply with Nigerian legal obligations and lawful requests.
  • Maintain records where required (e.g., financial transactions).

3.6 Analytics and Improvements

  • Understand how the Platform is used.
  • Improve features, user experience, and performance.
  • Monitor and fix crashes and bugs.

4. Legal Bases for Processing (NDPR)

We process personal data under the NDPR and applicable laws based on one or more of the following legal bases:

  • Consent: where you choose to provide data or permissions (e.g., marketing, optional analytics, certain device permissions).
  • Contract necessity: to provide the Platform services you request (e.g., account creation, bookings, payments).
  • Legitimate interests: to improve Platform security, prevent fraud, and enhance Services balanced against your rights.
  • Legal obligation: where we must comply with legal or regulatory requirements (e.g., record keeping, responding to lawful requests).

5. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only as needed to provide the Platform, comply with law, or protect users.

5.1 Sharing Between Users (Client ↔ Artisan)

When you make a booking, we share relevant booking details with the Artisan (or Client), such as:

  • service request details,
  • name and contact details as necessary,
  • service address/location as necessary for fulfilment,
  • booking notes and status updates.

5.2 Service Providers (Processors)

We may share data with vendors who help us run the Platform, such as:

  • Payment processors (to process wallet funding and payments),
  • Identity/KYC vendors (to verify documents and identity),
  • Cloud hosting providers (to store and process data securely),
  • Analytics/crash reporting providers (to monitor performance and improve reliability),
  • Customer support tools (to manage support messages).

These providers are required to protect your data and use it only on our instructions.

5.3 Legal and Safety Disclosures

We may share information with:

  • law enforcement, regulators, or courts when legally required,
  • parties involved in investigating fraud, security incidents, or abuse.

5.4 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or asset sale, data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to confidentiality and legal safeguards.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If you use any Lincs web experience (or embedded web views), we may use cookies and similar technologies.

6.1 Types of Cookies

  • Essential cookies: authentication sessions, security, basic site/app function.
  • Analytics cookies: usage measurement and performance (where enabled).
  • Marketing cookies: advertising and remarketing (only if used and with appropriate consent where required).

6.2 Consent Management

Where required, we will ask for consent before placing non-essential cookies. You can update preferences in your browser settings (web), and/or the Platform settings (if provided).

Note: On mobile apps, tracking may rely on device identifiers rather than traditional cookies.

7. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed or stored outside Nigeria if our service providers use global infrastructure (e.g., cloud hosting).

When we transfer data internationally, we apply safeguards such as:

  • contractual protections with vendors,
  • access controls and encryption,
  • ensuring vendors follow NDPR-aligned security and privacy requirements.

8. Data Retention (How Long We Keep Data)

We retain personal data only as long as needed for the purposes described, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

  • Account data: retained while your account is active and for a period after deletion request (3 months) for fraud prevention and compliance.
  • Booking records: retained for customer support and dispute resolution (1 month).
  • Transaction and wallet records: retained as required for financial compliance (1 year).
  • KYC documents: retained only as long as necessary for verification and compliance, then securely deleted or anonymized, subject to legal obligations.
  • Chat messages: retained to operate the service and handle disputes.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, including:

  • encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS),
  • encryption at rest where feasible,
  • secure storage (e.g., protected key stores for sensitive tokens),
  • access controls and least-privilege access,
  • monitoring and logging for suspicious activity,
  • security reviews for vendors.

Breach Notification

If a personal data breach occurs that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take steps to:

  • investigate and contain the incident,
  • notify affected users and regulators where required by Nigerian law.

10. Your Rights Under NDPR

Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • Access your personal data.
  • Correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Deletion (erasure) in certain circumstances.
  • Portability (receive your data in a usable format).
  • Objection to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Restriction of processing in certain cases.
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To exercise your rights, contact us at support@uselincs.com. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

11. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not intended for children under 16 years. If you are under 16, you may only use the Platform with valid parental/guardian consent where legally permitted.

If we learn we collected personal data from a child without required consent, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you via:

  • in-app notification,
  • email (if available), and/or
  • posting an updated policy in the Platform.

Continued use of the Platform after the updated Effective Date means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

For privacy questions, requests, or complaints:

  • Privacy Contact Email: support@uselincs.com
  • General Contact Email: support@uselincs.com

14. Practical Examples (How Data Is Used in Lincs)

  • Matching services: Your location and selected category help us show nearby Artisans.
  • Booking fulfilment: Your address and booking notes are shared with the Artisan you book.
  • Trust & verification: ID verification results may be used to enable higher-trust features (e.g., wallet withdrawal access for Artisans).
  • Payments: Transaction references are stored to confirm wallet funding and booking payments.
  • Support: If there's a dispute, we may review booking details and chat history to investigate.