Privacy Policy

awaKart is a campus marketplace that helps buyers discover goods offered by vendors and, where available, arrange delivery through riders registered with and approved by the platform.

awaKart is powered by Algoritic Inc., which provides the technology and administrative framework through which the platform operates. In this policy, "awaKart," "we," "us," and "our" refer to the platform and its operator, subject to the identity of the contracting legal entity.

For purposes of applicable data protection law, the entity that determines why and how personal information is processed may act as a data controller or data processor, depending on the processing activity and the relevant arrangements.

This policy applies to personal information processed when you use awaKart, create an account, browse listings, place or fulfil an order, register as a vendor or rider, contact support, or otherwise interact with the platform.

The information we handle depends on how you use awaKart. We do not intend to collect more personal information than is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

We do not intend to collect sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for a specific lawful purpose and the applicable legal requirements are met. Please do not send us sensitive information that is not needed to resolve your request.

If you provide information about another person, such as a recipient's contact details, you should have an appropriate basis to provide it and should share only what is necessary for the relevant transaction.

Depending on the service you use, information may be collected through the following means:

• Directly from you: when you register, update your account, place an order, submit a listing, provide a delivery address, contact support, or submit a complaint.
• Through marketplace activity: when orders, payments, delivery assignments, reviews, or other platform interactions generate transaction records.
• Through device permissions: when you grant location permission or use a feature that relies on device location. Device-level permissions can generally be managed through your browser or device settings.
• From service providers: such as payment providers or authentication and database services, where information is returned or processed to support an activity you initiate.
• Automatically: through technical logs and analytics technologies enabled on the platform, subject to applicable law and any required choices or permissions.

We may receive information from another transaction participant when needed to fulfil an order or investigate a complaint. Where appropriate, you should ensure that information supplied about another person is accurate and relevant.

We use personal information for defined purposes connected with providing and improving awaKart, including:

• Account administration: to create and maintain accounts, authenticate users, and respond to account requests.
• Marketplace operations: to display listings, process orders, communicate order updates, and connect buyers with relevant vendors.
• Delivery coordination: to provide relevant pickup and delivery information to an assigned rider and support the delivery process.
• Payment administration: to initiate or verify payment-related processes, reconcile transactions, coordinate applicable settlements, and process eligible refunds.
• Verification and safety: to review rider registrations, help prevent impersonation or misuse, and address reasonable safety concerns.
• Support and dispute resolution: to respond to enquiries, examine reported problems, review relevant evidence, and communicate outcomes.
• Platform reliability: to troubleshoot errors, protect platform security, understand usage patterns, and evaluate the performance of features through analytics where enabled.
• Legal and regulatory compliance: to meet applicable obligations, respond to lawful requests, maintain necessary records, and establish or defend legal claims.

We will not use personal information for a new purpose that is incompatible with the original purpose unless an appropriate lawful basis exists and any required information or consent is provided.

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA), personal information must be processed lawfully, fairly, transparently, and for specified purposes. Depending on the activity and circumstances, awaKart may rely on one or more lawful bases recognised by applicable law.

The appropriate basis depends on the particular processing activity. We do not rely on consent for every activity, and we will not treat continued use of the platform as consent where the law requires a separate, informed choice.

If information is necessary to fulfil an order, verify a rider, or meet a legal obligation, refusing to provide it may mean that the relevant feature or service cannot be provided.

awaKart uses delivery addresses and other location details to help coordinate collection and delivery. Where a location-based feature requests device location, the platform may also process location information if you grant the relevant permission.

Depending on the feature, location information may be used to:

• Identify the requested pickup or delivery point.
• Help determine whether a delivery can be served and support delivery-fee calculations.
• Provide an assigned rider with the information needed to complete a delivery.
• Help resolve a delivery problem or investigate a reported incident.

Your delivery details may need to be shared with the vendor or rider involved in your transaction. We aim to limit such sharing to information reasonably needed to fulfil the order.

You can manage device location permissions through your browser or device settings. If you deny or disable permission, some location-based features may be unavailable or may require you to enter the relevant address manually.

This policy does not promise continuous GPS tracking. Location access depends on the feature used, the permissions granted, and the platform's actual technical configuration.

awaKart uses Flutterwave for payment processing where that payment method is offered. When you initiate a payment, relevant transaction and payment information may be sent to Flutterwave and other involved financial service providers to process or verify the transaction.

We may retain information such as the transaction reference, payment status, order amount, applicable charges, and refund or settlement records to administer the transaction and address disputes.

Payment providers may independently process information under their own privacy policies and legal obligations. Their processing is not entirely controlled by awaKart.

Do not send passwords, PINs, one-time passcodes, or complete payment-card details to awaKart support. Use only the payment interface provided for the transaction and follow the payment provider's security instructions.

This policy does not assert that awaKart stores full card details or banking login credentials. The exact information processed depends on the payment method and the information returned by the provider.

We do not make personal information available to everyone using the marketplace. We share it only where reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose, where a lawful basis exists, or where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Where a service provider processes personal information on our behalf, the applicable arrangement should address confidentiality, security, permitted purposes, and other obligations required by law.

We do not claim to sell personal information to advertisers. We will not share it for an unrelated purpose merely because a third party requests it.

awaKart uses analytics technologies to help understand platform usage, identify technical issues, and evaluate how features perform. Depending on the tools enabled, these technologies may use cookies, local storage, scripts, device information, or similar mechanisms.

The information collected may include pages visited, interactions with features, approximate usage patterns, technical events, browser information, and diagnostic data. The exact information depends on the analytics tools and their configuration.

Essential technical storage may be needed for functions such as authentication, session management, and security. Optional analytics technologies will be used on an appropriate lawful basis, and consent or another required choice will be obtained where applicable law requires it.

You may be able to control cookies through your browser settings or any privacy controls made available by the relevant service. Blocking certain technologies may affect some platform features. Browser settings may not automatically disable every form of analytics or local storage.

We do not identify a specific analytics vendor in this policy because the active vendor and configuration must be verified against the deployed application.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to applicable legal requirements and legitimate operational needs.

Retention may depend on the type of information and the reason it is held. For example:

• Account information: may be retained while an account remains active and for a reasonable period afterward where needed for legitimate purposes.
• Order and payment records: may need to be retained to reconcile transactions, administer settlements, handle refunds or disputes, and meet applicable record-keeping obligations.
• Rider verification records: may be retained for as long as needed to administer approval, investigate relevant incidents, or meet applicable obligations.
• Support and complaint records: may be retained while an issue is being resolved and for a reasonable period afterward where needed to document the outcome or address a related claim.
• Technical and analytics records: may be retained according to their purpose, the provider's configuration, and applicable requirements.

We have not specified a universal retention period in this policy because the applicable period can differ by record type, service provider, and legal obligation. Information that is no longer required should be deleted, anonymised, or otherwise handled in accordance with applicable law and our retention practices.

If you request deletion of your information, we will assess the request and delete or anonymise information where appropriate and legally permitted. Some records may need to be retained for legal compliance, transaction integrity, fraud prevention, or the establishment or defence of legal claims.

We take reasonable steps appropriate to the nature of the information and the risks involved to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction.

Depending on the systems and services involved, safeguards may include access controls, authentication measures, service-provider security features, restricted administrative access, and procedures for handling reported incidents.

No website, internet transmission, storage system, or service provider can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot promise that unauthorised access or data loss will never occur.

You can help protect your information by keeping your account credentials private, using a secure device, signing out of shared devices, and promptly reporting suspected account compromise.

If we become aware of a personal data breach, we will assess it and take appropriate steps under applicable law, including any required notification to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission or affected individuals.

Some service providers used to operate a digital platform may process or store information in countries outside Nigeria. Whether this occurs for a particular category of awaKart information depends on the providers, hosting arrangements, and features in use.

Where personal information is transferred outside Nigeria, the transfer must comply with the applicable requirements of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, including the rules governing cross-border transfers.

Depending on the circumstances, a lawful transfer may require an applicable adequacy basis, an approved transfer instrument, or another permitted legal ground. Appropriate safeguards and any required information to affected individuals will be addressed as applicable.

We do not claim that all awaKart data is stored in Nigeria or that every service provider stores data in a particular country. The locations involved must be confirmed against the actual hosting, authentication, database, analytics, and payment-service configurations.

Subject to applicable law and any relevant conditions or exceptions, you may have the right to:

• Be informed: understand how and why your personal information is processed.
• Access: request information about the personal information we hold about you and, where applicable, obtain a copy.
• Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Erasure: request deletion where the applicable legal conditions are met.
• Restriction: request that certain processing be restricted where a relevant legal ground applies.
• Object: object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests, where the law provides this right.
• Data portability: receive certain information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format or request its transfer where the legal conditions apply.
• Withdraw consent: withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. Withdrawal does not invalidate processing carried out lawfully before it.
• Challenge certain automated decisions: exercise any applicable rights relating to decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
• Complain: lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission or another competent authority, as applicable.

To exercise a right, email useawakart@gmail.com or send a whatsApp message to +234 907 156 5791. Please describe your request and provide sufficient information for us to identify the relevant account or record.

We may request reasonable additional information to verify your identity before disclosing or changing personal information. We will not ask you to send passwords or one-time passcodes as proof of identity.

We will respond within the time required by applicable law. If we cannot fully comply with a request, we will explain the applicable reason where legally required. Some requests may be limited by the rights of other people, legal obligations, or the need to retain particular records.

You may also contact the Nigeria Data Protection Commission through its official website at ndpc.gov.ng.

awaKart is a campus marketplace, not a service intended to encourage children to disclose personal information. We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children where doing so would be contrary to applicable law.

Where a user is a child under applicable law, additional legal requirements may apply to consent, account use, and the processing of personal information. Any required parental or guardian involvement will be handled in accordance with applicable law.

If you believe a child has provided personal information in circumstances that are not appropriate, contact us using the details in this policy. We will review the concern and take appropriate action where necessary.

awaKart may rely on third-party services to provide functions such as payment processing, authentication, database storage, hosting, and analytics. The information those services receive depends on the function being used and the applicable technical integration.

Third-party websites and services may have their own privacy policies, terms, and data-handling practices. We encourage you to review those notices when you interact directly with a third-party service.

A link to an external service does not mean awaKart controls that service or endorses every aspect of its privacy practices. Our obligations concerning information processed through a third party remain subject to the applicable law and our role in that processing.

If you suspect that your awaKart account or personal information has been compromised, contact us promptly using the details below. Include a description of the issue, but do not send passwords, PINs, or one-time passcodes.

We will assess reports of potential personal data breaches and take reasonable steps to investigate, contain, and address confirmed incidents. Where required by the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 or other applicable law, we will make the relevant notifications to the appropriate authority and affected people.

Whether notification is required, who must be notified, and the applicable timeframe depend on the nature and risk of the incident and the requirements of the law.

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, technical arrangements, data-handling practices, or legal obligations change.

The current version will be published on this page with an updated date. If a change materially affects how personal information is processed, we will take reasonable steps to communicate it where appropriate or required by law.

Where a new processing activity requires consent or another specific legal step, publishing an updated policy alone will not replace that requirement.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to understand the information practices that apply to your use of awaKart.

If you have a question about this policy, want to exercise a privacy right, or wish to report a concern about how your information is handled, contact awaKart through the following channels.

Please include enough information to help us understand your request. We may need to verify your identity before responding to requests involving personal information.

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of a privacy request or believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you may lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission or seek another remedy available under applicable law.