What this notice covers
This notice applies when you browse Stateclan, create an account, update a profile, ask or answer a topic, upload a photo, use alerts or contact requests, report content, or otherwise use the website.
Stateclan decides how the personal information described here is used. We aim to collect only what is reasonably needed to operate a useful and safe local knowledge service in Nigeria.
Information you give us
- Account details, including your username, private recovery email, and password credentials handled by the sign-in service. A WhatsApp number is collected only if you choose to share one after accepting a member contact request.
- Profile details, including your display name, photo, short biography, home state, current state, and current city or town.
- Topics, answers, replies, photos, categories, reports, votes, helpful marks, follows, and other actions you take on a public thread.
- Alert choices, feed choices, saved locations, and other settings you select.
- Short introductions and contact-sharing choices when you use the member contact-request feature.
Information created when you use Stateclan
Like most websites, Stateclan receives basic technical information when a page or feature is used. This can include a network address, browser and device information, the page requested, the time of the request, session information, and error or security records.
We may also record how service features are used, such as selected feeds, searches, page activity, posting attempts, and report history. We use this information to deliver pages, remember choices, prevent misuse, understand failures, and keep the service reliable.
What is public and what stays private
Stateclan is built around public local knowledge. Before posting, assume that public information can be read, copied, linked to, shared, or found through a search engine by people who do not have a Stateclan account.
- Public information can include your username, display name, profile photo, biography, joined month, home and current profile location, contribution and helpful-answer totals, topics, answers, replies, and attached topic photos.
- Your recovery email, password and session credentials, individual feed follows, individual votes, alert settings, contact-request introductions, accepted contact details, and reports are not displayed as part of a public thread. Vote, answer, helpful, and similar totals may still be public without showing every person behind the total.
- Reports can be accessed by authorised staff. The reporting member may see that the content has already been reported, but their identity and report details are not displayed to the public or added to the reported thread.
- A contact detail is shared with the member who requested it only after the receiving member accepts the request and chooses the contact method to share.
- Authorised staff may access information that is not public when this is needed to operate the service, handle a report, protect an account, or meet a legal duty.
Why we use information
- Create and secure accounts, verify sign-in, recover access, and keep you signed in.
- Publish public contributions and organise them by state, city, category, status, recency, and usefulness.
- Remember your selected feed and show a useful mix of local and nationwide topics.
- Deliver alerts, replies, helpful marks, resolution updates, and contact requests you choose to use.
- Review reports, enforce the Community Guidelines, prevent spam or fraud, protect members, and investigate technical misuse.
- Measure reliability and community usefulness, repair faults, and improve existing features.
- Keep records needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights and respond to a valid request from a public body that is legally entitled to ask.
The reasons we rely on
We use information only when there is a recognised reason for doing so. The reason depends on the feature and the information involved.
- To provide the service you request: for example, creating an account, publishing a topic, loading your feed, or sending an alert.
- With your permission: for example, optional email updates or sharing a chosen contact detail after you accept a request. You can withdraw permission for future use.
- For reasonable operating needs: for example, securing accounts, limiting abuse, handling reports, maintaining the service, and understanding whether features work. We must consider your rights before relying on this reason.
- To follow the law, protect someone in an emergency, or respond to a valid legal process.
Cookies and storage on your device
Stateclan uses cookies and similar browser storage where they are needed to keep you signed in, protect sessions, remember your last selected feed, save your light or dark theme, and keep a topic draft on your own device until you submit or clear it.
These tools are not used to run third-party advertising on Stateclan. Your browser can remove stored choices, but removing essential sign-in data may sign you out or reset a preference.
Who may receive information
We do not sell or rent personal information. Information is shared only as needed for the service or when the law permits or requires it.
- The public receives information you publish publicly.
- Another member receives a contact detail only through the accepted contact-request process described above.
- Trusted companies may process information for hosting, database, authentication, storage, email delivery, site performance, security, and technical support. They may use it only to provide their service to Stateclan and under appropriate protections.
- Professional advisers, courts, regulators, law-enforcement bodies, or other authorities may receive information where disclosure is lawful and necessary.
- If the service is reorganised or transferred, relevant information may move to a new operator subject to this notice and applicable law.
Processing outside Nigeria
Some companies that help operate Stateclan may process information in countries outside Nigeria. Where this happens, the transfer must be allowed by Nigerian law and supported by reasonable protections for the information.
How long information is kept
We keep information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose described in this notice. The period depends on whether your account is active, whether the information forms part of a public conversation, whether a report or dispute remains open, the sensitivity of the information, backup cycles, security needs, and legal requirements.
- Account and profile information is normally kept while the account remains active and for a limited period afterwards where needed to close the account safely.
- Public topics, answers, and replies may remain as community knowledge after an account closes. Where they remain, the author is shown as a deleted user rather than continuing to display the closed profile.
- Reports, account restrictions, security records, and audit records may be kept longer where needed to prevent repeated misuse, review a complaint, or meet a legal duty.
- Deleted information may remain for a limited time in protected backups before those backups are replaced.
How we protect information
We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to prevent unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. Access is limited according to role and need. No online service can promise perfect security, so you should use a strong password, protect your device, and tell us promptly if you believe your account has been misused.
Your choices and privacy rights
Nigerian law gives you rights over your personal information. These include asking whether we hold it, receiving a copy, correcting inaccurate information, requesting deletion, restricting or objecting to certain uses, withdrawing permission, and receiving information you provided in a commonly used format that can be moved to another service. Some rights have lawful limits, including the rights of other people and records we must keep.
- Use account settings to update your biography, photo, current location, feed, and alert choices.
- You may request account closure or deletion. We may need to verify that the request comes from the account owner and explain why a public contribution, safety record, dispute record, or other limited information must lawfully remain.
- If you believe your privacy rights have been breached, you may raise the issue with Stateclan and may also complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
Children
Stateclan is intended for adults. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. Do not submit personal information about a child unless you have lawful authority and it is genuinely necessary. Content that places a child at risk should be reported immediately.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice when the service, law, or our data practices change. The current version will remain on this page with a new last-updated date. If a change materially affects your choices or rights, we will provide a more prominent notice where reasonably possible.