Privacy Policy

At eXpertsnearme, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how Xperts Tech LLC collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your data when you use our mobile application and associated services to connect with local experts and service providers.

By creating an account and using our platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, username, and profile picture when you register.
Professional Information: Skills, experience, certifications, professional titles, service descriptions, and work samples or portfolio items.
Identity Verification Data: Government-issued identification documents and biometric data, collected exclusively for identity verification, safety, and fraud prevention purposes.
Communication Data: Messages, media files, and other content you send or receive through our in-app chat system.
Job and Service Listings: Content you post including job descriptions, showcase listings, pricing, and service details.
Payment Information: When payment processing is activated, billing details will be collected by our PCI-DSS compliant payment processors. We do not store raw card numbers on our servers.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Location Data: Your current geographic location to display nearby experts. We store only your most recent location — no movement history, no location trail, no long-term tracking. Your location is overwritten each time it is updated and is never logged over time.
Device Information: Device type, operating system, app version, and device identifiers used for login management and push notifications.
Usage Data: Interactions with the app such as screens viewed, features used, and search queries — collected to improve platform performance and user experience.
Log Data: Server logs including IP addresses, timestamps, and error reports, retained for security monitoring and debugging.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

If you log in through a third-party service (e.g., Google), we receive your basic profile information (name, email, profile photo) in accordance with that service's permissions you grant.

2. How We Use Your Information

To create and manage your account and provide access to the platform.
To display your profile and location to other users for discovery purposes.
To facilitate communication between users through in-app messaging.
To power map-based expert discovery features and location-based filtering.
To process and manage job postings, service listings, and showcase content.
To send push notifications, in-app alerts, and important service updates.
To verify identity and maintain platform integrity and safety.
To improve, personalize, and optimize our services based on aggregate usage patterns.
To detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service.
To comply with applicable legal obligations, court orders, and regulatory requirements.
To respond to your support requests, feedback, and inquiries.

      We do not sell your personal information to third parties, advertisers, or data brokers under any circumstances.
    

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Other Users

Profile information you make public (name, profile photo, professional skills, ratings, reviews, location, portfolio) is visible to other users on the platform for discovery purposes. You control the level of information displayed through your profile settings.

3.2 With Service Providers

We share necessary data with trusted third-party vendors who help us operate and improve our platform, including cloud hosting providers, push notification services, analytics tools, and (when active) payment processors. All service providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for the agreed purpose.

3.3 For Legal Compliance

We may disclose your information when required by law, court order, governmental authority, or legal process; to protect the rights, property, or safety of Xperts Tech LLC, our users, or the public; or to investigate suspected fraud or violations of our policies.

3.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our assets, your data may be transferred to the successor entity. You will be notified via email and/or a prominent in-app notice before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4. International Data Transfers

Xperts Tech LLC operates globally. To provide our services efficiently and securely, your personal data may be transferred, stored, and processed in jurisdictions outside your country of residence.

Primary Infrastructure: Our primary secure infrastructure is hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, ensuring robust data availability for our African user base. We endeavour to ensure that data does not leave the African continent where operationally possible.
Legal Safeguards: We rely on legally recognised transfer mechanisms, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and adequacy decisions where applicable, to ensure your data receives a standard of protection comparable to that of your home country's data protection laws.
Applicable Laws: We comply with the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the Kenya Data Protection Act, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) where applicable.
Explicit Consent: By creating an account and using our platform, you acknowledge and explicitly consent to the transfer of your personal data to these jurisdictions.

5. Verification & Sensitive Data

To maintain a trusted and safe community, we may collect and process sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), including government-issued identification documents and biometric data, exclusively for identity verification, safety, and fraud prevention.

Strict Purpose Limitation: Sensitive verification data is strictly confined to verification workflows. It is never sold, shared with third parties for marketing, or used for any purpose other than establishing trust and safety within the platform.
Segregated & Encrypted Storage: Sensitive verification data is isolated from your public profile and stored using military-grade encryption standards at rest, accessible only to authorised personnel and automated verification systems.
Data Minimisation & Retention: Once your identity is successfully verified, raw identification documents are permanently deleted from our active storage. We retain only the necessary cryptographic proofs, verification status, and minimal data required to comply with applicable AML and KYC regulations.

6. Data Security & Encryption

We employ a multi-layered security approach combining advanced cryptographic protocols and strict operational procedures to safeguard your information.

Data Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.3 (Transport Layer Security).
Data Encryption at Rest: Personal data stored on our servers is encrypted using AES-256 encryption standards.
Messaging Security: All private messaging between users is secured with strong encryption protocols both in transit and at rest.
Secure Infrastructure: Our platform runs on world-class, ISO-certified data centres with automated threat detection, regular security audits, and strict role-based access controls (RBAC).
Incident Response: We maintain an active security incident response plan. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights, we will notify you and relevant regulatory authorities within the timelines required by applicable law.

7. Data Retention

Account Data: Retained for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services.
Account Deletion: Upon deletion, a 30-day recovery grace period applies, after which all personal data is permanently and irreversibly destroyed.
Chat Messages: May be retained for up to 12 months for platform safety and legal compliance purposes, unless their earlier deletion is required by law.
Location Data: Your most recent location is overwritten on each update. No historical location trail is stored.
Legal Retention: Certain data may be retained longer than the above periods where required by law (e.g., anti-money laundering regulations, tax obligations, or court orders).

8. Your Rights & Controls

Depending on your country of residence, you may have the following rights under applicable laws (including NDPR, POPIA, Kenya Data Protection Act, GDPR, and CCPA):

Right of Access: Request a copy of your personal data via the "Export My Data" option in account settings.
Right to Rectification: Update or correct inaccurate information via your profile settings at any time.
Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request permanent deletion of your account and all associated data within 30 days, subject to legal retention obligations.
Right to Restriction: Ask us to limit how we process your data while a complaint is being resolved.
Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format via the data export feature.
Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.
Right against Automated Decision-Making: You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affects you.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@xpertstech.co. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.

9. Children's Privacy & Parental Consent

eXpertsnearme is a professional platform primarily designed for users aged 18 and older.

Users Under 18: Individuals between the ages of 13 and 17 may only use the platform under the direct supervision and with the explicit, verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian.
Prohibition for Under 13s: We do not knowingly collect personal data from or allow account creation for children under the age of 13. Any account found to be operated by a user under 13 will be immediately terminated and all associated data permanently deleted.
Parental Requests: Parents or guardians who believe their child under 13 has provided us with personal information should contact us immediately at privacy@xpertstech.co.

10. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our mobile application uses similar technologies to cookies (such as device identifiers and local storage) to enhance your experience:

Essential Technologies: Required for the app to function — authentication tokens, session management, and user preferences.
Analytics: Aggregate, anonymised usage data to help us understand how features are used and improve performance. We do not use these for individual tracking.
Push Notifications: Device tokens used to deliver push notifications. You can disable these in your device settings at any time.

Our website (xpertstech.co) may use standard web cookies for analytics and session management. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

11. Third-Party Links & Services

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make significant changes, we will:

Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
Send an in-app notification or email informing you of the key changes.
In some cases, ask you to explicitly acknowledge the updated policy.

Your continued use of the platform after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

📧 Privacy inquiries: privacy@xpertstech.co
📧 General support: support@xpertsnearme.com
📞 WhatsApp / Phone: +234 812 015 1437
📍 Postal address: Xperts Tech LLC, No 1 Peace Drive, Off 32 Oroigwe Road, Elimgbu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.

Privacy & Legal