Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how VocalBox ("VocalBox", "we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, stores, shares and protects information when you use the VocalBox platform and its features, including the community wall, CivicDesk, learning, marketplace, events, Nearby+, Private Locker, Parrot AI and AfroGovIQ.

By using VocalBox, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Platform and, where applicable, information received from third-party services.

1.1 Information You Provide

Depending on the features you use, this may include:

• Account information: name, email address, phone number, password, date of birth and country.
• Profile information: username, biography, profile photo/avatar, civic interests, occupation and hobbies.
• Content: posts, comments, photos, videos, polls, messages, reports, feedback and other information you choose to submit.
• Transaction information: VocalBox Credit purchases, transactions, marketplace orders and related payment information.
• Communications: messages and enquiries you send to us or through the Platform.
• Documents and records: information you choose to store in Private Locker or submit through supported Platform features.

We do not require you to provide information that is not necessary for the feature or service you are using.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use VocalBox, we may automatically collect:

• Device model and operating system.
• App version and technical identifiers.
• IP address and network information.
• Usage information, including features used, session duration and interaction events.
• Crash reports and diagnostic information.
• Approximate location derived from your IP address.
• Precise location information when you explicitly enable location access for features such as Nearby+.

2. How We Use Your Information

We may use your information to:

• Create and manage your VocalBox account.
• Provide, operate and maintain the Platform.
• Personalise features and content.
• Enable community features, including posts, polls, connections and nearby discovery.
• Process VocalBox Credit purchases, transactions, rewards and marketplace activity.
• Provide learning, events, CivicDesk and other Platform services.
• Provide AI-assisted features such as Parrot AI, transcription, classification, summarisation, fact-checking assistance and AfroGovIQ.
• Provide customer support and respond to enquiries.
• Send service notifications, security alerts and other important communications.
• Detect, investigate and prevent fraud, abuse, spam and security incidents.
• Protect the security and integrity of the Platform.
• Understand Platform usage and improve our products and services.
• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.

Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent where applicable.

3. Public and Community Content

VocalBox allows users to publish content and participate in public or community discussions.

Information you choose to publish publicly, including your username, profile information, posts, comments, photos, videos, polls, civic reports and other community contributions, may be visible to other users and may be shared or redistributed by users outside the Platform.

Please do not publish personal information about yourself or another person unless you have the right to do so.

4. Location Information

Nearby+ may use location information to help you discover citizens, issues, events, opportunities and services near you.

VocalBox may use approximate location derived from your IP address for certain general location-based functionality.

Precise GPS location is only accessed when you grant the required permission.

You can disable precise location access through your device settings. Some Nearby+ features may not function correctly if location access is disabled.

Location information is handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

5. AI-Powered Features

VocalBox uses AI-assisted technologies to provide features such as Parrot AI, content classification, summarisation, transcription, fact-checking assistance and AfroGovIQ.

Depending on the feature, information you submit may be processed by third-party AI service providers.

AI-generated responses may be inaccurate, incomplete or outdated. You should not rely solely on AI-generated information for medical, legal, financial, safety, government or other consequential decisions.

Where appropriate, we may use automated systems to classify, analyse or summarise content in order to provide Platform functionality, improve services, detect abuse or maintain security.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data.

We may share information in the following circumstances:

With Other Users

Information you choose to make public may be visible to other VocalBox users.

With Service Providers

We may use third-party service providers to support hosting, infrastructure, email, analytics, security, payments, AI processing, transcription and notifications.

These providers may process information on our behalf to provide the services we request.

With Payment Providers

When you purchase VocalBox Credits or use supported payment services, relevant transaction information may be shared with payment providers such as Paystack, Flutterwave or Interswitch.

Payment providers may process payment information under their own privacy policies and terms.

With AI and Technology Providers

Depending on the feature you use, information may be processed by technology providers such as OpenAI, Google, Deepgram, AssemblyAI, Groq or other providers that we may use from time to time.

The specific providers used may vary by feature and may change as the Platform evolves.

With Institutions

When you voluntarily submit a civic report or other information to an institution through CivicDesk, the relevant information may be shared with the institution so that it can review and respond to the submission.

Information published as an official response by an authorised institution is handled by that institution in accordance with its own applicable policies.

For Legal and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with applicable law or legal process.
• Respond to lawful requests from competent authorities.
• Protect the rights, safety or property of VocalBox, our users or others.
• Investigate fraud, abuse or security incidents.
• Enforce our Terms & Conditions.

7. Government & Public Information

VocalBox may display information relating to countries, governments, public institutions, development indicators, population statistics, capital cities, currencies, geographic boundaries and other public-sector information.

VocalBox is not a government entity and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or representing any government or public institution.

Government and public-sector information displayed through VocalBox may be obtained from publicly available sources, including:

• World Bank Open Data — https://data.worldbank.org/
• United Nations — https://www.un.org/
• UNDP Human Development Reports — https://hdr.undp.org/
• Natural Earth — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/
• Country JSON — https://github.com/samayo/country-json
• World Factbook — https://worldfactbook.co/countries.php

The source used may vary depending on the information displayed.

VocalBox does not claim ownership of government or public-sector information obtained from these sources. Users should verify important government-related information with the relevant original or official source.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Platform and fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Different types of information may be retained for different periods depending on:

• The nature and purpose of the information.
• The status of your account.
• Legal and regulatory requirements.
• Security and fraud-prevention requirements.
• Dispute resolution and enforcement of agreements.

Financial and transaction records may be retained for periods required by applicable law.

Security and diagnostic information may be retained for a limited period appropriate to security, troubleshooting and fraud-prevention purposes.

You may request deletion of your account and personal information through our account deletion process, subject to information that we are legally required or otherwise permitted to retain.

9. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include:

• Encryption of information in transit using TLS.
• Encryption or equivalent safeguards for information at rest where appropriate.
• Access controls.
• Authentication and security measures.
• Monitoring and security reviews.

No method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights including:

• Access: request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Rectification: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Erasure: request deletion of personal information, subject to applicable exceptions.
• Portability: request a copy of certain information in a structured format.
• Objection: object to certain types of processing.
• Restriction: request restriction of certain processing where applicable.
• Withdrawal of consent: withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To exercise a privacy right, contact: parrot@vocalbox.media

We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.

11. Children's Privacy

VocalBox is intended for users aged 13 and above.

Users between 13 and 18 should use the Platform with permission from a parent or legal guardian.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we become aware that a person under 13 has provided personal information, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

Certain features may have additional age or eligibility restrictions.

12. Cookies & Similar Technologies

VocalBox may use essential cookies and similar technologies to operate services, maintain sessions and remember preferences.

Where applicable, we may also use analytics technologies to understand how users interact with our services and improve the Platform.

You may control cookies through your browser or device settings where those controls are available.

13. Third-Party Services

VocalBox may integrate third-party services, including:

• AI and machine-learning providers.
• Payment providers.
• Cloud and infrastructure providers.
• Email and communication providers.
• Push-notification services.
• Analytics and security services.
• Mapping and location services.

Examples may include OpenAI, Google, Deepgram, AssemblyAI, Groq, Paystack, Flutterwave, Interswitch and Expo.

Third-party services operate under their own terms and privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy practices of services you interact with.

The providers we use may change as the Platform develops.

14. International Data Processing

Some of our service providers may process or store information outside Nigeria.

Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer and processing are subject to appropriate safeguards and applicable data-protection requirements.

15. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your VocalBox account and associated personal information through our account-deletion process: https://vocalbox.media/account-deletion

Certain information may be retained where required by law, necessary for legitimate security purposes, required to resolve disputes, or otherwise permitted by applicable law.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

When we make material changes, we may notify you through the Platform, by email or through another appropriate communication method.

The "Last updated" date at the beginning of this Policy will be updated when changes take effect.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact us at:

Email: parrot@vocalbox.media

VocalBox Ventures

In association with Lovestyle Africa Development Initiative