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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 September 2026

VoteShield Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 September 2026

VoteShield ("we", "us", or "our") is a citizen-powered election monitoring platform operated by the Centre for Electoral Transparency. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we handle your data.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

  • Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and role when you register.
  • Identity Verification: For agents, we may collect identification details and a selfie to verify your identity.
  • Location Data: Polling unit assignments and, when you submit reports, approximate GPS coordinates from your device.
  • Submission Data: Election results, incident reports, and media (photos, videos, audio) you upload.
  • Device Information: Device fingerprint and technical details for security and integrity purposes.
  • Banking Information: Bank account details for agents eligible for compensation, stored securely and used only for approved payments.

Data Safety Disclosure

In line with Global User Data policy, the table below describes every type of user data VoteShield collects, how it is used, whether it is shared, and how it is handled. This disclosure mirrors the declarations in our Google Play Data Safety form.

| Data Type | What We Collect | Purpose | Shared | Encrypted in Transit | User Can Request Deletion | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Photos and videos | Selfie capture during agent registration, ID document upload, election result sheet photos, and incident/monitoring media (photos, video, audio) | App functionality — identity verification, evidence of polling-unit conditions, and result integrity | No | Yes | Yes | | Location | Approximate GPS coordinates captured from your device when you submit election results or raise an SOS alert | App functionality — situating submissions and alerts at the correct polling unit, and routing emergency response | No | Yes | Yes | | Personal information | Name, email address, phone number, National Identification Number (NIN), and polling-unit assignment details | App functionality — account management, agent verification, and assignment of monitoring duties | No | Yes | Yes | | Financial information | Bank account number, account name, and bank name | App functionality — paying eligible agents their approved compensation only | No | Yes | Yes | | Device or other identifiers | A device fingerprint derived from device characteristics (screen, timezone, language, platform, user agent, canvas, CPU cores, device memory) and stored as a one-way hash | Fraud prevention and security — preventing duplicate submissions and impersonation | No | Yes | Yes |

Notes on the data above:

  • Photos and videos are used only for verification and evidence. Media attached to public incident reports may be blurred to protect the identities of bystanders.
  • Location is requested at the moment of submission or SOS only; background location is not collected.
  • Personal information is used to create and manage your account and to confirm you are assigned to the polling unit you report from.
  • Financial information is collected solely to disburse approved compensation to eligible agents and is never used for advertising or shared with third parties.
  • Device or other identifiers are stored as cryptographic hashes. They cannot be reverse-engineered to identify your device, and they are never shared with or sold to any third party, including advertisers.

VoteShield does not collect data for advertising or marketing purposes, and we do not sell any user data.

2. How We Use Your Information

  • To verify agent identities and prevent fraud.
  • To display real-time, unofficial election results and incident reports.
  • To communicate with you about your account, assignments, and payments.
  • To maintain the integrity and auditability of submissions.
  • To improve our platform and services.

3. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We may share:

  • Aggregated, anonymized data publicly for transparency.
  • Submitted results and incidents publicly on our platform (media may be blurred to protect identities).
  • Information with authorities only where required by law.

4. Data Security

We use encryption, access controls, and cryptographic hashing to protect your data. Banking details are stored securely and access is restricted. Each submission is timestamped and integrity-verified.

5. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services, comply with legal obligations, and maintain election integrity records.

6. Your Rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data by contacting us at contact@voteshield.ng.

7. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect their data.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify users of significant changes through the platform or by email.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at https://app.voteshield.net/ContactUs

VoteShield is an independent citizen-reporting platform and is not affiliated with INEC. Results displayed are unofficial.