Privacy Policy

PorchTalk is operated by Halite & Ember("we", "us", "our"). We take your privacy seriously. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and what your rights are. It applies to everyone who uses PorchTalk, including anonymous users, registered Imorans, and visitors.

This policy complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

1. What data we collect

Anonymous users (no account required)

• The content of posts and responses you submit
• An anonymous token stored in your browser's local storage. This is a random identifier generated on your device. It is never linked to your name, email, or any other personal information. It only allows you to recognise your own posts.
• The category you choose when posting
• The date and time a post or response was submitted

We do not ask for, store, or process your name, email address, phone number, location, or any other personally identifying information when you post anonymously.

Verified Imorans (registered accounts)

• Email address (used for account login only)
• Display name (your chosen public name, which can be a pseudonym)
• Biography and listed specialties
• Responses you post on the platform

Technical and usage data

• IP addresses are processed by our infrastructure providers (Supabase and Vercel) for security and abuse prevention. We do not directly store or use IP addresses to identify individual users.
• Standard server logs (request type, timestamp, response code)
• Browser type and device type (not linked to any personal profile)

2. How we use your data

• To display posts and responses on the platform
• To enable Imoran accounts to log in and respond to posts
• To moderate content and enforce our Community Guidelines
• To detect crisis content and attach appropriate support resources
• To prevent abuse, spam and harmful content
• To improve the platform over time

Legal basis (UK GDPR): Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) for anonymous users. Contract performance (Article 6(1)(b)) for Imoran accounts. Where we process sensitive content (mental health, relationships), we rely on explicit consent given at the point of submission.

3. Data retention

• Anonymous posts are retained until deleted by a moderator or at your request
• Imoran account data is retained for as long as the account is active
• Deleted posts are permanently removed from our database within 30 days
• Server logs are retained for a maximum of 90 days

4. Third party services

We use the following third party services to operate the platform:

• Supabase (database and authentication). Data may be stored on servers in the United States. Supabase complies with EU Standard Contractual Clauses for international data transfers.
• Vercel (hosting and deployment). Servers are located in the US and EU. Vercel complies with UK GDPR and EU SCCs.

We do not sell your data to any third party. We do not use your data for advertising.

5. Cookies

We use only essential cookies required for the platform to function (session management for Imoran accounts). We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, or third party analytics cookies. Anonymous users do not receive any cookies.

6. Children

PorchTalk is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted data on our platform, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, NDPR and POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your data (right to be forgotten)
• Object to how we process your data
• Portability of your data in a readable format

To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@haliteandember.com. We will respond within 30 days.

For anonymous users: because we hold no personal data linked to your identity, we cannot verify or process individual data requests for anonymous posts. If you wish to delete a post, you can flag it for removal using your anonymous token.

8. Contact

For any privacy concerns or data requests, contact our Data Controller:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority: the ICO (UK), NITDA (Nigeria), or the Information Regulator (South Africa).