Privacy Policy
AjoAutomate ("we", "us") runs rotating savings circles over WhatsApp. To do that we have to know who is in a circle, who has paid, and whose turn it is. This policy explains exactly what we collect, why, who can see it, and what you can ask us to do with it. It is written to comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
1. Who is responsible
The data controller is AjoAutomate, registered in Nigeria (RC 7088448), 25 Olayemi Odutayo Street, Ikosi Ketu, Lagos State. Privacy questions and requests go to [email protected].
2. What we collect
When you message Alaga
- Your WhatsApp phone number, and the name on your WhatsApp profile.
- The content of your messages to Alaga, including commands such as
/ledgerand selections from menus or forms. - Circle details you submit through in-chat forms: circle name, contribution amount, number of members, your payout slot.
When you authorize a card or pay
- Your email address, which Paystack requires to start a card authorization.
- A card authorization reference returned by Paystack, the card's last four digits, brand and expiry, so we can charge future contributions and show you which card is on file. We never receive or store your full card number, CVV or PIN. Those are entered on Paystack's page only.
- The dedicated virtual account number assigned to you for bank transfers, and records of transfers received into it.
- Payment records: amounts, dates, whether a charge succeeded or failed, and payouts sent to you, including the bank account you receive payouts into.
When you open the ledger page
- The signed, short-lived link Alaga sent you identifies which member and circle to show. The page reads only that. We do not use tracking cookies or advertising trackers on ajoautomate.com.
3. Why we use it
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Running your circle: recording contributions, charging authorized cards on due dates, sending payouts, showing the ledger | Performance of our contract with you |
| Sending you reminders, receipts and warnings about your own payments | Performance of our contract with you |
| Verifying your card and preventing fraud, duplicate charges and misuse | Legitimate interests, and legal obligations that apply to payment processing |
| Keeping financial records | Legal obligation |
| Improving how Alaga understands requests | Legitimate interests. We do not sell or share message content for advertising. |
4. Who can see what
- Other members of your circle can see your name and whether your contribution for the current cycle is paid or pending, in the circle ledger. That is the same information a paper Ajo notebook shows to everyone in the circle. They cannot see your card, account numbers or payment history outside that circle.
- Your circle's host can additionally see the ledger for every cycle and is told when a payout cannot be made in full.
- Your WhatsApp group sees nothing from us. Alaga is not a member of any group and cannot post into one. Reminders and warnings about your payments go to you alone, privately.
5. Providers that process data for us
We use a small number of service providers, each bound by their own contract with us to use the data only to provide their service:
- Meta (WhatsApp) and Twilio carry messages between you and Alaga.
- Paystack processes card authorizations, charges, virtual accounts, transfers and payouts. Paystack's own privacy policy applies to what you enter on its pages.
- Supabase hosts our database, and Railway hosts the software that runs Alaga and this website.
- An AI language-model provider (currently Anthropic) processes the text of your conversation so Alaga can understand and reply. Payment credentials are never sent to it.
Some of these providers store data outside Nigeria. Where they do, we rely on their contractual commitments to protect it to a standard consistent with Nigerian law.
6. How long we keep it
- Circle and payment records: for the life of the circle and for as long afterwards as financial record-keeping rules require.
- Message content: for as long as needed to run your circle and resolve disputes about it.
- Card authorizations: until you ask us to remove the card, or the circle it was used for ends and no further charges are due. Removing the card while a circle is still running will stop automatic contributions for that circle.
7. Your rights
Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act you can ask us to:
- tell you what personal data we hold about you and give you a copy;
- correct anything that is wrong;
- delete your data, subject to records we are legally required to keep and to contributions or payouts still owed within a running circle;
- stop or restrict a particular use of your data, or object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- withdraw a card authorization at any time.
Send requests to [email protected] from the phone number or email registered on your circle, so we can confirm it is you. We respond within the time the law allows. You also have the right to complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
8. Security
Ledger links sent by Alaga are signed and expire within minutes, so an old link cannot be reused to view someone else's circle. Card data is handled entirely by Paystack. Our servers verify every ledger request before returning any data, and secrets never reach your browser. No system is perfectly secure, so please tell us immediately at the address above if you believe your account has been misused.
9. Children
AjoAutomate is for adults who can lawfully authorize payments. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.
10. Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters to you, Alaga will tell you in your chat before the change takes effect. The effective date at the top always shows the current version.