GILATBC Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 6, 2026 · Version: 1.0

GILATBC ("we", "us", "our") operates an AI-powered commerce platform connecting buyers with verified sellers, service providers, and tailors in Nigeria and beyond, available on the web at gilatbc.com and through our assistant on WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram.

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to everyone who uses GILATBC — buyers, sellers, service providers, and visitors. We process personal data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and, where it applies to you, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the platform.

Information We Collect

Information you give us directly

• Account details: your name, email address, phone number, and password. Passwords are stored only as a salted one-way hash — we never store or have access to your actual password.
• Your country and, where you provide them, delivery addresses and pickup locations.
• Business details if you register a business: business name, category, contact details, settlement bank account, and any verification documents you upload.
• Content you create: product listings, service listings, reviews, ratings, review photographs, support messages, and messages exchanged with sellers or our assistant.

Information we collect automatically

• Usage data: pages and listings you view, searches you run, items you save, businesses you follow, and what you click. We use this to rank and personalise what you see.
• Device and connection data: IP address, browser type, and device identifiers, used for security, fraud prevention, and diagnostics. IP addresses recorded in our audit log are stored only as a salted hash, never in the clear.
• Cookies and similar technologies — see "Cookies" below.

Information from third parties

• If you sign in with Google, the profile information described under "Signing in with Google".
• If you contact us through WhatsApp, Telegram, or Instagram, the messaging platform supplies your platform user ID, display name, and the content of the messages you send us.
• Payment confirmations and settlement status from our payment processor. We never receive your full card number.

Signing in with Google

If you choose "Continue with Google", Google shares a limited profile with us: your name, email address, profile picture, and your Google account identifier. We request no other Google scopes — we do not read your Gmail, Drive, Calendar, or Contacts, and we cannot.

We use that information only to create your GILATBC account, to sign you in on later visits, and to match you to an existing GILATBC account with the same verified email address so you do not end up with two accounts. We store the Google account identifier so we can recognise you on your next sign-in.

We do not sell this data, use it for advertising, or share it with third parties for their own purposes. You can disconnect GILATBC from your Google account at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions; doing so does not delete your GILATBC account, and you can still sign in with your email and password.

How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

• Create and administer your account and verify your identity.
• Process orders, bookings, subscriptions, payments, refunds, and seller payouts.
• Arrange delivery and let you and the seller track fulfilment.
• Provide the GILATBC assistant, so it can answer questions about your orders and help you complete a purchase.
• Personalise the marketplace — recommendations, search results, and the items shown on your home feed.
• Send you transactional messages: order confirmations, delivery updates, payment receipts, security alerts, and changes to these policies.
• Send you marketing messages where you have opted in, which you can stop at any time.
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, counterfeit listings, and prohibited goods, and enforce our Terms & Conditions.
• Meet our legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.

Our lawful bases are: performance of a contract with you, your consent (for marketing and for optional features), our legitimate interests in operating and securing a marketplace, and compliance with legal obligations.

Payment Information

Payments are processed by Flutterwave, a licensed payment service provider. Your card details are entered on and held by Flutterwave — GILATBC never sees or stores your full card number, expiry date, or CVV.

If you switch on wallet auto-reload, we store a payment token issued by Flutterwave together with your card brand and last four digits, so the wallet can be topped up without re-entering your details. That token cannot be used anywhere except through your GILATBC wallet, and you can remove it at any time by turning auto-reload off.

Sharing Your Information

We share personal information only as described here. We do not sell your personal data.

• Sellers and service providers: when you place an order, the seller receives the details they need to fulfil it — your name, delivery address, phone number, and the order contents.
• Delivery partners: the recipient name, address, and phone number needed to deliver your order.
• Service providers acting on our instructions: Flutterwave (payments and payouts), Cloudinary (image and video hosting), Amazon Web Services (email delivery and infrastructure), Google (Gemini, which powers the assistant's replies), Meta and Telegram (only where you contact us on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Telegram), and our own servers hosting search and recommendation services. Each is bound to use the data only to provide the service to us.
• Legal and safety: where we are required by law, court order, or a regulator, or where disclosure is necessary to investigate fraud, protect our rights, or protect someone's safety.
• Business transfer: if GILATBC is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may transfer with the business. We will tell you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Artificial Intelligence and Automated Processing

The GILATBC assistant uses a large language model to understand your messages and reply to them. The content of your conversation, and the order or catalogue information needed to answer you, is sent to that model to generate the response. We do not permit our AI providers to use your conversations to train their models.

We also use automated processing to rank listings, generate recommendations, and flag listings or messages that may breach our policies. Automated moderation can restrict a listing or an account; where that happens you can ask a human to review the decision by contacting support.

Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, secure the platform against fraud and abuse, remember who referred you, and measure how the marketplace is used. Essential cookies are required for the site to work. You can clear or block cookies in your browser, but parts of the platform — including staying signed in — will not function.

Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as we need it:

• Account data: while your account is open, and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle disputes and enforce our terms.
• Order, payment, and payout records: for as long as required by Nigerian tax and financial record-keeping law.
• Conversations with the assistant and with sellers: for the period needed to resolve disputes and improve service quality.
• Audit and security logs: on a rolling retention schedule, with IP addresses stored only as hashes.

When the retention period ends we delete the data or irreversibly anonymise it.

Your Rights

Subject to the conditions in applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of it.
• Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete — most of this you can do yourself in your account settings.
• Delete your account and personal data, except where we must keep records to meet a legal obligation.
• Object to or restrict processing based on our legitimate interests.
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing relies on consent.
• Opt out of marketing — every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and turning it off never affects transactional messages about your orders.
• Portability: receive the data you provided to us in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, or to your local supervisory authority if you are in the EU or UK.

To exercise any of these, email [email protected]. We respond within 30 days.

Security

We protect your information with encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), one-way hashing of passwords, encryption of sensitive stored credentials, role-based access controls limiting which staff can see what, and audit logging of administrative actions. No system is perfectly secure, so we also ask you to use a strong, unique password and to tell us immediately at [email protected] if you think your account has been compromised.

Children

GILATBC is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

International Transfers

GILATBC operates primarily in Nigeria, but some of the service providers listed above process data outside Nigeria. Where personal data is transferred abroad, we rely on the safeguards permitted under the NDPA, including contractual protections requiring the recipient to protect the data to an equivalent standard.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the platform changes or the law requires. When we make a material change we will update the effective date above and notify you by email or an in-app notice before it takes effect. Continuing to use GILATBC after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions, requests, or complaints about privacy:

Email: [email protected] Support: [email protected] Web: gilatbc.com/help