1Introduction
FUTA Social ("we", "us", "our") is a social networking application built exclusively for students of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA). This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have over your data.
By creating an account or using FUTA Social, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.
Developer contact: support@futa-social.com
2Information We Collect
2.1 Account Information
When you register, we collect:
- Full name
- Email address
- Matric number
- Department and faculty
- Graduation year and current level
- Password (stored securely via Supabase Auth — we never see it in plain text)
2.2 Profile Information
Information you voluntarily add to your profile:
- Profile picture and cover photo
- Bio
- Display username
- Privacy preferences (e.g. whether to show matric number publicly)
2.3 Identity Verification Data
If you choose to verify your student identity, we collect:
- A photo of your student ID document
- A selfie (for liveness verification)
This data is used solely to confirm your FUTA student status and is not shared with third parties beyond secure cloud storage.
2.4 User-Generated Content
Content you create on the platform:
- Posts, reposts, and comments on the home feed
- Group chat messages and direct messages
- Voice notes you record and send in direct and group chats
- Accommodation listings, photos, and reviews
- Resource library uploads (PDFs, past questions, lecture notes)
- GIFs shared via Kliphy
2.5 Financial Information
FUTA Social facilitates several types of paid transactions, all processed by Paystack. We do not store your card details — Paystack handles all payment data under their own privacy policy. We record the following in our database:
- Accommodation escrow — transaction references, escrow status, and withdrawal requests
- Boost listing — payment references for agents who promote accommodation listings
- Profile badge purchases — transaction references for cosmetic badge upgrades
- Local ads — payment references for businesses or individuals placing ads within the app
2.6 Microphone
We access your device microphone only when you actively record a voice note to send in a chat. We do not listen to, record, or access your microphone in the background or at any other time. Voice notes you choose to send are stored as described under "User-Generated Content" above.
2.7 Device & Technical Information
- Push notification token (to send you alerts via Expo and Firebase Cloud Messaging)
- Device operating system and version (collected by Sentry for crash reporting)
- App crash logs and error stack traces (collected by Sentry)
2.8 Usage Information
- Which features you use and when (collected anonymously for product improvement)
- IP address (collected by Supabase and Sentry as part of normal server operations)
2.9 What We Do NOT Collect
- Precise GPS or location data
- Contacts from your phone
- Background or continuous audio (the microphone is used only while you actively record a voice note — see section 2.6)
- Browser history or data from other apps
3How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide the service — create and manage your account, display your profile, deliver posts, messages, and notifications
- Verify your identity — confirm you are a current FUTA student before granting access to certain features
- Process payments — facilitate accommodation escrow, boost listing fees, badge purchases, and local ad placements via Paystack
- Send notifications — alert you to new messages, post interactions, group activity, announcements, and accommodation updates via Expo and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
- Display advertising — show relevant ads using Google AdMob and AppLovin MAX (ads help keep the app free)
- Improve the app — analyse crash reports and errors via Sentry to fix bugs and improve stability
- Enforce our rules — detect and act on violations of our Terms & Conditions
- Communicate with you — respond to support requests and send important service updates
4How We Share Your Information
We never sell your personal data. We share information only in the following circumstances:
4.1 Service Providers
We use trusted third-party providers to operate FUTA Social. Each processes data only as necessary to provide their service:
| Provider |
Purpose |
| Supabase |
Database, authentication, real-time data |
| Firebase (Google) |
Push notifications (FCM) |
| Expo |
Push notification infrastructure |
| Sentry |
Crash reporting and error monitoring |
| Google AdMob |
In-app advertising |
| AppLovin MAX |
In-app advertising |
| ImageKit |
Image delivery and optimisation |
| Cloudflare R2 |
Video storage and delivery |
| Paystack |
Payment processing |
| Kliphy |
GIF search and delivery |
| Fly.io |
Real-time messaging backend |
4.2 Other Users
By default, your profile (name, department, posts) is visible to other FUTA Social users. You can control what is shown using the privacy settings in your profile (e.g. hide matric number, hide graduation year).
4.3 Ghost Mode
When you use Ghost Mode, your posts are anonymous — your name and profile are not attached. However, we retain the link between your account and ghost posts internally for safety and moderation purposes.
4.4 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by Nigerian law, court order, or other legal process, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of FUTA Social, our users, or the public.
5Data Retention
- Account data is retained for as long as your account is active.
- If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required for legal or financial compliance (e.g. payment records).
- Crash logs collected by Sentry are automatically purged after 90 days.
- Verification documents (ID photos and selfies) are deleted within 30 days of verification being approved or rejected.
6Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Correction — update inaccurate data via your profile settings
- Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated data
- Withdraw consent — disable push notifications at any time in your device settings
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@futa-social.com.
7Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data in transit
- Supabase row-level security policies to restrict data access
- Passwords hashed and managed by Supabase Auth
- Verification documents stored in restricted-access cloud storage
No system is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately.
8Children's Privacy
FUTA Social is designed for university students. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone who is not a FUTA student. If you believe a non-student minor has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
9Third-Party Links and Content
The app may display links or content from third parties (e.g. GIFs from Kliphy, external resource links). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. Please review their privacy policies independently.
10Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and notify users via the app. Continued use of FUTA Social after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
11Contact Us