Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Slate Trends ("we", "us", "our") operates slatetrends.com, a business directory platform serving Ghana. We are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights with respect to it. It applies to all users of the Platform - visitors, registered users, and business owners.

This policy is drafted in accordance with the Ghana Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) and applicable international best practices.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Account data: name, email address, password (stored hashed).
• Business listing data: business name, address, phone number, website, WhatsApp number, category, description, opening hours, photos.
• Review data: star ratings, written reviews, and your display name.
• Contact form submissions: name, email, subject, and message.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Usage data: pages visited, search queries, time spent on pages, clicks on business listings.
• Device and browser data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system.
• Cookies and local storage: session tokens, theme preference, and analytics identifiers. See Section 6.

2.3 Information from third parties

If you use a social login option (if available), we may receive your name and email from that provider subject to their privacy policy.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To create and manage your account.
• To display and manage business listings on the Platform.
• To send transactional emails (account verification, password reset, review notifications).
• To respond to contact form submissions and support requests.
• To improve the Platform through usage analytics.
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or violations of our Terms of Service.
• To comply with legal obligations under Ghanaian law.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the Ghana Data Protection Act, 2012, we process your data on the following bases:

• Consent: when you create an account, submit a business listing, or contact us.
• Contractual necessity: to provide the services you have requested.
• Legitimate interests: to prevent fraud, improve the Platform, and ensure security.
• Legal obligation: where required by Ghanaian law.

5. Data Sharing

We may share your data with the following categories of recipients only as necessary:

• Hosting and infrastructure: Vercel (deployment), Neon (database hosting) - both process data under their respective data processing agreements.
• Image storage: Cloudinary - business photos are stored on Cloudinary's CDN.
• Email delivery: our email service provider (Resend) - used to send transactional emails.
• Maps: OpenStreetMap data is used for our business map. No personal data is sent to OSM.
• Legal authorities: where required by law or a valid court order.

Business listing information you submit (name, address, phone, photos, etc.) is displayed publicly on the Platform and may be indexed by search engines. Please only submit information you are comfortable being publicly visible.

6. Cookies

We use the following types of cookies and browser storage:

• Authentication cookies: to keep you logged in to your account. These are session-based and expire when you log out.
• Preference storage: to remember your theme preference (light/dark mode). Stored in localStorage.
• Analytics: if analytics are enabled, aggregate, anonymised usage data may be collected to help us improve the Platform.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies will affect authentication functionality.

7. Data Retention

• Account data: retained for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your personal data is deleted within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law.
• Business listings: retained until you remove the listing or request deletion.
• Reviews: may be retained in anonymised form after account deletion.
• Contact form messages: retained for up to 12 months for support purposes.

8. Your Rights

Under the Ghana Data Protection Act, 2012, you have the right to:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: request that inaccurate data be corrected.
• Deletion: request that your personal data be deleted, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Objection: object to processing of your data for certain purposes.
• Portability: receive your data in a portable format where technically feasible.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@slatetrends.com with the subject line "Data Request". We will respond within 30 days.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), hashed passwords, rate limiting on authentication endpoints, and access controls on our database. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.

10. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not directed at children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or a notice on the Platform at least 14 days before taking effect. The effective date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version.

12. Contact and Complaints

For questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana at dataprotection.org.gh.