Privacy Policy

About PhoneWatch

PhoneWatch is a free community site in Nigeria for reporting stolen phones, searching IMEIs and posting found phones. We follow the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 when handling personal information. This policy explains what we collect and your choices.

Information we collect

• Stolen-phone reports: IMEI, phone details, condition, where and when it was stolen, your name and contact details, and how you found us if supplied.
• Found-phone posts: phone name or model, location, date and time found, two photos, and the finder's name and WhatsApp or phone number.
• Contact tickets: your name, contact details and message.
• IMEI searches and any optional information about how you found us.
• With your cookie acceptance, Google Analytics information about visits, pages viewed, device and browser information, and approximate location. Our hosting and storage providers may also process technical information, such as IP addresses, to deliver and protect the site.

How we use and share information

We use this information to save reports, match IMEI searches, display found phones, help owners and finders get in touch, respond to messages, and keep the site working. We rely on your agreement for information you choose to submit and optional analytics, and on legitimate interests where appropriate for security and operating the service.

Found-phone photos, phone details, locations and dates are public. Owner contact details are shown only when someone searches the exact IMEI and clicks “Contact Owner”. Finder contact details are shown only when someone clicks “Contact Finder”. This is not identity verification: any visitor who takes those steps may see the details. Administrators can access information to manage posts and requests; contact tickets are not public. Only submit details you are allowed to share, and keep sensitive documents or unrelated people out of photos.

Cookies, analytics and advertisements

We use browser storage to remember your cookie choice and manage community ad rotation. Essential storage keeps requested functions working. Google Analytics loads only after you choose Accept; choosing Decline keeps it off. You can clear this site's stored data in your browser to choose again.

The site may show third-party advertisements, including Google AdSense. Third-party ads may use cookies or similar tools to measure ads or personalise them, subject to applicable consent requirements and the provider's own privacy policy. Accepting or declining our banner does not control cookies on other sites. Following an ad, WhatsApp or social link takes you to a service with its own policies. See Google's Privacy Policy for how Google handles data. Mentioning AdSense here does not mean it is currently enabled.

Storage, protection and retention

Reports and posts are stored with our service providers, including Supabase for records and photos. Providers may process information outside Nigeria; we seek appropriate safeguards under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. We restrict administrative access and keep recovery codes as hashes rather than readable stored codes. No online service can promise complete security.

We keep information for as long as needed to provide the service, deal with requests and meet legal obligations. Posts do not automatically disappear each month. We may delete any post at any time, including false, unsafe or outdated posts.

Your rights and deletion requests

You may ask to access or correct your personal information, delete a post, withdraw consent, or object to or restrict processing where the law allows. Use the Contact page and identify the post or report and your request. We may ask for enough information to confirm you are entitled to make the request, without asking you to publish private documents. We will consider requests in line with the law; some records may need to be retained for legal reasons. You can also raise a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Truthfulness and safety

User-submitted information is not verified by PhoneWatch. Do not post false reports or fake posts. PhoneWatch is not the police. Never confront anyone over a phone; report suspected theft to the police. A listing or search result is not proof of theft or ownership.

Marketplace and notifications

PhoneWatch is only a listing board for secondhand phones. We handle no payments or delivery and are not responsible for deals between buyers and sellers, except where the law requires otherwise. We may remove any listing. Listings expire 14 days after approval; repost if unsold.

We store Marketplace phone details, price, description, location, two photos and seller contact details. The full optional IMEI is checked against stolen reports and is not stored with the listing; only its last four digits and check status are public. Seller contact details appear only after someone clicks Contact Seller. An IMEI checked badge is not proof of ownership.

If you choose notifications, we store your browser push subscription, including its delivery address and encryption keys, to send alerts when new phones are approved. You can turn notifications off in your browser settings. We remove subscriptions when the delivery service says they are no longer valid. Your chosen city and state, cookie preference and home-screen banner choice are stored in your browser.

Browse the Marketplace or use the Contact page to ask for deletion.

Updates

We may update this policy as the site or law changes. The last-update date appears at the top. Read our Terms of Use for the rules for using PhoneWatch.