Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: · Effective: 10 October 2026
This policy explains what personal data TenQel collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it.
Table of contents
1. Who we are
TenQel (“TenQel”, “we”), Lagos, Nigeria, runs the TenQel website and app. We are the data controller for the personal data described here. That means we decide how and why it’s used. For any privacy question or request, email support@tenqel.com.
2. What we collect
Information you give us
- Account details: name, email, password (stored encrypted by our login provider, never visible to us), country, whether you want to buy or sell.
- Profile details: photo, headline, bio, skills, portfolio, languages, and for business accounts the business name, logo, address, email and registration number.
- ID verification: see section 4.
- Payout details: your bank name, account number and the account name confirmed by the bank.
- Marketplace activity: project requests, offers, orders, deliveries, files, reviews and messages with other users.
- Invoices and payment links: the details you enter, including your clients’ names and email addresses.
- Support emails you send us.
When you sign in with Google
Google shares your name, email address and profile photo with us. We don’t get your Google password or access to your other Google data.
Payments and transactions
Records of payments, refunds, wallet balances, withdrawals, fees and exchange rates. When someone pays through a payment link or invoice, we record their name, email, the amount and the payment reference. Card details are entered on our licensed payment partner’s secure page and are never stored by TenQel.
Collected automatically
- Device and log data: IP address, browser and device type, pages requested, and times. Our hosting and login providers record these to keep the service secure and working.
- Activity data: when you were last active and how quickly you reply to buyers. Some of this is shown on seller profiles, such as response time.
- Cookies and local storage: see our Cookie Policy. We don’t use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.
3. How we use it, and our legal reasons
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Create and run your account, process payments, hold escrow, pay out withdrawals, show your profile | Performing our contract with you |
| Verify your identity, prevent fraud and money laundering, keep financial records | Legal obligation, and our legitimate interest in keeping TenQel safe |
| Rank sellers in search, review disputes, enforce our Terms | Legitimate interests |
| Send service emails (receipts, invoices, order and ID updates) | Performing our contract |
| Optional emails or features you switch on | Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
We use automated checks to flag some withdrawals for a human to review, for example large amounts or a bank account added very recently. A person makes the final decision. ID verification decisions are always made by a person.
We don’t sell your personal data, and we don’t use it for third-party advertising.
4. ID verification (KYC)
What we collect: legal name, date of birth, phone (optional), address, city, payout country, ID type and number, a photo of your ID document, a live selfie taken with your camera, and a few still frames from the short liveness check (for example blinking or turning your head). We ask for your consent before you start.
Automatic checks: in your browser, we check the photo quality, read your name, ID number and date of birth from the ID (you confirm or correct them), and compare your selfie with the photo on your ID to give a match score. These checks run on your device; we keep the score and the result, not a face template. They only help our team: a person reviews every verification and makes the decision. Nothing is approved automatically.
Why: to confirm you are who you say you are before you can receive and withdraw money. This protects buyers and payers, prevents fraud, and helps us meet anti-money-laundering rules.
Who sees it: ID documents and selfies are stored in private storage. They are only visible to authorised TenQel admins through links that expire after 60 seconds, and every view is recorded. ID numbers are shown masked (for example ******4521). They are never shown on your public profile. Payers and buyers see only that you are “ID verified”.
How it’s reviewed: a TenQel admin reviews each submission by hand and can approve, reject, request changes or revoke an approval at any time, always with a reason. Admins can correct typos in your details. Every action is recorded in an internal audit log, and you’re notified in the app and by email.
How long we keep it: if a verification is rejected, or you start one and don’t finish it, we delete its ID photos and selfies after 90 days. Otherwise, while your account is open, and after you close it for as long as anti-money-laundering and financial record-keeping laws require (in Nigeria, generally five years). After that we delete it.
6. International transfers
Some providers above store or process data outside Nigeria, for example in the United States or the European Union. When that happens, we rely on the safeguards allowed by the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and, for UK/EU users, the GDPR. These include the providers’ data-processing agreements and standard contractual clauses.
7. How long we keep data
- Account and profile: while your account is open. After you close it we delete or anonymise it, except what we must keep by law.
- Transactions, payments, withdrawals and invoices: for as long as financial and anti-money-laundering laws require (generally five years after the transaction or account closure).
- ID verification: as in section 4.
- Messages and order files: while the account is open, and longer if needed for an open dispute or legal claim.
- Server and login logs: kept for a limited time by our hosting and login providers, under their own retention settings.
8. How we protect your data
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your data, including:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS) between your browser and TenQel.
- Database access rules, so users can only reach their own private data.
- Private storage for ID documents, opened only through short-lived links.
- Limiting admin access to the people who need it, and logging admin actions on ID verification.
- Card details handled only by our licensed payment partner.
No system is perfectly secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your data and puts you at risk, we’ll tell you and the relevant authority as the law requires.
9. Your rights
Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) you have the right to:
- be told how your data is used (this policy);
- access a copy of your data;
- correct data that’s wrong or incomplete;
- delete your data, unless we must keep it by law;
- restrict or object to some uses;
- receive your data in a portable format (data portability);
- withdraw consent where we rely on it;
- not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you;
- complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
If you’re in the UK or EU, you have similar rights under the GDPR / UK GDPR. You can also complain to your local data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office).
How to make a request
Email support@tenqel.com from the address on your account and tell us what you need. You can correct most profile details yourself in your dashboard. We may ask you to confirm your identity. We’ll reply within 30 days, and requests are free unless they’re clearly excessive.
10. Children
TenQel is only for people aged 18 or over. We don’t knowingly collect data from children. If you think a child has an account, email support@tenqel.com and we’ll remove it.
11. Changes to this policy
We’ll update this policy when our practices change and update the date at the top. For important changes, we’ll also tell you by email or in the app.
12. Contact us
TenQel, Lagos, Nigeria. Privacy questions and requests: support@tenqel.com.