Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 November 2026

This policy explains what CampusLink collects, why, who sees it, how long we keep it, and your rights under Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).

What we collect

Account: your email address and password (the password is handled by Google Firebase — we never see it), or, if you sign in with Google or Apple, the name and email address they share with us. Your username, your date of birth (to check you're 18 or over) and whether you're a student, alumnus, staff member or visitor.
Profile (optional): profile photo, bio and gender. Gender is private and isn't used to choose who you're suggested to.
Campus: university, college and class year.
ID check: a photo of your student ID, staff ID or alumni document. Before it leaves your phone, everything is blacked out except your name, college, the card's end year and the programme line. From the card we keep your name (private, see below), college, the end year and your degree level (BSc, MPhil or PhD — private, used only for grouping and suggestions). Your student number is read on your phone and turned on our server into a scrambled code, so one card can only be used for one account — the number itself is never stored or shown. Staff ID numbers may be stored as written; only CampusLink's owner and ID reviewers can see them, and they're removed with the account. The card photo is seen only by our reviewers (every view is logged) and deleted after review.
Visitors (signed up without a card yet): the name and campus you type.
Phone: a hidden code made from your Android device ID — never the ID itself — so each phone has one CampusLink account.
Phone number (optional): only if you add and confirm one and switch on "Let people find me by my number". We store a scrambled code, not the number.
Contacts (optional): if you use Find friends, your phone sends the numbers in your contacts so we can tell you which belong to CampusLink users. We answer and keep nothing — your address book is never stored.
What you share: videos, photos, sounds, captions, comments, stories, Vibes, chat and group messages (including voice notes, photos and files you send), likes, saves, follows, connections and your Circle, reports, and messages you send us through Help & feedback.
Vibe screenshots: on phones that report it (Android 14 and newer), we note when someone takes a screenshot of a Vibe so the sender can be told.
Usage: what you watch and for how long, likes, shares and "Not interested", to rank your feed, count fair views for creators and suggest people and posts.
Device and app health: a notification token, crash reports (Firebase Crashlytics), basic app usage events (Google Analytics for Firebase) and a check that the app is genuine and unmodified (Firebase App Check with Google Play Integrity).
Payments (only if you use them): for Promote, Paystack handles your card or mobile-money payment — we only receive the payment reference, amount and result. For Creator Rewards, your mobile-money number, account name and network, so we can pay you.

Kept only on your phone: an unfinished sign-up (so you can carry on where you stopped — never your password, the card photo or anything read from the card), comments written while you're offline until they're sent, and videos saved for watching offline.

Permissions: camera and microphone (to record videos, Vibes and voice notes), photos and videos (to upload or save them), contacts (only for Find friends) and notifications. You can turn any of them off in your phone's settings.

What's public

Your username (it's your public name), profile photo, bio, university, college, class year, gold tick if you have one, and the posts you share with "Everyone". Stories and other posts are seen by the audience you pick. Your real name, date of birth, gender, degree, email, phone number, ID details and card photo are never shown to other users.

Why we use it

To run your account, check that you're a real student, staff member or alumnus, and keep to one account per person, card and phone.
To show posts, rank your feed, suggest Circle connections (using your campus, college, class year and degree level, privately) and help friends find you (only if you allow it).
To keep CampusLink safe: moderation, spam limits, checks for fake views on Creator Rewards, and blocking.
To process Promote payments and Creator Rewards payouts.
To send notifications, which you can turn off in the app or your phone settings.

Who processes it

CampusLink runs on Google Firebase (Google Cloud). Your data is stored in the European Union (Belgium, europe-west1). Payments go through Paystack. We don't sell your data and don't share it for third-party advertising.

How long we keep it

Your account and posts: until you delete them.
Stories: 24 hours. Vibes: removed after they're opened or expire. Activity lines: 30 days.
ID card photos: deleted after review. Photos and uploads left behind by an unfinished sign-up or post are cleared automatically within a few days.
When you delete your account we delete your profile, posts, stories, Vibes, sounds, comments, likes, follows, connections, Circle, chats, phone and contact data, ID check data and Creator Rewards payout details (full list).
What stays: payment and payout records (amounts, dates, references — without your mobile-money details), for as long as the law requires. If an account was suspended when it was deleted, we keep the scrambled phone code and the scrambled card code so it can't simply sign up again.

Your rights

You can see and correct most of your data in the app. You can ask for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to how we use it by emailing campuslink360@gmail.com — we answer within 30 days. You can delete your account at any time (how). You may also complain to Ghana's Data Protection Commission.

Age

CampusLink is only for people aged 18 and over. We check your date of birth when you sign up. If you believe someone younger is using it, report the account or email us.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll tell you in the app before it applies.

Contact

campuslink360@gmail.com