SMS-PROTECT PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: April 06, 2023

This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) governs how we, SMSProtect Limited (“SMSProtect” “we”, “our” or “us”) use, collect and store Personal Information (defined below) we collect or receive from or about you (“User”, “you”). For more information, see section 1 below.

We greatly respect your privacy, which is why we make every effort to provide a platform that would live up to the highest user privacy standards. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully, so you can fully understand our practices in relation to personal data. Important note: Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit in any way your statutory rights, including your rights to a remedy or other means of enforcement. You are not legally obligated to provide us Personal Information and providing us Personal Information is at your own free will.

SMSProtect’s mission is to detect and protect your SMS traffic from all types of fraud, including grey routes, fraudulent and SPAM SMS, and spoofing. SMSProtect provides its services via a mobile app (“App”). SMSProtect has an informative website (https://smsprotect.io/) (“Website”, together with the App, the “Services”).

This Privacy Policy can be updated from time to time and, therefore, we ask you to check back periodically for the latest version of this Privacy Policy.  If we implement material changes in the way we use your information, in a manner that is different from that stated at the time of collection, we will notify you by posting a notice on our Website or by other means and take any additional steps as required by applicable law.

You are not legally obligated to provide us Personal Information, and you hereby confirm that providing us Personal Information is at your own free will. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not access or otherwise use the Services. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change this Privacy Policy at any time. Such change will be effective ten (10) days following posting of the revised Privacy Policy on the Site, and your continued use of the Services thereafter means that you accept those changes.

1. WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT, WHY WE COLLECT IT, AND HOW IT IS USED

1.1 We process the following:

“Personal Data” means data that allows someone to identify or contact you, including, for example, your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, as well as any other non-public information about you that is associated with or linked to any of the foregoing data. “Anonymous Data” means data that is not associated with or linked to your Personal Data; Anonymous Data does not, by itself, permit the identification of individual persons. We collect Personal Data and Anonymous Data, as described below.

(a) Information You Provide to Us

• We may collect Personal Data from you, such as your e-mail address, and password when you create an account to log in to our network (“Account”).
• When you order the Service on our Site or App, we will collect all information necessary to complete the transaction, including your name, payment information, billing information and shipping information.
• We retain information on your behalf, such as files and messages that you store using your Account.
• We collect information about you when you sign-up or sign-in on our mobile App, use our Whatsapp protection, and our URL checking. we will collect the information necessary to identify you and to protect your account.
• If you provide us feedback or contact us via e-mail, we will collect your name and email address, as well as any other content included in the email, in order to send you a reply.
• If you provide us feedback or contact us via App feedback feature, we will collect your name and your account details and any other information we deem necessary in order send you a reply or to improve our service(s).
• When you participate in one of our surveys, we may collect additional profile information.
• When you post messages on the help forums or message boards of our Site, the information contained in your posting will be stored on our servers and other users will be able to see it.
• We also collect other types of Personal Data that you provide to us voluntarily, such as your operating system and version, product registration number, and other requested information if you contact us via e-mail regarding support for the Service.
• We may also collect Personal Data, such as at other points in our Site or App that state that Personal Data is being collected.

(b) Information Collected via Technology.

• Our servers (which may be hosted by a third party service provider) collect information from you, including your mobile device type, application version, browser type, computer or mobile operating system, Internet Protocol (IP) address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer or mobile device when you use the Internet, which may vary from session to session), domain name, information about the way you use the application and/or a date/time stamp for your visit of the Site or use of the App or Service.
• We also use cookies, URL information and mobile analytics tools to gather information regarding the date and time of your visit of the Site or use of the App and the information for which you searched and which you viewed. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website sends to your device’s storage while you are viewing a web site or using our App. We may use both session Cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent Cookies (which stay on your device until you delete them) to provide you with a more personal and interactive experience on our Site and App. Persistent Cookies can be removed by following Internet browser help file directions or by clearing application specific information on your mobile device.

(c ) Information Collected from You About Others.

If you decide to invite a third party to create an Account, we will collect your and the third party’s names and email addresses in order to send an email and follow up with the third party.

(d) Information Collected from Social Networking Sites.

If you log on to the Service with your login credentials from a social networking site (e.g., Facebook or Twitter), we may receive Personal and/or Anonymous Data about you from such social networking site, in accordance with the terms of use and privacy policy of the third-party provider of such social networking site. For example, Facebook may share your friend list with us, in order to help us establish your Account and find other Service users that you know. We may add this information to the information we have already collected from you via the Service.

(e) Information Collected in the context of our Services:

Product data: Sender and recipient phone numbers, message content, timestamp of the message especially from suspected deceptive phone numbers, which might be blocked by SMSProtect. For the avoidance of doubt, product data shall not be considered in all cases personal information.

(d) Other use cases:

We also obtain in certain cases information about you from other sources, including publicly – or commercially- available information, and through third-party data platforms, partners and service providers and through the use of tools used for connecting between companies and individuals.

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1.2 We process information for the following purposes:

1. In the context of our Website:

• To provide you with the SMSProtect Website. SMSProtect will use your information to provide its Website, including: (i) to respond to your questions, comments, and other requests for customer support, or information, including information about potential or future services; (ii) to provide and manage the Website; (iii) for internal quality control purposes; (iv) to establish a business relationship; (v) to generally administer the Website.
• To Market the Website. We may use information to market the Website. Such use includes (i) notifying you about offers and services that may be of interest to you, including, without limitation, marketing communications; (ii) conducting market research; (iii) developing and marketing new products and services; (iv) to measure interest in the Website; (v) other purposes disclosed at the time you provide information; and (vi) and as you otherwise consent;
• Security purposes. Some of the abovementioned information will be used for detecting, taking steps to prevent and prosecuting fraud or other illegal activity; to identify and repair errors; to conduct audits; and for security purposes. Information may also be used to comply with applicable laws, with investigations performed by the relevant authorities, law enforcement purposes, and/or to exercise or defend legal claims.
• De-identified and Aggregated Information Use. In certain cases, we may or will anonymize or de-identify your personal information and further use it for internal and external purposes, including, without limitation, to analyze and improve the Website and for research purposes. We may use this anonymous or de-identified information and/or disclose it to third parties without restrictions.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies. We, as well as third parties that provide content, advertising, or other functionality on the Website, may use cookies, pixel tags, local storage, and other technologies (“Technologies”) to automatically collect information through the Website. We use Technologies that are essentially small data files placed on your device that allow us to record certain pieces of information whenever you visit or interact with the Website. If you would like to opt out of the Technologies we employ on the Website, you may do so by blocking, deleting, or disabling them as your browser or device permits.

  2. In the context of our Services:

• To download our App, create an account, log in and make use of the Services.  We will use your information to provide its Services, including: (i) allowing you to create and log-in to your account; (ii) allowing you to make use of the Services; (iii) providing you support and maintenance, (iv) for internal quality control purposes; (v) to generally administer the Services.
• To Market the Services. We may use information to market the Services. Such use includes (i) notifying you about offers and services that may be of interest to you, including, without limitation, marketing communications; (ii) conducting market research; (iii) developing and marketing new products and services; (iv) to measure interest in the Services; (v) other purposes disclosed at the time you provide information; and (vi) and as you otherwise consent.
• Security purposes. Some of the abovementioned information will be used for detecting, taking steps to prevent and prosecuting fraud or other illegal activity; to identify and repair errors; to conduct audits; and for security purposes. Information may also be used to comply with applicable laws, with investigations performed by the relevant authorities, law enforcement purposes, and/or to exercise or defend legal claims.
• De-identified and Aggregated Information Use. In certain cases, we may or will anonymize or de-identify your Information and further use it for internal and external purposes, including, without limitation, to analyze and improve the Services (including through the use of artificial intelligence) and for research purposes. We may use this anonymous or de-identified information and/or disclose it to third parties without restrictions (for example, in order to improve our services and enhance your experience with them and/or to develop new product features and improve existing offerings).
• Cookies and Similar Technologies. We, as well as third parties that provide content, advertising, or other functionality on the Services, use Technologies to automatically collect information through the Services. We use Technologies that are essentially small data files placed on your device that allow us to record certain pieces of information whenever you visit or interact with the Services. If you would like to opt out of the Technologies we employ on the Services, you may do so by blocking, deleting, or disabling them as your browser or device permits.

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2. HOW WE PROTECT AND RETAIN YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

2.1 Security. We have implemented and maintain reasonable technical, organizational and security measures designed to protect your information. However, please note that we cannot guarantee that the information will not be compromised as a result of unauthorized penetration to our servers. As the security of information depends in part on the security of the computer, device or network you use to communicate with us and the security you use to protect your user IDs and passwords, please make sure to take appropriate measures to protect this information.

2.2 Retention of your information. Your information will be stored until we proactively delete it, or you send a valid deletion request. Please note that in some circumstances we may store your information for longer periods of time, for example (i) where we are required to do so in accordance with legal, regulatory, tax or accounting requirements, or (ii) for us to have an accurate record of your dealings with us in the event of any complaints or challenges, and/or (iii) if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation relating to your information or dealings.

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3. HOW WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

In addition to the recipients described above, we may share your information as follows:

3.1 The information we gather is shared with our partners and other third parties. We may also share information with our affiliated companies about you.

3.2 We may use third party service providers to process your information for the purposes outlined above, including, without limitation:

         3.2.1 With cloud service providers for hosting purposes;

         3.2.2 With websites and web content creation platforms in order to help us manage our Website;

         3.2.3 With email providers, marketing, CRM, other similar tool providers; and

         3.2.4 With analytic companies, in order to help us understand and analyze information we collect in accordance with this policy.

3.3 To the extent necessary, with regulators, courts, banks or competent authorities, to comply with applicable laws, regulations and rules (including, without limitation, federal, state or local laws), and requests of law enforcement, regulatory and other governmental agencies or if required to do so by court order, as well as for internal compliance procedures and to protect the safety, security, and integrity of SMSProtect, our Services, customers, employees, property, and the public.

3.4 If, in the future, we sell or transfer, or we consider selling or transferring, some or all of our business, shares or assets to a third party, we will disclose your information to such third party (whether actual or potential) in connection with the foregoing events (including, without limitation, our current or potential investors). In the event that we are acquired by, or merged with, a third-party entity, or in the event of bankruptcy or a comparable event, we reserve the right to transfer, disclose or assign your information in connection with the foregoing events.

3.5 Where you have otherwise provided your consent to us for sharing or transferring your information.

4. ANALYSIS OF SMS AND WHATSAPP MESSAGES

4.1 Analysis of SMS and WhatsApp Messages

(a) SMS Messages: When you use our SMSProtect mobile app (“App”), the App has the capability to send SMS messages to our middleware platform located at backend.smsprotect.io for the purpose of analysis. These SMS messages are encrypted during transmission to protect their confidentiality.

(b) WhatsApp Messages: Additionally, the App has access to your WhatsApp messages through system notifications. These WhatsApp messages are sent to our middleware platform at backend.smsprotect.io. Just like SMS messages, WhatsApp messages are also encrypted during transmission to maintain their security.

4.2 Analysis and Classification

(a) Purpose: The sent SMS and WhatsApp messages are analyzed by our model to detect and classify potential fraudulent, spam, or deceptive messages, in line with our mission to protect your SMS traffic from such threats.

(b) Result of Classification: The results of this analysis are sent back to the App, providing users with information about the classification of the messages received.

4.3  Data Storage

(a) No Storage: It is important to note that we do not store the actual content of the SMS or WhatsApp messages that are sent to backend.smsprotect.io for analysis. The analysis is performed in real time, and the messages themselves are not retained within our systems.

Please note that your use of the App indicates your consent to the analysis and processing of SMS logs and WhatsApp messages as described in this section. If you do not agree with these terms, we recommend refraining from using the App.

5. Feedback Feature

(a) Purpose: Our App offers a feedback feature that empowers users to report messages that have been classified incorrectly or require further attention, contributing to the continuous improvement of our SMSProtect service.

(b) Message Collection: When a user utilizes the feedback feature to report a specific message, the App collects and temporarily stores that particular message. This temporary storage serves the purpose of enhancing the accuracy of our SMS classification model and improving the overall quality of our services.

(c ) Transmission to Backend for Analysis: Wrongly classified SMS logs, identified through the feedback feature, are securely transmitted to our dedicated backend server located at backend.smsprotect.io. These logs are sent to backend.smsprotect.io for in-depth analysis and further model training. This meticulous analysis aids in refining our SMS classification algorithms and strengthening our ability to identify and protect against fraudulent, grey route, and spam SMS messages.

(d) Data Usage: The messages collected through the feedback feature are utilized exclusively for the improvement of our classification model and are stored on a temporary basis. We do not share this data with any third parties. To ensure the privacy and confidentiality of user data, all personally identifiable information is removed and the data is anonymized before being used for analysis and model refinement.

Your use of the App indicates your consent to the collection and temporary storage of SMS logs, as well as the transmission of wrongly classified SMS logs to backend.smsprotect.io for further analysis, as described in this section. If you do not agree with these terms, we recommend refraining from using the App.

We value your feedback and contributions to enhancing our SMSProtect service, and we are committed to maintaining the security and privacy of your data throughout this process.

6 YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

6.1 Rights: If you would like to access, or correct any of your Personal Information, you shall submit a request by sending an email to support@smsprotect.com. Subject to legal and other permissible considerations, we will make every reasonable effort to honor your request promptly in accordance with applicable law or inform you if we need further information in order to fulfill your request. Please make sure that your request includes adequate details so we can process your request. When processing your request, we may ask you for additional information to confirm or verify your identity and for security purposes, before processing and/or honoring your request. We reserve the right to charge a fee where permitted by law, for instance, if your request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. In the event that your request would adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others (for example, would impact the duty of confidentiality we owe to others) or if we are legally entitled to deal with your request in a different way than requested, we will address your request to the maximum extent possible, all in accordance with applicable law.  

6.2 You also have the right to request that your information be erased, deleted, or removed from our database. We might continue to retain such data if there are valid legal, regulation or operational reasons.

6.3 Marketing emails – opt-out: if you receive an unwanted email from us, you can use the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of the email to opt out of receiving future emails, and we will process your request within a reasonable time after receipt.

‍7. USE BY CHILDREN: We do not offer our products or services for use by children and, therefore, we do not knowingly collect information from, and/or about children under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, do not provide any information to us without the involvement of a parent or a guardian. In the event that we become aware that you provide information in violation of applicable privacy laws, we reserve the right to delete it. If you believe that we might have any such information, please contact us at support@smsprotect.com

8 INTERACTION WITH THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS.:We enable you to interact with third-party websites, mobile software applications, and products or services that are not owned, or controlled, by us (each, a “Third Party Service”). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Third-Party Services. Please be aware that Third Party Services can collect information from you. Accordingly, we encourage you to read the terms and conditions and privacy policies of each Third-Party Service.

9. ANALYTIC TOOLS

(a) Information Disclosed to Analytics Companies and Ad Networks.

We may work with analytics companies to help us understand how our Site, our Service, and our App are being used, such as the frequency and duration of usage. We may also use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Site or App. These companies may use some of the information collected by the Site or the App, including the unique identification ID of your mobile device. To protect the anonymity of this information, we limit data sharing to ensure these companies can’t identify you personally based on the information we provide. These companies may also obtain information about other applications you have downloaded to your mobile device, the mobile websites you visit, your non-precise location information (e.g., your zip code), and other non-precise location information in order to help analyze and service anonymous targeted advertising on the Site and App and elsewhere.

(b) Tracking Cookies.

Some of the analytics companies and third-party advertising companies used on this Site may place “tracking cookies” on your computer. If you would like more information about this practice or to opt out of having this information used by third-party ad servers that are part of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) or the Interactive Advertising Bureau (“IAB”), please visit:

NAI: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.aspIAB:http://www.youronlinechoices.com/opt-out

(c ) Third Party Websites.

When you click on a link to any other website or location, you will leave our Site and go to another site and another entity may collect Personal Data or Anonymous Data from you. We have no control over, do not review, and cannot be responsible for, these outside websites or their content. Please be aware that the terms of this Privacy Policy do not apply to these outside websites or content, or to any collection of data after you click on links to such outside websites.

We reserve the right to remove or add new analytic tools, cookies, pixels and other tracking technologies.

10. APPLICABLE LAWS

SMSProtect complies with all applicable data protection laws and regulations of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

11. UPDATES

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes to the policy by email or through our website.

12. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy, please contact us at contact@smsprotect.io

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