Privacy Policy

Northern Hibiscus ("Northern Hibiscus", "NH", "we", "our" or "us") is a media and digital community platform committed to informing, engaging and connecting audiences through news, politics, governance, business, entrepreneurship, culture, lifestyle, relationships and opportunities.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect personal information when you visit our website, create an account, participate in our online communities, subscribe to communications, interact with our content or use other services we make available.

We respect your privacy and are committed to handling personal information responsibly and transparently in accordance with applicable Nigerian data protection laws, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and other applicable legal requirements.

By using our website, you acknowledge that you have had the opportunity to read this Privacy Policy. Where consent is legally required for a particular activity, we will seek it separately.

The information we collect depends on how you interact with Northern Hibiscus.

2.1 Information you provide directly. We may collect information you voluntarily provide, including:

• Your name or username.
• Email address and telephone number.
• Account login details, stored using appropriate security measures.
• Profile information and preferences.
• Comments, forum posts, messages, reviews and other contributions.
• Information submitted through contact forms, surveys, polls and feedback forms.
• Information you provide when submitting stories, photographs, videos, news tips, complaints or other material.
• Information submitted when applying for opportunities advertised on our platform.
• Subscription preferences and communications with our team.
• Business information supplied when enquiring about advertising, partnerships or other commercial services.

Please avoid submitting sensitive personal information unless it is genuinely necessary for your submission and you have a lawful basis to provide it.

2.2 Information collected automatically. When you visit our website, we or our service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address.
• Browser type and version.
• Device type and operating system.
• Pages visited and content viewed.
• Date, time and duration of visits.
• Referring websites and links clicked.
• General website usage and interaction data.
• Cookie identifiers and similar technical information.

We use this information to operate the website, understand audience engagement, maintain security, troubleshoot technical problems and improve our services.

2.3 Cookies and similar technologies. Our website may use cookies, pixels, analytics tools and similar technologies to:

• Keep the website functioning properly.
• Remember preferences and settings.
• Understand website traffic and audience behaviour.
• Measure the performance of content and advertising.
• Help prevent fraud, abuse and unauthorised access.
• Support relevant advertising, where enabled and legally permitted.

Some cookies are essential for the website to operate. Other cookies, particularly those used for analytics or advertising, may require your consent depending on applicable law. You can manage cookies through available website controls and your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. The specific cookies used will depend on the services and plugins active on our website.

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

1. To operate, maintain and improve the Northern Hibiscus website.
2. To create and administer user accounts.
3. To facilitate participation in forums, communities and discussions.
4. To publish, review or respond to submissions, news tips and feedback.
5. To send newsletters, updates or other communications you have requested.
6. To provide information about opportunities, events and services relevant to your interests, where permitted.
7. To respond to enquiries, complaints and support requests.
8. To measure website performance, readership and engagement.
9. To manage advertising enquiries, partnerships and commercial relationships.
10. To detect spam, fraud, impersonation, harassment and other misuse.
11. To protect the rights, safety and security of our users, staff and platform.
12. To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.
13. To establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
14. To fulfil any other purpose disclosed to you when your information is collected.

We will not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the original purpose of collection unless permitted by law.

Where required by applicable law, we process personal information on one or more lawful bases, including:

• Consent: Where you have freely agreed to a particular use, such as receiving certain marketing communications or accepting non-essential cookies.
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to provide an account or service you have requested.
• Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with applicable law.
• Legitimate interests: Where processing is reasonably necessary for purposes such as operating our media platform, preventing abuse, improving our services or protecting our legal rights, provided those interests do not override your rights.
• Vital interests or public interest: Where an applicable legal basis permits processing in circumstances involving vital interests or a recognised public-interest purpose.

The lawful basis will depend on the particular activity and circumstances.

Northern Hibiscus may offer features that allow users to submit stories, comments, photographs, videos, opinions, news tips or other material.

Please be aware that information you publish publicly may be viewed, copied, shared or indexed by other people and search engines.

If you submit material anonymously, we will take reasonable steps to respect your stated anonymity. However, anonymity cannot be guaranteed in every circumstance. Technical records, information included in a submission or legally valid requests may make identification possible.

Do not include your name, telephone number, address, identifying documents or other personal details in a submission intended to remain anonymous.

If you send us information about another person, please ensure that you have a lawful basis to share it. Do not submit private information, intimate images or identifying details that could expose another person to harm without lawful justification.

We may review submissions for relevance, accuracy, safety, privacy, legal risk and compliance with our editorial standards. Submitting material does not guarantee publication.

Northern Hibiscus is a media platform. In the course of reporting, publishing and discussing matters of public interest, we may process personal information relating to public officials, political figures, business leaders, organisations, interviewees, news subjects and other individuals.

We will handle such information in accordance with applicable law and relevant editorial considerations. Where legally available and appropriate, exemptions or special provisions relating to journalism, public interest or freedom of expression may apply. Such provisions do not create a blanket exemption from data protection obligations.

If you believe that published content contains inaccurate personal information, exposes you to an unjustified privacy risk or otherwise raises a legitimate concern, you may contact us using the details provided below. Requests will be assessed individually. We may need to balance privacy rights, accuracy, freedom of expression, public interest, legal obligations and the rights of other people.

We do not sell your personal information as a standalone product. We may share relevant information with the following categories of recipients when necessary and lawful:

7.1 Service providers. These may include website hosting providers, content management services, email platforms, analytics providers, security services, technical support providers and other vendors that help us operate our services.

7.2 Advertising and measurement partners. Where advertising services are enabled, relevant information may be processed by advertising, analytics or measurement partners in accordance with applicable law and your preferences.

7.3 Business and commercial partners. If you voluntarily participate in a service, programme, promotion or opportunity involving a third party, we may share information where necessary and lawful, with appropriate notice or consent where required.

7.4 Legal and regulatory authorities. We may disclose information where required by law, court order or a valid legal process, or where disclosure is otherwise legally permitted to protect rights, safety or security.

7.5 Business transfers. If Northern Hibiscus undergoes a merger, restructuring, acquisition, asset transfer or similar transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable legal safeguards.

We seek to limit disclosures to information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Some of our service providers may store or process information outside Nigeria. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take the measures required by applicable law, which may include assessing the destination, using appropriate contractual or other safeguards, or relying on another lawful transfer mechanism.

The protections available may vary depending on the destination and the service provider.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Retention periods may depend on:

• The type of information collected.
• Whether you maintain an active account.
• The purpose for which the information was collected.
• Legal, regulatory, accounting or reporting obligations.
• Security, fraud prevention and dispute-resolution requirements.
• The need to preserve published material or records relevant to legitimate editorial or legal purposes.

When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it, subject to applicable law and legitimate retention requirements. Deleting an account does not necessarily remove information already lawfully published, retained in backups, quoted in other publications or independently copied by third parties.

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or destruction. Depending on the information and service involved, these measures may include access controls, security updates, password protection, backups and monitoring for suspicious activity.

No website, internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot promise absolute security. If a personal data breach occurs, we will take the steps required by applicable law, including notification to relevant authorities or affected individuals where legally required.

Subject to applicable law and any relevant limitations, you may have the right to:

• Be informed about how your personal information is processed.
• Request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of personal information in appropriate circumstances.
• Request restriction of certain processing.
• Object to certain processing activities.
• Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
• Request a copy of certain information in a portable format, where applicable.
• Challenge certain decisions made solely through automated processing, where applicable.
• Lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. To exercise a right, contact us using the details in the Contact Us section. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. We will handle requests within the period required by applicable law.

If you subscribe to our newsletter or other updates, we may use your contact details to send the communications you requested. You may unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link included in the message, where available, or by contacting us.

Even if you unsubscribe from marketing communications, we may still send essential service, security or legal notices where necessary.

Our website is intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children where parental consent or another lawful basis is required and has not been obtained.

If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe a child has provided personal information to us unlawfully, please contact us so we can review the matter and take appropriate action. We may restrict access to particular features or remove information where required by law.

Our website may contain links to external websites, social media platforms, advertisers, job portals, scholarship providers, businesses and other services. We do not control the privacy practices of these third parties. Their websites and services are governed by their own policies and terms.

You should review the relevant privacy policy before providing personal information to an external service. A link or reference does not necessarily mean Northern Hibiscus endorses the external service.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our operations, website features, technology or legal obligations. When we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify users where appropriate, including by publishing an updated version on our website. The updated version will display its effective or last-updated date.

For privacy questions, personal information requests or complaints relating to this Policy, contact Northern Hibiscus at info@northernhibiscus.com or visit https://www.northernhibiscus.com.

Please include enough information for us to understand and respond to your request. Do not send passwords or unnecessary sensitive documents. If you are dissatisfied with our handling of a privacy concern, you may also have the right to complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission or another competent authority, as applicable.