Privacy Policy

Chowpadi Limited ("Chowpadi", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform — including our website and WhatsApp-based ordering service (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using the Service — including by messaging any of our WhatsApp Business numbers — you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Service.

This policy complies with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019 issued by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Meta WhatsApp Business Policy, and applicable international data protection standards.

Chowpadi operates multiple WhatsApp Business API numbers — one dedicated number per restaurant partner on our platform. When you place an order or interact with any Chowpadi WhatsApp Business number, you are communicating directly with Chowpadi's AI-powered ordering assistant on behalf of that restaurant.

Beyond WhatsApp interactions (detailed in Section 2), we may collect the following:

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your Chowpadi account (including via WhatsApp number)
• To process and fulfil your food orders through WhatsApp or our website
• To facilitate payments via Paystack and issue receipts
• To send order confirmations, status updates, and delivery notifications via WhatsApp
• To operate our AI-powered ordering assistant on WhatsApp
• To connect you with restaurant partners and delivery riders
• To personalise your experience and remember your preferences
• To improve our platform, AI responses, and customer service
• To comply with legal obligations under Nigerian law
• To prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• To send marketing communications (only with your explicit opt-in consent)

We will not use your personal data for purposes incompatible with those listed above without first notifying you and, where required, obtaining your consent.

Under the NDPR and applicable law, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: Processing necessary to deliver the services you have requested (e.g., fulfilling your order, processing payment via Paystack).
• Consent: Where you have given us explicit permission — for example, by initiating a WhatsApp conversation to create an account, or opting in to marketing messages.
• Legitimate interests: For improving our services, operating our AI assistant, preventing fraud, and ensuring platform security — where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required by Nigerian law or regulation to process your data.

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. We will also retain data as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by contacting us at support@chowpadi.com.

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS)
• Secure cloud infrastructure with role-based access controls
• Regular security reviews and monitoring
• All card entry occurs on Paystack's PCI-DSS compliant payment page — we never see or store your card number, CVV, or PIN; only a Paystack authorisation token is retained for seamless future payments
• WhatsApp message transport secured by Meta's end-to-end encryption infrastructure

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to keep your WhatsApp account secure and not share your order confirmation details with others.

Under the NDPR and applicable privacy laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal retention obligations).
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
• Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time — including opting out of WhatsApp notifications by contacting support@chowpadi.com — without affecting prior lawful processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@chowpadi.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with NITDA (nitda.gov.ng) if you believe your rights have been violated.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website to enhance your experience. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. We use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the platform to function (e.g., session management, authentication state).
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our website to improve it.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings, such as light/dark theme preferences.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may affect platform functionality. WhatsApp interactions are not affected by browser cookie settings.

Our Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you become aware that a child has used our Service or provided personal data without parental consent, please contact us at support@chowpadi.com and we will take steps to remove such information promptly.

Our platform integrates with and may link to third-party services including:

• Paystack — payment processing (paystack.com/privacy)
• Meta / WhatsApp — messaging infrastructure (whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy)

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties beyond the scope described in this policy. We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you via our website or by WhatsApp message (where we have a record of your number) and update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

For complaints relating to data protection, you may also contact the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) at nitda.gov.ng.