Compliance Center

Data & Privacy

A detailed map of the information VSL receives from users and connected providers, generates while providing commerce services, and restricts for security, KYC, payment, delivery and AI-commerce purposes.

No sale of personal data as a standalone product Purpose limitation KYC data restricted Workflow-based collection Rights requests Retention controls
Privacy commitment: VSL uses personal information to provide requested services, protect accounts, process or verify commerce activity and meet legal/provider obligations. VSL does not sell personal information as a standalone product. VSL shares data with service providers, counterparties or authorities only where a stated service, security, contractual or legal purpose requires it.

Data collection follows the workflow

VSL does not collect an identity document, location point, payout account or AI instruction merely because the platform is capable of storing it.

VSL's data model is commerce-driven. Information enters the platform when a user creates an account, publishes a listing, sends a request, creates a quote/invoice/payment request, pays, receives a payout, connects a social channel, creates a delivery, configures an AI Sales Passport, authorises an AI connection, opens a dispute or asks for support. Each workflow has a different purpose and sensitivity.

Public is not the same as verified. Public seller/catalog information can be intentionally visible. KYC/KYB, bank details, wallet details, security events, private messages, provider credentials and risk records are restricted even when they contribute to a public verification or capability signal.

VSL data inventory by activity

The categories below describe data VSL processes when the corresponding feature is used. VSL does not collect every field from every user.

Account, profile and authentication

Name, username, business/profile name, email, phone, country, public profile information, password/authentication state, session information, login timestamps, IP/device/browser/user-agent information and account-security events.

Listings and social commerce

Product/service title, description, category, price, currency, images/video, seller identity/username, public contact choices, inventory or availability signals, comments, views, RFQs, quote content, buyer/seller messages and connected-channel references required to continue the commercial conversation.

Payment requests and invoices

Order/quote/invoice/payment-request references, payer/payee or seller/customer references, amount, currency, reason/purpose, requested method, instalment choice when used, delivery channel, payment link/token, request status, timestamps and related conversation/order references.

Payment activity

Payment/provider references, invoice/order IDs, amount and currency, payment rail, provider status, verification state, transaction timestamps, quote/FX references where applicable, webhook/callback events, payout state and reconciliation evidence. Crypto flows can also include asset/network, provider payment ID, blockchain transaction hash and confirmation state.

Payout and recipient data

Bank or mobile-money recipient details, wallet address and network, payout preference, destination currency, provider recipient/customer references, ownership/verification status and payout/reconciliation records. VSL does not need or publish a user's private wallet key.

KYC, KYB and compliance

Legal name, date of birth, address, country, phone/email, business-registration and ownership information, beneficial owners, identity number/document information (such as BVN, NIN, national ID, passport or driver's licence where a permitted workflow requires it), selfie/liveness evidence when required, and source-of-funds/source-of-wealth or enhanced-due-diligence information when requested by a provider or legal obligation.

Delivery and location

Recipient name/contact, delivery address, instructions, date/window, place/location identifiers where used, latitude/longitude, and live courier/driver location only when the delivery workflow shares it. Mapping requests can send an address or coordinates to a mapping provider in order to resolve or display a route.

Messaging and connected channels

Conversation/thread references, sender/recipient identifiers, message content, timestamps, WhatsApp/Facebook account/page identifiers and status metadata needed to route a conversation, payment request or confirmation. Connected services also process data under their own terms.

AI Sales Passport

Seller-controlled business description, tone, selling instructions, negotiation policy, working hours, refund/delivery preferences, pricing rules, languages and escalation instructions where the seller chooses to configure them. These are seller assertions, not independently verified facts merely because they appear in the Passport.

Commerce Passport and AI connections

Public business identity/catalog references, currencies, observed/verified capabilities, evidence classification, OAuth client/connection identifiers, authorised scopes/capabilities, prepared-action references, confirmation records, idempotency records, action audit logs and security events. Secret credentials are not part of the public Passport.

Security, fraud, disputes and support

IP/device/request metadata, CSRF/authentication events, webhook verification metadata, fraud/risk signals, error records, dispute evidence, delivery proof, support messages, moderation actions and records required to investigate account or transaction integrity.

Data VSL receives from other parties

Some information is generated by banks, payment providers, identity providers, mapping services or connected commerce channels rather than typed directly into VSL.

  • Payment providers: provider transaction IDs, payment status, payer/recipient or beneficiary information where returned, fees/amounts/currency, checkout/quote references, callback/webhook data and payout state.
  • Crypto providers / blockchain context: payment ID, asset/network, address used for the payment, amount detected, provider status, confirmations and transaction hash where the workflow returns them.
  • Identity/KYC providers: provider customer/profile IDs, verification status, outstanding requirements and reasons/evidence needed to complete verification. VSL keeps provider status/reference data and avoids unnecessary duplication of raw documents; raw verification material is retained only when the workflow or an applicable obligation requires it.
  • Google Maps / mapping services: resolved place/address information, place identifiers, latitude/longitude, route/geocoding results and service request metadata. Google documents that Maps Platform requests may log account/project identifiers, IP address, request URL/parameters, timestamps and request headers.
  • Connected channels: identifiers and message/event metadata returned by Meta/WhatsApp/Facebook or other connected services to deliver or attribute a conversation.

KYC data is separated from public commerce identity

A verification signal can be public without exposing the underlying identity material.

VSL separates public seller information from restricted verification material. A public Commerce Passport can expose a business identity, catalog, currencies, integration/capability signals and evidence classification, but it does not expose raw BVN/NIN values, national ID/passport images, selfie/liveness material, private bank account details, provider secrets or hidden risk records.

Where an external provider performs verification, VSL retains the minimum VSL-side information needed to prove state and operate the account: provider reference, verification status, timestamps, consent/evidence references and only the underlying data that VSL itself needs or is required to retain.

Purpose and legal-basis map

The exact legal basis depends on the country and processing operation; VSL avoids describing consent as the only basis for all processing.

PurposeTypical dataWhy it is processed
Provide account and commerce servicesAccount/profile, listings, messages, RFQs, orders, quotes, invoicesTo perform the service requested by the user and maintain the commercial record.
Create/verify payment requestsAmount, currency, counterparties, order/payment references, provider stateTo perform the transaction workflow, prevent duplicate/fraudulent actions and reconcile provider truth.
KYC/KYB and financial crime controlsIdentity/business data, provider KYC state, source-of-funds evidence where requiredProvider terms, legal obligations, fraud prevention and risk management; explicit consent is recorded where a specific sharing/verification workflow requires it.
Delivery and locationAddresses, coordinates, recipient contact, delivery eventsTo arrange or track a user-requested delivery and resolve a destination/route.
Account/API securitySession, IP/device, authentication, scope, webhook, audit/security eventsTo protect accounts, integrations and transaction integrity and investigate abuse.
AI commercePassport instructions, scopes, prepared actions, confirmations and audit recordsTo provide the seller-configured AI experience while keeping external AI actions bounded and reviewable.
Disputes, support and legal claimsMessages, payment/delivery evidence, moderation and support recordsTo resolve issues, establish what happened and meet contractual/legal obligations.
MarketingContact details, preferences and campaign event dataOnly with the consent/exception and opt-out controls required by the applicable messaging law.

Who receives data and why

Sharing is tied to a defined function rather than unrelated resale.

  • Fincra, Busha, NOWPayments and other payment/financial providers: the information required for the selected payment, conversion, payout, beneficiary/recipient, KYC or risk workflow.
  • Mapping/location providers such as Google Maps and Mapbox: addresses, coordinates or route/geocoding queries necessary to display or resolve a delivery location.
  • Cloudflare and hosting/infrastructure providers: network/request information needed to deliver, protect and operate the service.
  • Meta/WhatsApp/Facebook, email and other connected channels: message/recipient/event information required for the user-enabled communication.
  • Buyer/seller counterparties: information reasonably required to complete the commerce transaction, delivery, invoice or dispute.
  • Professional advisers, regulators and authorities: information required for audit, legal advice, litigation, regulatory review, mandatory reporting or a valid lawful request.

Where a third party acts as its own controller rather than only as VSL's processor, that party's terms/privacy notice also apply to its processing.

Public content, private communications and investigations

VSL applies different access rules to information a user publishes publicly and information exchanged privately between a seller and customer.

Public listings, profile information, product media and public comments can be reviewed by VSL and can be restricted or removed when reported or when they breach VSL rules or applicable law.

Private seller-customer messages and private transaction material are not public content. They remain access-controlled to the participants and systems required to provide the service. Authorised VSL personnel review relevant private material when either participant reports it, opens a dispute, requests fraud/safety/support assistance, or when a valid legal request requires responsive records. The review is limited to the case and does not make the private material public.

VSL can also analyse transaction, account and security metadata needed to protect payment integrity and account security without publishing or routinely opening the underlying private conversation for content moderation.

Lawful requests and data disclosure

Legal requests are handled as controlled disclosures, not as general access to user accounts.

VSL reviews requests from courts, regulators, law enforcement and other competent authorities for authority, legal basis, jurisdiction, scope, identifiers and date range. VSL discloses only responsive information that it controls and is legally required or permitted to provide. Provider-held data may need to be obtained from the applicable payment, bank, crypto or other service provider.

Where applicable law requires preservation, VSL can preserve identified records for the required period. Confidentiality and user-notification handling follow the applicable legal process.

See Fraud Prevention, Transaction Monitoring & Lawful Requests →

Retention, deletion and financial records

VSL separates “no longer needed for normal product use” from “must still be retained for security, payment, dispute or legal reasons.”

VSL retains information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for its documented purpose, while preserving records needed for payment-provider rules, AML/CFT, tax/accounting, fraud/security, disputes, chargebacks, legal claims or mandatory retention. A deletion request can therefore result in deletion, anonymisation, restriction or continued limited retention depending on the specific record and applicable law.

VSL applies a shorter and more controlled lifecycle to highly sensitive KYC material than to ordinary public catalog data unless a legal/provider obligation requires longer retention.

User privacy rights

Rights differ by jurisdiction, but VSL uses a consistent baseline for access and correction.

  • Ask what personal data VSL holds and how it is used or shared.
  • Request access to eligible personal data and correction of inaccurate information.
  • Request deletion, restriction or objection where the applicable law provides the right and retention is not otherwise required.
  • Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for the specific processing.
  • Request portability where the law and data format/processing context provide that right.
  • Complain to VSL and, where available, the competent privacy regulator.

VSL verifies the requester's identity when necessary before providing, altering or deleting account information so that one person cannot exercise rights over another user's data.

International transfers and service-provider boundaries

Cross-border commerce naturally creates cross-border data flows, but those flows still require purpose, security and transfer governance.

A Nigerian seller can interact with a Canadian buyer, use a global CDN/security network, receive a payment-provider event from another jurisdiction and use a mapping service hosted internationally. VSL documents where processors/providers operate, what data is transferred, the applicable transfer mechanism or contractual safeguard, and whether local data-residency or other legal requirements affect the workflow.

Regional availability is not a permission to reuse personal data for unrelated purposes. Purpose limitation and minimisation remain part of the design even where data moves across borders.

Regulatory and provider references

Primary regulator, government and provider materials used to frame this public compliance overview. External documents can change; VSL reviews the applicable source before relying on it for a launch or feature decision.