Privacy Policy

Last updated: Yoka News — please review this policy periodically for changes.

Your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains what information Yoka News ("we", "us", or "our") collects when you use our platform, how we use it, and what rights you have over your data. By using Yoka News, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

Information You Provide Directly

Account registration: Your name, email address, username, and password when you create an account.
Author profile: Bio, profile picture, and any other details you choose to add to your public profile.
Payment information: Bank account or mobile money details you provide when submitting a withdrawal request. We do not store full payment credentials on our servers.
Communications: Messages, support requests, or feedback you send to us.
Content: Articles, comments, and other contributions you publish on the platform.

Information Collected Automatically

Usage data: Pages visited, articles read, time spent on the platform, and click interactions.
Device & browser data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and device identifiers.
Referral data: The URL or source that directed you to our platform.
Cookies & similar technologies: See Section 5 for details.

Information from Third Parties

Social sign-in: If you register or log in via a third-party service (e.g. Google), we receive the profile information permitted by that service under its privacy settings.
Advertising partners: We receive aggregated reporting data from advertising networks (such as Google AdSense) about ad performance on our platform.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Create and manage your account and author profile.
Process and track your earnings, and fulfil withdrawal requests.
Detect and prevent invalid traffic, fraud, and policy violations.
Personalise content recommendations and your reading experience.
Send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset, payment notifications).
Send platform updates and editorial communications (you may opt out at any time).
Analyse usage patterns to improve the platform's performance and features.
Comply with applicable legal obligations.
Enforce our Terms of Service and content policies.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

Where applicable data protection law requires a legal basis, we process your personal data under the following grounds:

Contract performance: Processing necessary to operate your account and honour payment obligations.
Legitimate interests: Fraud prevention, platform security, and analytics to improve our services.
Legal obligation: Compliance with applicable Ghanaian law and regulatory requirements.
Consent: For optional communications and non-essential cookies, where you have given explicit consent.

4. Sharing Your Information

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

Service providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating the platform (e.g. hosting, email delivery, payment processing). They are contractually bound to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.
Advertising networks: Aggregated or pseudonymised data shared with advertising partners (such as Google AdSense) to serve contextually relevant ads. No individually identifiable data is shared for advertising targeting without your consent.
Legal requirements: Where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or to protect the rights and safety of Yoka News, its users, or the public.
Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections.
Public contributions: Articles and profile information you publish are visible to all users and may be indexed by search engines.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the platform and improve your experience. The types of cookies we use include:

Essential cookies: Required for authentication, session management, and core platform functionality. These cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the platform (e.g. pages visited, time on site). We use this data in aggregate to improve the platform.
Advertising cookies: Used by our advertising partners (such as Google AdSense) to serve relevant ads and measure ad performance. These may track your activity across third-party sites.
Preference cookies: Store your settings such as theme preference or notification choices.

You can manage or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect some platform functionality. For details on Google's data practices, please refer to Google's Privacy Policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. Specifically:

Account data is retained for the lifetime of your account and for up to 12 months after deletion, to support dispute resolution and legal compliance.
Payment records are retained for a minimum of 5 years in accordance with financial record-keeping obligations.
Published articles may remain accessible after account deletion unless you specifically request removal, as they form part of our public editorial record.
Usage and analytics data is retained in aggregated, anonymised form for up to 24 months.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
Restriction: Request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@yokanews.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed password storage, and access controls limiting who within our organisation can view sensitive data.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential.

9. Children's Privacy

Yoka News is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data without parental consent, please contact us immediately at support@yokanews.com and we will take steps to delete it.

10. Third-Party Services

Our platform integrates third-party services whose privacy practices are governed by their own policies. These include:

Google AdSense & Analytics: Used for advertising and usage analytics. Google may set cookies and collect data in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy.
Payment processors: Withdrawal payments are processed via third-party payment providers. Their handling of your financial data is governed by their respective privacy policies.
Embedded content: Articles may contain embedded third-party content (e.g. videos, social media posts) that may collect data independently when you interact with them.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with via our platform.

11. International Data Transfers

Yoka News is operated from Ghana. If you access our platform from outside Ghana, your data will be transferred to and processed in Ghana. By using the platform, you consent to this transfer. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any international transfer of data is subject to appropriate safeguards.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will notify you of material changes by updating the date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact & Data Controller

Yoka News is the data controller responsible for your personal information. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have a privacy concern, please contact us:

support@yokanews.com