Privacy Policy
**Last Updated:** [DATE]
## 1. Who We Are
Citichoice Host is a hosting brand operated under the Citichoice group of
companies. Depending on the service you use and where you are located,
your service provider and data controller will be one of the following:
- **Citichoice LLC**, registered in the State of Wyoming, United States
(registration number: [WYOMING LLC REGISTRATION NUMBER]) — the primary
operator of Citichoice Host, responsible for web hosting, VPS, server,
and domain registration services provided to customers worldwide.
- **Citichoice Technology Ltd**, registered in Nigeria (RC number:
[NIGERIA RC NUMBER]) — responsible specifically for `.ng` domain
registrations and other Nigeria-specific regulated services.
Throughout this Policy, "Citichoice," "we," "us," and "our" refer to
whichever of the above entities is responsible for the specific service
you are using, unless stated otherwise.
**Registered addresses:**
- Citichoice LLC: [WYOMING REGISTERED ADDRESS]
- Citichoice Technology Ltd: [NIGERIA REGISTERED ADDRESS]
**Data Protection / Privacy Contact:** [[email protected]]
---
## 2. One Account, One Ecosystem
Citichoice Host is a division of Citichoice LLC, which also operates
other products and brands under the same parent group, including but
not limited to Citichoice Store and other Citichoice-branded services
(collectively, the "**Citichoice Products**").
Citichoice uses a **single, centralized account system** across all
Citichoice Products. This means that when you register for an account
with Citichoice Host, the same account credentials and certain account
information (such as your name, email address, and account
verification status) may automatically apply to, or be used to
provision access to, other Citichoice Products, whether or not you
actively use them.
By creating an account, you acknowledge and consent to this centralized
account structure and the associated sharing of account-level data
described in Section 5 below, within the Citichoice group of companies.
---
## 3. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information:
**Information you provide directly:**
- Full name, email address, phone number, billing/mailing address
- Payment information (processed by our third-party payment
processors — we do not store full card numbers)
- Domain registration contact details (name, address, email, phone —
required by domain registry rules)
- Support ticket contents and any files you attach
- Any content you upload to your hosting account (websites, databases,
email, files) — this is your data and is described further in
Section 7
**Information collected automatically:**
- IP address, browser type, device information
- Server access logs and usage statistics
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see our separate
[Cookie Policy](/cookie-policy))
**Information from third parties:**
- Domain WHOIS/registry data from our registrar partners
- Payment confirmation data from our payment processors
- Fraud-screening signals from services such as MaxMind
---
## 4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Create and manage your account and provision Citichoice Products
- Process orders, payments, renewals, and refunds
- Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
- Send transactional communications (invoices, service notices,
security alerts)
- Send marketing communications, where you have opted in (see Section
9)
- Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our
[Terms of Service](/terms-of-service) and Acceptable Use Policy
- Comply with legal obligations, including domain registry (ICANN,
NiRA) requirements and tax/accounting law
- Improve our services, infrastructure, and security
---
## 5. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the
following circumstances:
- **Within the Citichoice group of companies**, for the centralized
account system described in Section 2, and for shared billing,
fraud-prevention, and support purposes between Citichoice LLC and
Citichoice Technology Ltd
- **With service providers** who process data on our behalf, including
but not limited to: payment processors (e.g. Stripe, Paystack, and
our cryptocurrency payment processor), domain registrars (e.g.
Openprovider), email delivery providers, cloud infrastructure
providers (e.g. Hetzner), and backup storage providers
- **With domain registries** (such as ICANN-accredited registries and
NiRA for `.ng` domains), as required to register and maintain your
domain
- **When required by law**, such as in response to a valid legal
request, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety
of Citichoice, our customers, or the public
- **In connection with a business transfer**, such as a merger,
acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to standard confidentiality
protections
---
## 6. International Data Transfers
Because Citichoice LLC operates globally and our infrastructure may be
located in different countries (including but not limited to Germany,
the United States, and Nigeria), your information may be transferred
to, stored in, and processed in countries other than your country of
residence. Where required, we rely on appropriate legal safeguards
(such as Standard Contractual Clauses) for such transfers.
[PLACEHOLDER: Insert specific SCC/adequacy mechanism details once
finalized with legal counsel.]
---
## 7. Your Website, Email, and Hosted Content
Content you upload to your hosting account — including website files,
databases, and email — remains your property. We do not access, read,
or use this content except:
- As necessary to provide the service (e.g. backups, technical support
you request, malware scanning)
- To investigate a genuine abuse report or Terms of Service violation
- When required by law
---
## 8. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is
active, and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with legal,
tax, and accounting obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our
agreements. Specific retention periods:
- Account and billing records: [PLACEHOLDER — e.g. 7 years for tax
purposes]
- Support tickets: [PLACEHOLDER]
- Server logs: [PLACEHOLDER]
- Hosted content, after account termination: [PLACEHOLDER — e.g. 30
days before permanent deletion]
---
## 9. Marketing Communications
Where you have opted in, we may send you marketing communications
about Citichoice Host and other Citichoice Products. You may withdraw
consent and unsubscribe at any time via the link in any marketing
email, or from your Account Preferences in the client area.
---
## 10. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights
regarding your personal information, including under the EU/UK GDPR
and the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA):
- **Access** — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- **Correction** — request correction of inaccurate data
- **Deletion** — request deletion of your data, subject to legal
retention obligations
- **Restriction** — request that we limit how we use your data
- **Portability** — request your data in a portable format
- **Objection** — object to certain processing, including direct
marketing
- **Withdraw consent** — where processing is based on consent
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [[email protected]].
We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to
lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (for
example, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) if you are in
Nigeria, or your relevant EU/UK supervisory authority).
---
## 11. Children's Privacy
Citichoice Host services are not directed to individuals under the age
of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such
information, we will take steps to delete it.
---
## 12. Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to
protect your information, including encryption in transit (SSL/TLS),
firewalls, malware scanning, and access controls. However, no method
of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee
absolute security.
---
## 13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes
will be communicated via email or a notice in your client area. Your
continued use of Citichoice Host after such changes constitutes your
acceptance of the updated Policy.
---
## 14. Contact Us
For any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices,
contact:
**Email:** [[email protected]]
**Postal address (Citichoice LLC):** [WYOMING REGISTERED ADDRESS]
**Postal address (Citichoice Technology Ltd):** [NIGERIA REGISTERED
ADDRESS]