How we handle your information
Nigeria Votes is a project by Accountable to Us. We collect as little as possible, we keep it private, and we never sell it. This notice explains, in plain terms, what we collect and why.
The short version
- We never ask for your name, and for observers we never ask for your phone number.
- When you observe, your reports are anonymous — there is no record linking you to your code, or your code to your reports. Even we cannot tell who sent a report.
- We keep a count of sign-ups per state — a tally, not tied to you — only to plan coverage.
- When you sign up as an observer, we keep a way to message you (your Telegram contact) so we can send reminders before and on election day. You can stop these at any time by blocking the bot, which removes it automatically.
- We show only anonymous totals publicly — never anything about an individual.
The detail below explains each of these more fully.
Signing up as an observer (on Telegram)
Observers sign up through our Telegram bot. Here is exactly what happens to your information:
- We don't ask for your name or phone number. The bot gives you a personal observer code — that's all it needs.
- Your code is not linked to you. We store only a scrambled (hashed) version of each code so we can check it's valid. We keep no record of which person received which code.
- State is a count only. We ask which state you'll observe in, and add one to that state's tally (for example, "Lagos: 41"). It is a number for planning coverage — it is not tied to you, your code, or any report.
- Reminders. When you sign up, we keep your Telegram contact so we can send you reminders before and on election day — for example, when it's time to report each part of the day. This is the only piece of contact information we hold, and it is never linked to your code, your state, or your reports. If you'd rather not receive reminders, block the bot at any time — that stops all messages and removes your contact from our list automatically.
- Telegram itself. Because you use Telegram to reach us, Telegram (the company) can see that you messaged our bot — that's how any Telegram chat works, and it's outside our control. We only ever hold what's described above.
Submitting an observer report
When reporting opens, you'll submit reports using your code. Reports are stored without the code attached — there is no path from a report back to a person. We keep no IP address, no account, and no device identifier with a report. Findings are only ever shared combined together, at the local-government level, once several independent observers agree — never tied to a single unit or person.
Reporting a problem (the report form)
If you use the "Report a problem" form, we collect what you choose to tell us: what you were trying to do, what went wrong, your state, and (if you add them) your LGA, the step it failed at, the date, and a short description. If you choose to reach us on WhatsApp instead, we'll of course see your WhatsApp number — but the form itself doesn't require any contact detail.
Anonymous counts and site analytics
To build a public picture of the problems people face, we keep tallies — for example, "40 people reported the portal failing" or "24 reports from Lagos." These contain no names or contact details. We also keep simple, anonymous counts of which pages are viewed and which buttons are used, to see what's helpful and improve the site. These set no cookies and collect no personal information.
Cookies. If you agree, we also use Microsoft Clarity, which shows us anonymously how people move through the site so we can make it easier to use. Clarity uses cookies. We ask permission first, and you can say no — the site works the same either way. Anything you type is blocked from these recordings and never sent to Clarity. We run no advertising trackers, and we never sell your data.
Who can see your information
Anything that could identify you is kept private and seen only by the Nigeria Votes team, and is never shown on the website. Only anonymous counts — never personal details — may be shared publicly or with journalists, observers, or partners. Observer coverage numbers (sign-ups per state) are kept private to the team.
How long we keep it, and your rights
We keep information only as long as we need it for the purposes above. Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, you have the right to ask what we hold about you, to have it corrected, or to have it deleted. For most observers the only thing we hold is a Telegram contact for reminders, which is never linked to your code or your reports — you can remove it yourself at any time by blocking the bot, which deletes it from our reminders list automatically. We hold no name, number, or link between you and what you report. For anything else, contact us below.
A note on getting help
If someone helps you take part — a volunteer, a friend, or our team — share only what you're comfortable sharing. You never need to give your NIN, PVC number, or password to anyone at Nigeria Votes. We will never ask for them.
Contact us
For any question about your information, or to make a data request, email us at privacy@accountabletous.org. You can also reach us on Instagram (@a2usng). Accountable to Us is responsible for the information described here.
Last updated August 2026. We may update this notice as the project grows; the current version always lives here.