Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SmartLink Auto (“SmartLink”, “we”, “us”) runs the website at smartlinkautogh.com, an online marketplace for used vehicles sourced in South Korea and sold to buyers in Ghana, and for peer vehicle sales within Ghana. We operate from Korea (sourcing) and Ghana (sales and delivery). We are the data controller for the personal data described here.

Contact: smartlinkautogh@gmail.com · +233 53 111 7295 · Madina Market Street, Adjacent Adehyeman Phones, Madina Station, Madina, Accra, Ghana, P.O. Box 49, Somanya.

2. The personal data we collect

Depending on how you use the site, we collect:

• Account details (buyers, sellers, dealers): name, email, phone number, city/country, optional company name, and a securely hashed password. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name and email from Google.
• Enquiries, reservations, car requests and complaints: your name, email, phone/WhatsApp number, and the message or vehicle details you send.
• Orders, reservations and escrow (“Safe Deal”) transactions: deposit and payment amounts, your payment method and payment reference, and for escrow deals the agreed meet-up details.
• Invoicing / identity details: where an invoice or deal requires it, your legal name, address, and a government identification type and number (for example Ghana Card or passport).
• Seller documents: if you list a car, the ownership and roadworthiness documents and a copy of your government ID that we need to verify the vehicle and the seller.
• Vehicle photos and listing content you upload.
• Usage and device data: with your consent, analytics about how you use the site (pages viewed, device and approximate location via IP). Essential sign-in information is recorded without consent because the site cannot work without it.

3. How we use your data, and our legal basis

• To provide the service (create your account, show listings, handle enquiries, process reservations, deposits and escrow deals, issue invoices, arrange shipping and delivery). Basis: to perform our contract with you.
• To verify sellers and vehicles (reviewing ownership documents and ID). Basis: to perform the contract and our legitimate interest in preventing fraud and unsafe transactions.
• To communicate with you about your account, enquiries and transactions. Basis: contract and legitimate interest.
• Marketing (new-arrival emails). You can opt out at any time; see section 8.
• Analytics and site improvement, with your consent (see section 4).
• Legal and tax compliance, and defending legal claims. Basis: legal obligation and our legitimate interests.

4. Cookies and analytics

We use essential cookies to keep you signed in and to verify your email; these are always on because the site cannot function without them. With your consent we also use analytics cookies (Meta Pixel and Google Tag Manager) to understand what buyers are looking for and improve the site. When you first visit, a banner lets you Accept or Reject analytics; nothing in that category loads until you accept, and you can clear your browser cookies to be asked again.

5. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with:

• Service providers that run the site on our behalf: Supabase (database and file storage), Vercel (website hosting), Resend (email delivery), Paystack (card and mobile-money payment processing), and, only when you consent to analytics, Meta and Google.
• The other party to a transaction: for an in-Ghana peer sale, limited contact details are shared between buyer and seller as needed to complete the deal.
• Authorities or advisers where we are legally required to, or to protect our rights.

Each provider acts under our instructions and is bound by its own data-protection terms.

6. International transfer of your data

Although we serve buyers and sellers in Ghana, our database and files are currently hosted by Supabase in the European Union, and some providers (such as our hosting and email services) operate from other countries. This means your personal data is transferred and stored outside Ghana. We take steps to keep it protected to the standard described in this policy wherever it is held. If you would like more detail about these transfers, contact us at smartlinkautogh@gmail.com.

7. How we protect your data

Passwords are stored only as salted hashes, never in plain text. Sensitive documents (ID and ownership documents, invoices) are kept in private storage that has no public link and can only be opened by authorised staff through access-controlled routes. Access to personal data is limited to staff who need it, and administrative actions are logged. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

8. How long we keep it, and your choices

We keep personal data for as long as your account is active and as long as we need it for the purposes above, including to meet tax, accounting and legal obligations and to resolve disputes. Transaction and identity records tied to a sale are kept for the period the law requires.

You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time using the link in any marketing email or in your account settings. To access, correct, or delete your personal data, or to object to a use or withdraw consent, email us at smartlinkautogh@gmail.com. We will act on your request and delete what we are not legally required to keep.

9. Your rights under Ghanaian law

This policy is governed by the laws of Ghana, including the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843). You have the right to know what data we hold, to have it corrected or deleted, to object to certain uses, and to complain to the Data Protection Commission of Ghana if you believe your data has been mishandled.

10. Children

The site is intended for adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect data from children.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy; the current version is always posted here with its effective date.