Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information Cameroon Timber Hub collects, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to visitors, registered buyers, and registered suppliers/exporters using the Platform.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account information: name, email, phone number, company name and business details
• Company verification documents: business registration, export permits, phytosanitary and legality certificates
• Listing content: product descriptions, species, pricing, and photographs you upload
• RFQ and inquiry details: quantities, specifications, delivery preferences, and messages you send to suppliers

Information collected automatically

• Usage data: pages visited, searches performed, RFQs submitted, and similar interaction data
• Technical data: IP address, browser and device type, collected for security, fraud prevention, and to maintain consent and evidence records

2. How we use your information

• To operate the marketplace: matching RFQs to suppliers, displaying listings, and enabling messages between buyers and suppliers
• To review and verify supplier documents and issue or revoke verification badges
• To communicate with you about your account, inquiries, RFQs, and platform updates
• To protect the Platform and its users against fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access
• To comply with legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations

3. Sharing your information

When you submit a Request for Quote or an inquiry, the relevant contact and requirement details are shared with the supplier(s) it is routed to, so they can respond to you directly. This is the core function of the marketplace — without this sharing, suppliers could not respond to your request.

• We do not sell your personal data to third parties
• We may share information with service providers who help us operate the Platform (for example, hosting and email delivery), bound by confidentiality obligations
• We may disclose information where required by law, regulation, or a valid legal process

4. Consent

Where we ask for your consent before sharing your inquiry or RFQ details with suppliers, we record that consent as a structured entry — including when it was given, its scope, and, if applicable, when it was revoked — so both you and we have a reliable, inspectable record rather than an assumption.

You can withdraw consent for future sharing at any time by contacting us; this does not affect sharing that already took place before the withdrawal.

5. Data retention

We retain account and transaction data for as long as your account is active and as needed to comply with legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Verification documents are retained for the duration of the review relationship and for the period required by applicable regulation. When data is no longer needed for these purposes, we take reasonable steps to delete or anonymise it.

6. Data security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including access controls on verification documents and encrypted connections to the Platform. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your choices and rights

• You can request access to a copy of the personal data we hold about you by contacting us
• You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data by contacting us, or by updating most account information directly from your dashboard
• You can request deletion of your personal data by contacting us, where this is legally appropriate — for example, we cannot delete verification documents or transaction records while we remain under a legal or regulatory obligation to retain them
• You can withdraw consent for future data sharing at any time; this does not affect processing already carried out
• You can close your account at any time; some information may be retained where required by law

We do not currently offer an automated, self-service data export or account-deletion tool. Access, correction, and deletion requests are handled manually by our team: contact us through our Contact page, and we will confirm receipt and the expected timeframe for resolving your request.

8. International transfers

Because the Platform connects buyers and suppliers across borders, information you submit (such as an RFQ) may be seen by a supplier located in a different country from you. We take reasonable steps to ensure information is handled consistently with this Policy wherever it is processed.

9. How we manage service providers (processors)

We use a small number of third-party service providers to operate the Platform — for example, hosting infrastructure and transactional email delivery. We select these providers based on their security practices, limit the data we share with each one to what is needed for the service they provide, and bind them to confidentiality and data-protection obligations. We do not permit a service provider to use your data for its own purposes.

10. Data incidents and breach response

If we become aware of a security incident that puts your personal data at risk, we will investigate, take reasonable steps to contain and remediate it, and notify affected users and any competent authority where required by applicable law, without undue delay. If you believe your account or data may have been compromised, contact us immediately through our Contact page.

11. Disputes and complaints

If you have a complaint about how your data has been handled, or a dispute involving another user of the Platform you would like us to be aware of, use our Contact page and select "Dispute or complaint" as the category. We review each submission and respond to the contact details provided.

12. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data can be sent through our Contact page.