Data Deletion

You have the right to request deletion of the personal information we hold about you. This page explains how to do that, what we remove, and what we’re required to keep.

For the full picture of what we collect and why, see our Privacy Policy.

Pick whichever is easier — both reach the same team.

1. From WhatsApp. Open your Tella chat and send the message:
   delete my data

   We’ll reply to confirm your identity and walk you through the next steps.

2. By email. Email [privacy@yourdomain.com] from the email address linked to your account, or — if you only ever used WhatsApp — include the phone number registered with Tella so we can verify it’s really you. Use the subject line “Data deletion request”.

Once we’ve verified the request, we delete or irreversibly anonymise:

• your profile, display name, and any labels or memos you saved;
• your saved payment details (bank-account details for NGN cash-out);
• your saved recipients and any contextual memory the assistant has built up from your chats;
• your authentication factors (PIN hash, session tokens, confirmation tokens); and
• support conversations and ticket history.

We’re a money-movement service. Nigerian and international anti-money-laundering law requires us to retain certain records even after you close your account — typically for at least five years after our relationship ends or the last transaction occurred.

What stays, in a restricted-access archive:

• transaction records — amounts, timestamps, on-chain hashes, counterparty wallet addresses, payout rates, and fees;
• identity-verification records, including the documents you submitted for KYC and the verification outcome; and
• sanctions-screening and fraud-investigation records relevant to you.

We also cannot delete on-chain data. Transactions your wallet has signed are recorded on a public blockchain and are outside our control. We do not delete or alter the public ledger for anyone.

We aim to action a verified deletion request within 30 days. Complex cases — for example, an open dispute or an active sanctions investigation — may take longer; if so, we’ll tell you why and give you an updated timeline.

Tella receives your messages through the WhatsApp Business Platform operated by Meta. Deleting your data with us does not delete your WhatsApp message history on your own device, nor does it remove anything from Meta’s systems. To manage your data on WhatsApp / Meta:

• Delete the Tella chat from your WhatsApp app; and
• Visit Meta’s Accounts Center for Meta-side controls.

When deletion is complete we’ll send you a confirmation message (and email, if we have one on file). After that, we won’t be able to recover anything we removed.

For anything about this process, contact our Data Protection Officer at [privacy@yourdomain.com]. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)if you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your request.