Privacy Policy

Asanko Connect is the internal employee social and community platform operated by Asanko Gold (“Asanko”, “we”, “us”). It is a private, employee-only application: accounts are created and approved by Asanko, and the app is not available to the general public.

This Privacy Policy covers the Asanko Connect mobile application for iOS, this website, and the supporting services that power them. It applies to every person who is granted access to the platform, including employees, contractors and other approved users.

Asanko Gold is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. Questions, requests and complaints can be sent to oc@asanko.com.

We collect the information you and your employer supply to run the platform:

• Account information — your staff ID, your registered mobile phone number, the sign-in credentials or one-time codes issued to you, the unique account identifier created for you by Google Firebase Authentication (your Firebase UID), and your access status.
• Profile information — your name, job title, department, site or location, and an optional profile photo.
• Content you create — posts, comments, replies, reactions, images, videos, documents, pages, groups and events you create or join, and messages you send to other users.
• Direct and group chats — the content and metadata of messages you exchange with colleagues on the platform.
• Reports and support requests — content you report, the reason you give, and anything you send to the support or privacy mailboxes.

• Device and app data — device model, operating system version, app version, language, time zone and device identifiers such as the app instance ID assigned by Firebase.
• Log and diagnostic data — sign-in events, IP address, and crash reports and stack traces collected through Firebase Crashlytics to keep the service secure and working.
• Analytics and usage data — features opened, screens viewed, content viewed at an aggregate level and notification preferences, collected through Google Analytics for Firebase. We use this only to understand how the platform is used internally; it is never used for advertising.
• Push notification tokens — Firebase Cloud Messaging tokens, used only to deliver notifications you have enabled.

The app asks for permissions only when a feature needs them, and you can change your mind at any time in iOS Settings. Declining a permission only disables the related feature.

• Camera and microphone — to take photos or record video for posts. Nothing is captured in the background.
• Photo library — to let you attach existing images or videos to a post or message.
• Notifications — to alert you to announcements, mentions, replies and messages.

We do not collect precise location data, we do not read your device contacts, and we do not access your device microphone or camera outside of an action you start.

• To create and administer accounts and authenticate users.
• To operate the core social features: feeds, pages, groups, announcements, chat, media sharing, reactions and comments.
• To deliver notifications you have chosen to receive.
• To keep the platform safe: reviewing reported content, moderating breaches of our community standards, and investigating misuse of accounts.
• To provide technical support and respond to your requests.
• To monitor service performance, diagnose faults and improve reliability, using aggregated or de-identified data wherever possible.
• To meet legal, regulatory and internal record-keeping obligations.

Where data protection law requires a legal basis, we rely on one or more of the following:

• Legitimate interests — running an internal communication platform, protecting our people and securing our systems.
• Performance of your contract — employment or engagement arrangements under which access is provided.
• Consent — for optional features such as a profile photo, camera access or push notifications, which you can withdraw at any time.
• Legal obligation — where we must retain or disclose information by law.

Processing is carried out in accordance with the Ghana Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) and, where applicable, other data protection laws that cover our operations.

Asanko Connect is a closed workplace network. Content is never public and is never indexed by search engines.

• Posts to the main feed or to a page are visible to authorised users of the platform.
• Posts in a group are visible to members of that group.
• Direct and group messages are visible to the participants of that conversation.
• Your profile details (name, role, department, photo) are visible to other authorised users.
• Authorised administrators and moderators may access content when investigating a report, a security incident or a policy breach.

We do not sell personal data, we do not share it with advertisers, and we do not use it for advertising or third-party marketing of any kind. We share information only in these situations:

• Service providers — Google Firebase and Google Cloud (authentication, database, media storage, cloud messaging, analytics and Crashlytics) and our hosting provider, who process data on our instructions under contract.
• Within Asanko — with authorised personnel in HR, IT, security or management where necessary to administer the platform, investigate a report, or comply with workplace policy.
• Legal and safety — where required by law, regulation, lawful request, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Asanko, our employees or others.

Access to Asanko Connect is restricted to approved accounts and is protected by authentication controls. Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and stored with our hosting providers under access controls that limit administrative access to authorised personnel. We keep audit and diagnostic logs to detect misuse. No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and we do not claim protections beyond the measures actually in place. If you believe an account or content has been compromised, contact oc@asanko.com immediately.

• Account and profile data — kept while your access is active, and deleted or anonymised within 90 days of your account being closed, unless a longer period is required by law or an ongoing investigation.
• Posts, media and comments — kept until deleted by you or by a moderator, or until your account is removed.
• Messages — kept until deleted by a participant or until account closure.
• Moderation and report records — kept for up to 24 months so that repeated breaches can be identified.
• Security and diagnostic logs — kept for up to 12 months.

Subject to applicable law, you may ask us to give you a copy of your personal data, correct inaccurate data, delete data, restrict or object to certain processing, or withdraw a consent you have given. You can also edit your profile, delete your own posts and manage notification settings directly in the app.

Send requests to oc@asanko.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Data Protection Commission of Ghana.

You can request deletion of your Asanko Connect account and its associated content at any time, in either of these ways:

• In the app, open Profile → Settings → Account → Delete Account and confirm the request.
• Email oc@asanko.com from your work address with the subject “Account deletion”.

Once verified, your account is deactivated immediately and your profile, posts, media, comments and messages are permanently deleted within 30 days. Content that other users have already quoted or that must be retained for a legal, security or disciplinary reason may be kept for the period required, in de-identified form where possible. Deletion of your app account does not delete your employment records held elsewhere by Asanko. Our account deletion page sets out exactly what is deleted and what may be retained.

Asanko Connect is a workplace tool for authorised adults only. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we learn that such data has been collected, we will delete it.

Asanko Connect is built on Google Firebase. We use Firebase Authentication (sign-in and your Firebase UID), Cloud Firestore and Firebase Storage (posts, comments, chats, photos and videos), Firebase Cloud Messaging (notifications), Cloud Functions (server-side processing such as moderation and notifications), and Firebase App Check (verifying that requests come from the genuine app). Google acts as our processor for these services and is not permitted to use your data for its own purposes or for advertising. Google’s handling of this data is described in the Firebase Data Processing and Security Terms and the Google Privacy Policy.

Asanko Connect contains no analytics SDK and no crash-reporting SDK. We do not track usage or collect diagnostics.

Some of these providers operate data centres outside Ghana. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we use providers that offer recognised safeguards, including contractual data protection commitments, and we transfer only what is needed to operate the service. A current list of processors is available on request from oc@asanko.com.

We may update this Privacy Policy as the platform develops or as the law changes. The “Last updated” date above will always reflect the current version, and material changes will be announced inside the app before they take effect.

Privacy questions, access requests and complaints: oc@asanko.com.

General app support: oc@asanko.com or the Help Centre.

Postal enquiries can be addressed to the Data Protection contact, Asanko Gold, Ghana.