Frequently Asked Questions

Gate Access & Privacy

Why does the gate guard take my photograph when I drive into an estate?

Photographs taken at estate access gates serve strictly as perimeter audit records under the Estate Residents' Association's legitimate security mandate. The photo verifies that the admitted individual matches the registered pass. Under VELLO's automated data-minimization schedule, all visitor facial photographs are permanently purged from cloud storage after 90 days.

Can estate security guards see my resident phonebook or personal messages?

Absolutely not. Security guards use a dedicated Guard App that has zero access to your mobile device, contacts, or chat records. Guards only see pass verification data: visitor name, expected vehicle plate, destination unit number, and pass validity state (Active, Expired, or Revoked).

How does the gate operate if the estate internet or cellular network goes offline?

VELLO utilizes an offline-first cryptographic engine. All active gate passes are pre-cached in an encrypted SQLite database on the gate tablet. The guard can scan QR codes and validate 6-digit PINs locally without an active internet connection. All ingress logs are safely queued on-device and automatically synchronize with the cloud once connectivity resumes.

What if a visitor arrives without a smartphone or data connection?

Every VELLO pass includes both a 2D QR code and a fallback 6-digit numerical PIN. Visitors can simply quote the 6-digit PIN sent to them via SMS or WhatsApp, or the security guard can initiate an instant resident walk-in verification call.

Data Retention & Deletion

How long does VELLO keep my phone number and visitor records?

In full accordance with Section 24 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, visitor facial photographs and raw visitor mobile numbers are automatically purged after 90 calendar days. Only de-identified numerical tallies are retained for estate traffic planning.

How can I delete my VELLO resident account?

You can delete your account at any time directly in the mobile application via Settings > Account > Delete Account, or through our public self-service portal at vello.com.ng/delete-account. An OTP verification code will be sent to your email or SMS to confirm ownership. Upon confirmation, your personal profile, credentials, and registered devices are immediately erased.

What happens to my data when I move out of an estate?

When estate management deactivates your resident residency link, your access to household controls is immediately revoked. You can request a full data export or trigger immediate erasure under Part VI of the NDPA.

Regulatory & Legal Compliance

Is VELLO compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023?

Yes. VELLO is developed and operated in full compliance with the statutory principles of the NDPA 2023. We maintain strict Controller-Processor data processing agreements with all subscribing estates, practice automated data minimization, enforce encryption in transit and at rest, and maintain internal personal data breach response protocols.

Does VELLO sell visitor or resident information to commercial advertisers?

Never. VELLO is a secure B2B estate access infrastructure provider, not an advertising network. We have never sold, monetized, or leased community rosters, visitor records, or phone numbers to third parties.

Does VELLO sign a formal Data Processing Addendum (DPA) with our HOA?

Yes. Every estate onboarding includes our standard NDPA Data Processing Addendum (NDPA-2026.1), which contractually binds VELLO to confidentiality, 48-hour breach notification, and strict audit compliance.

Mobile Apps & Google Play

Does VELLO access my full contact list or address book?

No. The VELLO Resident App uses Android's single-contact picker (ACTION_PICK) or iOS's CNContactPickerViewController, which lets you choose one contact at a time. Your global address book is never scanned, indexed, or uploaded to VELLO servers. Only the name and phone number of the single contact you explicitly select is used to pre-fill the guest pass form.

Does VELLO link my device's IMEI or hardware identifiers to my personal data?

No. In full compliance with the Google Play User Data Policy, VELLO does not link persistent hardware identifiers (IMEI, IMSI, SIM serial numbers) to your personal or sensitive data. For analytics and crash diagnostics, we use only resettable advertising IDs (Android Advertising ID / Apple IDFA) and our own randomly generated anonymous session tokens, which you can reset at any time from your device settings.

How does VELLO handle biometric authentication on my phone?

Biometric authentication (Face ID, fingerprint) is processed entirely on your device's secure hardware enclave (Android Keystore / iOS Secure Enclave) via the platform's standard Biometric API. VELLO's servers never receive, store, or process raw biometric templates. If biometric authentication is unavailable or declined, a PIN or password fallback is always offered.