This Privacy Policy explains how LOCAL ADS SDN. BHD. (Company No. 1241049-H) (“LocalAds”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you use Localads App (our mobile application) and this website (together, the “Services”). By using the Services, you agree to this policy.
1. Who we are
Localads App is a local marketplace app operated by LOCAL ADS SDN. BHD. (Company No. 1241049-H), a company registered in Malaysia and based in Kuching, Sarawak. The app lets you buy and sell nearby, claim vouchers, order from local stores, join the Partner programme, play games, and discover local events. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at support@localadsapp.com.
2. Information we collect
Information you provide
- Account details — name, email address, password, mobile phone number, and (optionally) a profile photo, date of birth and gender. You sign in with your email address or with your Google account; your mobile number is kept as your contact number and is not used to sign in. If you sign in with Google, we receive basic profile information (such as your name and email) from Google.
- Partner and payout details — if you withdraw your wallet balance, receive commissions or join the Partner programme: your bank name, account holder name, bank account number, and identity card (IC) details used to verify partners. Before your first withdrawal or payout, we ask you to verify your mobile number by sending a WhatsApp message from it. To make sure each phone number and each bank account can only be used by one LocalAds account, we also keep an encrypted (hashed) copy of the verified phone number and of your bank account number, together with their last four digits.
- Content you create — listings, ads, item photos and videos, descriptions, prices, comments, reviews, events and event registrations, and content you create with AI features.
- Messages — text, photos and voice messages you exchange with other users through in-app chat, and messages you send us for support.
- Transactions — orders, vouchers you claim, wallet, coin and points activity, patterns you collect, lucky draw results and prizes you win, and delivery details such as a delivery address. In-app purchases are handled by Google Play or Apple, and card and online-banking payments on our website are handled by our payment provider; we do not receive or store your card numbers or online-banking credentials.
- Invites and promo credit — your invite code; the invite code or email address of the person who invited you, entered when you sign up or added later; the friends who joined with your code and whether a reward was given for each; and your promo credit — the amounts you receive, their expiry dates, and each time you use it at a shop (the shop, bill amount, discount and time).
Information we collect automatically
- Location — with your permission, we use your device location (including precise location) to show listings, deals and stores near you and to estimate delivery. When you search for nearby deals, your location is used only for that search and is not stored. A location you choose for an ad, shop or event you post is saved and shown to other users.
- Photos, camera and microphone — with your permission, we use your camera so you can take photos and videos and scan QR codes, and your microphone when you record video, voice messages or voice input for AI features. Photos and videos from your device are only accessed when you pick them yourself; we do not access your whole photo library.
- Device & usage data — device model, operating system, app version, language, IP address, app installation identifiers, push notification tokens, and how you interact with the app (for example ads you view, like or save, your answers to ad questions, and games you play and their scores).
- Advertising identifiers — to measure which of our TikTok advertising campaigns bring people to the app, the app may access your device’s advertising identifier (the Google Advertising ID on Android, or the IDFA on iOS — on iOS only if you allow tracking when asked). See “Advertising measurement (TikTok)” in section 5.
- Device identifier for fraud prevention — when you sign in, the app sends a device identifier (on Android, the app-specific Android ID; on iOS, a random identifier the app stores in the device keychain) to our servers, where it is stored only in encrypted (hashed) form and linked to your account. We use it only to prevent fraud and abuse — for example, detecting many accounts registered on the same device to collect rewards, commissions or withdrawals. It is not used for advertising or tracking and is not shared with third parties. This does not require any device permission.
- Install referral (Android) — if you install the app from Google Play through someone’s invite link, the app reads the Google Play Install Referrer once when it first opens, so it can fill in their invite code for you. It contains only the information added to the link (the invite code and campaign tags).
- Diagnostics — crash reports and performance data (Firebase Crashlytics and Performance Monitoring), linked to your user ID, used to keep the app stable and secure.
- Cookies & similar technologies — on our website, to keep the site working and understand usage.
3. Permissions we request
The app asks for certain device permissions. You can grant or deny them, and change them later in your device settings — though some features may not work without them.
- Location — to show what’s near you and estimate delivery.
- Camera — to take photos/videos for listings and to scan QR codes.
- Photos / media — to attach images and videos you pick to your listings and chats (through the system photo picker on newer Android versions).
- Microphone — only when you record video, voice messages or voice input.
- Notifications — to send you order updates, messages, and reminders.
4. How we use your information
- To provide and operate the Services — showing local listings, processing orders, redeeming vouchers, running the Partner programme, games, lucky draws and events, awarding Points, Coins, prizes and Bonus, and enabling chat between users.
- To personalise what you see based on your area and interests.
- To communicate with you, including push notifications, service updates and customer support.
- To run invite rewards and promo credit — giving you a reward for friends you invite, letting you use promo credit at participating shops, and checking new invites for signs of abuse (for example several accounts on the same device or with the same push notification token, many sign-ups in a short time, or temporary email addresses). An invite that looks suspicious may be held for review before its reward is given.
- To keep LocalAds safe — preventing fraud, abuse and violations of our terms.
- To improve the Services, fix problems, and develop new features.
- To comply with our legal obligations.
5. How we share your information
We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as needed to run the Services:
- With other users — your public profile, listings and shop details are visible to other users, and limited details may be shared with a buyer or seller to complete a transaction. When someone enters your invite code, they see your name so they can confirm who invited them. Friends who joined with your code appear in your invite list with their names partly hidden. When you use promo credit at a shop, the shop sees your name partly hidden, together with the bill amount and discount.
- With service providers who process data on our behalf, including:
- Supabase — app hosting, database, authentication and file storage;
- Google / Firebase — sign-in, push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging), crash reporting (Crashlytics), performance monitoring, and Google Maps & Places for location features;
- Google Play — in-app purchases on Android (Google Play Billing);
- Apple — in-app purchases on iOS (App Store);
- Meta (WhatsApp Business Platform) — receiving the WhatsApp message you send us to verify your mobile number before a withdrawal or payout;
- Fiuu (Razer Merchant Services) — payment processing for wallet top-ups made on our website;
- Cloudflare — chat infrastructure, chat attachment storage (R2) and media delivery;
- Bunny.net — storage and delivery of photos and videos;
- ZeptoMail (Zoho) — sending verification-code and service emails;
- AI service providers — to generate content you request and to review ads for safety (see section 6).
- With advertising partners — TikTok, to measure the performance of our own advertising campaigns on TikTok (see below).
- For legal reasons — where required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and property of LocalAds, our users or the public.
- Business transfers — if LocalAds is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets.
Advertising measurement (TikTok)
We advertise LocalAds on TikTok. The app includes the TikTok App Events SDK, provided by TikTok, so we can measure which ads lead to app installs and sign-ups and improve our campaigns.
On iOS, the TikTok SDK is only started if you choose “Allow” when the app asks for permission to track (Apple’s App Tracking Transparency). If you choose “Ask App Not to Track”, or later turn off tracking for LocalAds in Settings, the SDK is not started and the app sends no data at all to TikTok: no app events, device information, IP address, advertising identifier, user ID, email address or mobile number.
When the SDK is active, it may send TikTok: app events (app install, app open, return visits and account registration), device information (such as device model, operating system, app version, language and IP address) and your device’s advertising identifier (the IDFA on iOS, or the Google Advertising ID on Android). When you are signed in, we may also give the SDK your LocalAds user ID, email address and mobile number; the SDK converts your email address and mobile number into an irreversible hashed code on your device before sending them, so TikTok can match the information with its own users for ad measurement.
We do not send TikTok your chats, photos, location, wallet or payment details. TikTok handles this data under its own privacy policy, available at tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy.
Your choices: on iOS, you can turn tracking off at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking. On Android, you can reset or delete your advertising ID in Settings → Google → Ads (or Settings → Privacy → Ads, depending on your device). You can also email us at support@localadsapp.com to ask us not to share your account details with TikTok.
6. AI features
Some features let you generate content (such as ad copy, images, videos, voice-overs or songs) using artificial intelligence. When you use these features, the text, images or audio you submit are sent to AI service providers to produce your result. If you use voice input, your recording is sent to an AI provider to be converted into text. The providers we use include OpenAI, DeepSeek, MiniMax, Suno (through KIE), Google Gemini and Anthropic, as well as video-generation servers operated by us. We also use automated AI moderation to check ads before they are published. AI providers process this data to provide the service to us. Please avoid including sensitive personal information in AI prompts.
7. Payments
In the app: wallet top-ups and other digital purchases are made through Google Play Billing (Android) or Apple In-App Purchase (iOS). Google or Apple processes the payment under their own terms and privacy policies; we receive the purchase confirmation and details (such as product, amount, order ID and status) needed to credit your wallet and verify the purchase.
On our website: wallet top-ups made on localadsapp.com are processed by Fiuu (Razer Merchant Services) by card or online banking. When you pay, you also agree to their terms. We receive confirmation and transaction details (such as amount and status).
We do not receive or store your card numbers or online-banking credentials. Orders from local stores in the app are paid cash on delivery directly to the seller. If you withdraw money or receive commissions, we store the bank account details you provide so that we can pay you.
8. Data retention
We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Services. When you delete your account, your personal data is deleted as described in section 10. Transaction records (payments, wallet, coins, withdrawals, commissions and orders) are kept in anonymised form for 7 years to meet Malaysian tax and accounting requirements. For deleted accounts, the bank details and delivery addresses kept in those records are erased after 7 years. Invite and promo credit records are kept in the same way. The encrypted (hashed) device identifier, verified payout phone number and bank account number linked to a deleted account (with their last four digits) are also kept, only for fraud prevention (to stop the same device, phone number or bank account from repeatedly being used on new accounts to collect rewards or withdrawals), and are erased after 7 years.
9. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. How to delete your account and data
You can delete your LocalAds account and its associated personal data at any time.
- In the app: go to More → Settings → Delete Account and confirm.
- On the web: visit localadsapp.com/deleteaccount and verify with your account email (we email you a code).
- By email: write to support@localadsapp.com from your registered email address with the subject “Delete my account”. If you no longer have access to that email address, tell us the email address and mobile number on your account so we can confirm the account is yours.
What we delete: your login account and profile (name, email, phone number, date of birth, gender, IC details, profile photo), bank details, saved addresses, notification tokens, your chats (messages, photos and voice notes), comments, reviews, likes and saved items, and the ads, photo posts, videos, songs and AI content you created, together with their files.
What we keep: transaction records in anonymised form, as described in section 8. Any remaining wallet or bonus balance is forfeited when the account is deleted, so please withdraw it first. Any remaining promo credit is also forfeited. If a withdrawal or payout is still being processed, deletion is completed after it has been settled.
Deletion in the app or on the web takes effect immediately. Chat files are removed from storage within a few hours. Email requests are handled within 30 days.
11. Your privacy rights
In line with Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), you have the right to:
- access and request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- correct data that is inaccurate or incomplete;
- withdraw your consent or limit how we process your data;
- request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal requirements.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@localadsapp.com.
12. Children
LocalAds is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can remove it.
13. International data transfers
Some of our service providers may store or process data outside Malaysia. Where this happens, we take steps to ensure your data is treated in line with this policy and applicable law.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above, and we will let you know of any material changes through the app or our website.
15. Contact us
If you have questions or requests about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us at support@localadsapp.com.
