Last updated: 2026
GymSquare is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA). Please read it carefully.
1. Who We Are
GymSquare (“we,” “us,” “our”) operates the website gymsquare.ng, Nigeria’s independent fitness media and gym directory platform. We are the data controller responsible for the personal data collected through this website.
Contact: hello@gymsquare.ng
Website: gymsquare.ng
2. What Personal Data We Collect
We only collect data that is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. The table below summarises exactly what we collect, how we collect it, and why.
| Data Collected | How We Collect It | Why We Collect It |
|---|---|---|
| Name and email address | WPForms contact form and gym submission form | To respond to your enquiry or process your gym submission |
| Phone number (WhatsApp) | WPForms newsletter/community sign-up form | To add you to the GymSquare WhatsApp community if you opt in |
| Gym submission details (gym name, location, your experience) | WPForms gym submission form | To review and potentially publish your gym submission on the Site |
| Review content and username | User account registration and review submission | To publish your gym review on the Site under your chosen username |
| Account credentials (username, email, password) | WordPress user registration | To create and manage your GymSquare account |
| WordPress comment content and commenter name/email | WordPress comments on articles | To display your comment on the relevant article |
| Website usage data (pages visited, time on site, device type, browser, approximate location by country/region) | Google Analytics | To understand how visitors use the Site and improve our content and user experience |
| Search queries that led to the Site, click data, impressions | Google Search Console | To understand how the Site performs in search results and improve our SEO |
| IP address and browsing behaviour | Google Analytics cookies and WordPress server logs | For security, analytics, and Site performance monitoring |
| Ad interaction data (ad clicks, impressions) | Google AdSense and direct advertising partners | To serve relevant advertisements and measure ad performance |
We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health records, financial information, national identification numbers, or biometric data. We do not collect data from children under the age of 13.
3. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data
Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Our lawful bases are:
- Consent: Where you have actively opted in, such as signing up for our WhatsApp community, submitting a gym review, or registering for an account. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests: For analytics via Google Analytics and Search Console, where understanding how our Site is used helps us improve our content and service. We have balanced this against your privacy rights and concluded our interest does not override your right to privacy.
- Contractual necessity: Where processing is necessary to provide a service you have requested, such as publishing your gym review or responding to your contact form submission.
- Legal obligation: Where we are required to process data to comply with applicable Nigerian law.
4. How We Use Your Data
4.1 Contact Form Submissions
When you contact us via our WPForms contact form, we use your name and email address solely to respond to your enquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list based on a contact form submission alone. Contact form data is stored in our WordPress database and in our email inbox.
4.2 Gym Submission Form
When you submit a gym using our submission form, we collect your name, email address, phone number (optional), and the details of the gym you are submitting. We use this information to review your submission and contact you if we need clarification. If your submission is published, your name or username may appear alongside the listing if you have consented to attribution.
4.3 WhatsApp Community
If you opt in to our WhatsApp community, we collect your phone number for the sole purpose of adding you to the GymSquare WhatsApp group. Your phone number is not shared with third parties, sold, or used for any purpose other than WhatsApp community communication. You may leave the WhatsApp group and request deletion of your number from our records at any time by contacting hello@gymsquare.ng.
4.4 User Accounts and Reviews
If you register for a GymSquare account to submit reviews, we collect your username, email address, and password (stored in encrypted form by WordPress). Your published reviews will appear under your chosen username. Your email address is never publicly displayed. You may request deletion of your account and associated reviews at any time.
4.5 WordPress Comments
If you leave a comment on a GymSquare article, WordPress collects your name, email address, website URL (optional), and your comment content. Your name and comment are publicly displayed. Your email address is not publicly displayed but is stored in our WordPress database and may be used to notify you of replies. An anonymised string (a hash) of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to check whether you have a profile picture.
4.6 Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to collect anonymised data about how visitors use our Site. This includes pages visited, time spent on the Site, device and browser type, and approximate geographic location (country or region level, not your precise address). Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this data. This data is aggregated and anonymised and does not personally identify you to us.
Google’s privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
4.7 Google Search Console
We use Google Search Console to understand how our Site appears in Google search results, including what search queries lead users to the Site. Search Console does not collect personally identifiable information about individual users. It provides aggregated data about search performance.
4.8 Google AdSense and Direct Advertising
We display advertisements on the Site through Google AdSense and may also run direct advertising arrangements with brands. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to our Site and other websites. This is known as interest-based advertising.
You can opt out of interest-based advertising by visiting adssettings.google.com. You can also manage your ad preferences through the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out tool at optout.networkadvertising.org.
Direct advertising partners may use tracking pixels or cookies to measure ad performance. Where this occurs, it is governed by the privacy policies of those partners. We do not share your personal data with direct advertisers beyond what is necessary to serve and measure the advertisements.
5. Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. GymSquare uses the following types of cookies:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Required for the Site to function. Cannot be disabled. | WordPress login session cookies, security cookies |
| Analytics | Help us understand how visitors use the Site. Anonymised. | Google Analytics (_ga, _gid, _gat cookies) |
| Advertising | Used to serve relevant ads and measure ad performance. | Google AdSense cookies, advertising partner tracking pixels |
| Functional | Remember your preferences to improve your experience. | Comment author name/email if saved by WordPress |
When you first visit the Site, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site.
6. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
- Google LLC: Via Google Analytics (usage data) and Google AdSense (ad interaction data). Google operates under its own privacy policy and data processing agreements.
- Google Search Console: Aggregated search performance data only. No personally identifiable user data is shared.
- Direct advertising partners: Limited interaction data for ad measurement purposes, governed by their own privacy policies.
- WPForms: Form submission data is processed through WPForms and stored in our WordPress database on our hosting server.
- Our hosting provider: Our web host stores the Site and its database on servers. They process data as a data processor under our instruction and are bound by appropriate data processing terms.
- Law enforcement or regulatory authorities: Where we are required by Nigerian law or a valid court order to disclose personal data.
7. How Long We Keep Your Data
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Contact form submissions | 12 months from the date of submission, then deleted |
| Gym submission form data | For as long as the submission remains under review or is published, then 12 months after removal |
| WhatsApp community phone numbers | For as long as you remain in the community, plus 30 days after removal to process deletion requests |
| User account data | For as long as your account remains active, plus 90 days after deletion request |
| Published reviews | Until you request removal or your account is deleted |
| WordPress comments | Indefinitely while the article remains published, unless you request deletion |
| Google Analytics data | 26 months (Google Analytics default retention period) |
| Server logs (IP addresses) | 90 days, then automatically purged |
8. Your Rights Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023
The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 grants you the following rights regarding your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@gymsquare.ng. We will respond within 30 days.
- Right to access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to erasure: You may request that we delete your personal data where there is no legitimate reason for us to continue holding it.
- Right to restrict processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability: You may request a copy of data you provided to us in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object: You may object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
- Right to lodge a complaint: If you believe we have mishandled your data, you may lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) at ndpc.gov.ng.
9. How We Protect Your Data
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These measures include:
- SSL/TLS encryption on all pages of the Site (HTTPS)
- Password hashing for user account passwords via WordPress’s built-in security
- Regular WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates to patch security vulnerabilities
- Restricted access to the WordPress admin dashboard
- Hosting on a reputable server with security monitoring
No method of data transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted to or from the Site.
10. Children’s Privacy
The GymSquare website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at hello@gymsquare.ng and we will delete it promptly.
11. Third-Party Links
The Site may contain links to external websites including gym websites, social media platforms, and other resources. This Privacy Policy applies only to gymsquare.ng. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or the services we offer. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.
13. Contact and Complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have a complaint about how we have handled your personal data, please contact us:
Email: hello@gymsquare.ng
Website: gymsquare.ng
We aim to respond to all data-related requests within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) at ndpc.gov.ng.
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Nigeria’s #1 Fitness Resource