Data Handling & Retention

1. Identity checks and evidence

We request documents to establish identity, ownership or authority and support the authorized report. Submit only the requested, relevant material through the website. The application checks uploads, scans for malware and cleans supported images or PDFs. Image processing removes common camera and location metadata; this is not a promise that every possible embedded identifier is removed.

Stored files use private access, encrypted contents and role-based access controls. Access to sensitive files is logged. This does not mean every database field is separately encrypted, every file is always blurred or no provider can process technical information.

If Persona is offered instead of manual identity uploads, Persona hosts that check. Afnihi's local file-deletion schedule does not automatically delete an inquiry, images or other data retained by Persona.

2. The current scheduled file-deletion rules

Identity documents and selfies

Eligible for scheduled deletion 120 days after identity verification or 120 days after the related case closes, whichever eligible trigger occurs first.

Evidence, ownership proof and authority documents

Eligible for scheduled deletion 120 days after the related case closes.

Unsubmitted authorization drafts

Expire after seven days. The scheduled cleanup removes expired drafts and their unsubmitted files. A resume or phone-handoff link can expose the saved draft to its holder, so keep it private.

Sign-in codes

Expire after ten minutes and can be used only once. Expired code records are cleared by scheduled cleanup after an additional day.

Deletion is performed by a scheduled cleanup job, so eligibility and completion can differ. These periods describe the current settings and triggers, not a promise that every case record disappears after that many days. If a case remains open and identity has not been verified, its files may not yet meet a deletion trigger. Contact us if you abandon a submitted case or need earlier deletion.

3. Records that have a different lifecycle

Unsubmitted website request drafts are removed after 30 days without a saved update. Declined or cancelled request records and their uploads are removed after 120 days without an update. Accepted service and invoice records follow the purposes and criteria below.

Removing file contents can leave metadata recording the kind of file, its identifiers and that it was deleted. Signed authorizations and their signature images, case and client records, correspondence, invoices, account records, assessment requests, verification references and audit history are not covered by the ordinary identity/evidence cleanup periods.

We assess continued retention of these records by purpose, including proof of authority and services, legal and tax obligations, security and disputes. There is no universal automatic expiry for all these records in the application. Ask us for the retention criteria relevant to your information or request deletion where applicable. We must not keep information merely because the application lacks an automatic cleanup rule.

Audit history can contain identifiers, staff identity, IP addresses and recorded actions. It is restricted and preserved to protect accountability, subject to applicable retention and data-protection requirements.

4. Backups and information held elsewhere

A deletion from the active system may not immediately remove information from an existing backup or snapshot. Backups must be restricted, retained only for an established recovery period and handled so that deleted information is not put back into ordinary use after restoration. Contact us for the applicable backup-retention details; the file-cleanup periods above are not backup-expiry promises.

We cannot directly erase copies already held by a platform, notice recipient, payment or escrow provider or Persona. Where appropriate, we assist with a request or direct you to the responsible recipient. Their legal duties and notices apply to those copies.

5. Access, correction and deletion requests

Use the email below with your associated email address and case or client reference. We verify requests proportionately and explain any information that must be retained, why and for how long or under what criteria. Closing a case, revoking authority, signing out and deleting an account are different actions; tell us which you want.

The Privacy Policy describes your rights and complaint options. Do not send another identity-document copy or intimate attachment in an ordinary support email unless a suitable secure process has been arranged.