This Privacy Policy explains how [Legal Entity Name] ("a-Professional", "we", "us") collects, uses, shares and protects personal information when you use the a-Professional Platform. We are committed to processing your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the regulations issued under it.
1. Information Officer
Our Information Officer (as required by POPIA) can be contacted at:
Name: [Information Officer Name]
Email: support@a-professional.com
Postal address: [Registered Business Address]
2. Personal information we collect
- Account information: name, email, phone, profile picture (via Google sign-in or registration).
- Professional information: business name, services, service areas, pricing, portfolio images, business description, certifications.
- Customer requests: service category, location, budget, urgency, free-text descriptions, questionnaire answers.
- Verification data: email and phone OTP codes (transient).
- Transaction data: credit purchases, lead unlocks, payment metadata (Stripe handles card details — we never see them).
- Technical data: IP address, device/browser type, pages viewed, cookies and similar identifiers.
3. Lawful basis for processing
We rely on one or more of the following grounds permitted by POPIA:
- Contract: to provide the Platform and the services you request.
- Consent: for non-essential cookies, marketing emails, and certain optional profile fields.
- Legitimate interest: to prevent fraud, secure the Platform, and improve our services.
- Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, anti-money-laundering, and other applicable law.
4. How we use your information
- To match customers with suitable professionals and to facilitate lead unlocking.
- To verify identity, prevent fraud, and enforce our Terms of Service.
- To process payments, issue receipts and maintain transaction records.
- To communicate with you (transactional emails such as receipts, lead-unlock notifications, and important account updates).
- To improve the Platform, debug issues, and develop new features.
5. Sharing your information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the following circumstances:
- Between matched users: when a professional unlocks your lead, your contact details are shared with that professional for the purpose of contacting you.
- Operators (POPIA-defined): trusted third-party service providers acting on our instructions:
- Stripe — payment processing.
- Resend — transactional email delivery.
- Emergent — Google sign-in identity exchange.
- Google — sign-in / OAuth authentication.
- Cloud infrastructure providers used to host the Platform.
- Legal requirements: to comply with a subpoena, court order or other legal obligation.
- Business transfers: as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, with prior notice where required.
6. Cross-border transfers
Some of our service providers may process personal information outside South Africa (e.g. in the European Union or the United States). We rely on the protections set out in section 72 of POPIA — including binding agreements requiring an adequate level of protection and your consent where applicable.
7. Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this Policy or to comply with our legal, accounting and reporting obligations. Transaction records are typically retained for at least 5 years in line with South African tax law. Inactive accounts may be anonymised after a reasonable period.
8. Your POPIA rights
You have the following rights, subject to certain exceptions:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction or deletion of inaccurate or excessive information.
- Object to or restrict certain processing.
- Withdraw consent for processing based on consent (this does not affect prior lawful processing).
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforegulator.org.za).
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at support@a-professional.com. We will respond within a reasonable time and free of charge, except where the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
9. Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and measure how the Platform is used. You can manage your preferences via the cookie banner shown on first visit or by clearing your browser cookies. Strictly necessary cookies (sign-in, session, security) cannot be disabled because the Platform will not function without them.
10. Security
We use industry-standard safeguards including encryption in transit (HTTPS), restricted backend access, secure cookie flags, and webhook signature verification. No system is perfectly secure — please report any suspected breach to our Information Officer immediately.
11. Children
The Platform is not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of the document indicates when it was last revised. Material changes will be notified by email or in-app notice.
13. Contact
[Legal Entity Name]
[Registered Business Address]
Company registration: [CIPC Reg Number]
Email: support@a-professional.com