Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Adam Pet Care (Pty) Ltd ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our mobile application and services (collectively, the "Services").

This Privacy Policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African data protection laws.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms of this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register for an account, express interest in obtaining information about us or our Services, participate in activities on our Services, or otherwise contact us. The personal information we collect may include:

• Name and surname
• Email address
• Phone number
• Physical address
• Identity number (for Pet Sitter verification only)
• Password
• Profile photo
• Pet information (name, breed, age, medical conditions, etc.)
• Billing and payment information
• Other information you choose to provide

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

When you access or use our Services, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device information (such as your mobile device ID, model, and manufacturer)
• IP address
• Browser type and language
• Operating system
• Access times and dates
• Pages viewed and links clicked
• Information about how you interact with our Services
• Location information (with your explicit consent)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may obtain information about you from other sources, such as:

• Background check providers (for Pet Sitter verification)
• Payment processors
• Social media platforms (if you choose to link your account)
• Public databases and directories

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our Services
• Process transactions and send related information, including confirmations, receipts, and booking details
• Verify Pet Sitter identities and conduct background checks
• Facilitate communication between Pet Owners and Pet Sitters
• Send administrative information, such as updates to our terms, conditions, and policies
• Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
• Send marketing and promotional communications (with your consent)
• Monitor and analyze usage, trends, and activities related to our Services
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent transactions and other illegal activities
• Personalize your experience with our Services
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA Compliance)

Under POPIA, we process your personal information based on the following lawful grounds:

• Consent: Where you have given us explicit consent to process your personal information for specific purposes
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to perform our contract with you (providing the Services)
• Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with South African law
• Legitimate interest: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your rights do not override those interests

5. How We Share Your Information

5.1 Pet Owners and Pet Sitters

If you are a Pet Owner, we share your contact information, pet details, and booking information with Pet Sitters you book or communicate with through our Services. If you are a Pet Sitter, we share your profile information, availability, and contact details with Pet Owners who book or communicate with you through our Services.

5.2 Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents who perform services for us or on our behalf, such as:

• Payment processing
• Identity verification and background checks
• Data analysis
• Email delivery
• Hosting services
• Customer service
• Marketing assistance

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

5.3 Business Transfers

We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.

5.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to:

• Comply with applicable law or legal process
• Respond to requests from public and government authorities
• Protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• Allow us to pursue available remedies or limit damages we may sustain

5.5 With Your Consent

We may share your information with your consent or at your direction.

6. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Your personal information may be transferred to, and processed in, countries other than South Africa. When we transfer personal information outside of South Africa, we ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with POPIA requirements, including:

• Ensuring the recipient country has adequate data protection laws
• Implementing appropriate contractual protections
• Obtaining your explicit consent where required

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to:

• Provide our Services to you
• Comply with our legal obligations (e.g., tax and accounting requirements)
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

When we no longer need your personal information, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data retention policies.

8. Security of Your Information

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure server infrastructure
• Access controls and authentication
• Regular security assessments and audits
• Employee training on data protection

However, please be aware that no method of transmitting information over the Internet or storing information is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

9. Your Privacy Rights Under POPIA

Under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to access: Request confirmation of whether we hold your personal information and request a copy of it
• Right to correction: Request correction or deletion of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal information
• Right to deletion: Request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances
• Right to object: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent
• Right to lodge a complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe we have violated your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 14 below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time and in any event within 30 days.

10. Marketing Communications

We may send you marketing communications about our products, services, and promotions. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in our emails
• Adjusting your notification settings in your account
• Contacting us directly

Even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you transactional and service-related messages, such as booking confirmations and account notifications.

11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and track information about your use of our Services. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us improve your experience.

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies. However, if you disable or refuse cookies, some features of our Services may not function properly.

12. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us. If we discover that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we will delete such information from our systems.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Sending you an email notification
• Providing a prominent notice on our Services

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy frequently to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Information Officer:

Adam Pet Care (Pty) Ltd
Information Officer: Privacy Team
Email: privacy@adampetcare.co.za

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

Information Regulator (South Africa)
Website: https://www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za