Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Tail Tribe ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information in compliance with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

POPIA Compliance

Tail Tribe is committed to compliance with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We are registered with the Information Regulator and maintain strict data protection standards.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information:

Full name and email address
Password (encrypted, never stored in plain text)
Profile photo (optional)
Role (pet owner, sitter, or both)

For Sitters:

South African ID, passport, or Smart ID card
Driver's license
Proof of address (utility bill, bank statement)
Location, city, and province
Services offered and pricing
Bio and experience details

For Pet Owners:

Pet information (name, type, breed, age, size)
Booking details and preferences

Usage Data:

IP address and device information
Browser type and operating system
Pages visited and time spent on the platform
Search queries and booking history

Communications:

Messages sent through the Tail Tribe platform
Support tickets and email correspondence

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Create and manage your account
Facilitate bookings between Owners and Sitters
Verify sitter identities and addresses
Process payments securely
Send booking confirmations and updates
Provide customer support
Improve platform functionality
Comply with legal obligations
Prevent fraud and ensure platform safety

4. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)

We process your personal information based on:

Consent: You agree to these terms when creating an account
Contractual necessity: Required to provide our services
Legal obligation: Verification and compliance requirements
Legitimate interests: Platform safety and fraud prevention

We share your information with:

Other users: Owners see sitter profiles; sitters see pet and owner information for confirmed bookings
Payment processors: To facilitate secure transactions
Service providers: Hosting (Supabase), email (Resend), analytics (Vercel)
Law enforcement: When required by South African law

We do NOT:

Sell your personal information to third parties
Share your data for marketing purposes
Provide verification documents to anyone except authorized Tail Tribe admin reviewers

6. Data Storage and Security

Storage:

All data is stored securely on Supabase servers
Verification documents are encrypted and stored in private storage buckets
Only authorized admin personnel can access verification documents

Security Measures:

Industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS)
Row-level security policies on all database tables
Regular security audits
Secure password hashing

Data Location: Our servers are located outside South Africa. By using Tail Tribe you consent to the transfer of your data outside South Africa.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of your personal information
Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete information
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
Objection: Object to certain data processing activities
Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
Withdraw consent: At any time, though this may limit services

To exercise these rights email privacy@tailtribe.co.za

8. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active plus:

Booking records: 7 years (tax and legal compliance)
Verification documents: 3 years after account closure
Support tickets: 2 years
Marketing preferences: Until you opt out

9. Cookies and Tracking

We use essential cookies to:

Keep you logged in
Remember your preferences
Analyze platform usage (anonymized)

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may limit functionality.

10. Children's Privacy

Tail Tribe is not intended for users under 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect information from minors. If we discover we have collected data from a minor we will delete it immediately.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified via email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact and Complaints

Privacy Enquiries: Email: privacy@tailtribe.co.za

POPIA Complaints: If you believe we have not handled your personal information properly, you can lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator:

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

13. Information Officer

Tail Tribe's appointed Information Officer under POPIA is contactable at legal@tailtribe.co.za

Last updated: 1 January 2025