Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 20 April 2026
Last Updated: 20 April 2026
wefindpets.co.za ("wefindpets", "we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and, where applicable, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
By using our platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Account Information (Mandatory)
When you create an account, we require the following information:
Email address - used for account authentication, notifications, and platform communications.
First name - used to identify you on the platform and in communications.
General location (e.g., city or province) - used to display missing pets near your area and to enable location-based features of the platform.
1.2 Account Information (Optional)
You may also choose to provide the following information:
Last name - displayed on your public profile.
Phone number - displayed on your public profile and may be used for WhatsApp notifications if enabled.
1.3 Pet Information
When you register a pet, you provide information including but not limited to your pet's name, species, sex, physical description, and photographs. This information forms the basis of your pet's profile on the platform and is used to power our AI-assisted pet re-identification features.
1.4 Payment Information
If you subscribe to a paid plan, your payment is processed by a third-party payment gateway. We do not collect, store, or have access to your full card details or sensitive financial information. We only receive and record payment status notifications (e.g., successful, failed, cancelled) from the payment gateway to manage your subscription status on our platform.
1.5 Automatically Collected Data
We automatically collect limited technical and usage data to operate and improve the platform, including IP address, device and browser information, pages visited, and interaction data. We may use third-party analytics tools (such as Microsoft Clarity) to help us understand how users interact with the platform.
2. Public Nature of User and Pet Data
wefindpets is a community-driven platform. The primary purpose of the service is to help reunite lost pets with their owners by making pet and owner information discoverable by other users of the platform.
By registering on wefindpets and adding pets to your profile, you acknowledge and expressly consent to the following information being visible to all registered and, where applicable, unregistered users of the platform:
Your first name and last name (if provided)
Your phone number (if provided and not hidden via your profile privacy settings)
Your general location
All pet profiles associated with your account, including pet names, species, sex, descriptions, and photographs
Missing pet reports you have submitted, including associated photographs and location details
If you are not comfortable with this information being publicly visible, we respectfully advise that the wefindpets platform may not be suitable for you.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
Create and manage your account and pet profiles
Power our AI-assisted pet re-identification and photo matching features
Display and filter missing pet catalogs by location
Send email, push, and WhatsApp notifications relevant to your pets or platform activity
Facilitate secure in-app messaging between users regarding potential pet matches
Manage your subscription status and access to paid platform features
Improve platform performance, security, and user experience
Comply with applicable legal obligations
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal information on the following lawful grounds:
Contractual necessity - to provide you with the services you have requested and agreed to.
Legitimate interest - to operate and improve the platform, ensure platform integrity, and prevent fraud or abuse.
Consent - where you have explicitly agreed to processing, such as enabling WhatsApp notifications or providing optional profile information.
Legal obligation - where we are required to process your data to comply with applicable law.
5. Third-Party Services
We use trusted third-party service providers to help operate the platform. These providers may process certain personal information on our behalf, strictly for the purposes described in this policy. They include, but are not limited to:
Payment gateway providers - to process subscription payments securely. These providers handle your payment card information directly and are bound by their own privacy policies and applicable financial regulations (including PCI-DSS compliance). We never receive or store your full card details.
Cloud infrastructure and hosting providers - to store and serve platform data.
Analytics providers - to help us understand usage patterns and improve the platform.
Notification providers - to deliver email, push, and WhatsApp notifications on our behalf.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing or commercial purposes.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account remains active or as needed to provide you with our services. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law or to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or prevent fraud.
Subscription and payment transaction records may be retained for up to seven years as required for financial auditing and legal compliance.
7. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These include encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), access controls, secure data storage, and regular security reviews.
While we take reasonable precautions, no system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the Information Regulator (POPIA) or relevant supervisory authority (GDPR) as required by applicable law.
8. Your Rights
Subject to applicable law (including POPIA and, where applicable, the GDPR), you have the right to:
Access a copy of the personal information we hold about you
Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
Request deletion of your personal information, subject to lawful retention requirements
Object to or restrict certain types of processing
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
Data portability (where applicable under GDPR)
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (for POPIA) or the relevant supervisory authority in your jurisdiction (for GDPR)
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11.
9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and analyse platform usage. You may control cookie preferences through your browser settings, though disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality.
10. Children's Privacy
Our platform is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service offerings. We will notify you of material changes by email or by posting a prominent notice on the platform prior to the change becoming effective. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us at: