Privacy Policy

WalletHero (operated by Shaun Nare) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our website (https://wallethero.site).

1. What Data We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Information: When you sign up, we collect your email address, display name, phone number, and password (hashed).
• Shopping Lists: The grocery items you paste into the comparison tool are processed to find prices and delivery fees. We log anonymised search and basket queries to improve the service.
• Delivery Address: When you enter your address for delivery estimates, we collect the address text and (if using Google Places) your precise latitude/longitude. This helps us check which apps deliver to you.
• Saved Addresses: If you save an address to your account, we store it securely for future use.
• Price Reports: When you report a product price or delivery fee, we link it to your account to award points and verify accuracy.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device & Usage Data: We collect anonymised data about how you interact with the site, including pages viewed, searches performed, products clicked, and basket comparisons. This helps us understand what features are most useful.
• Cookies: We use essential cookies for authentication (session management) and optional analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense). You can control cookie preferences in your browser settings.
• IP Address: Your IP address is logged for security purposes (rate limiting, fraud prevention) and anonymised after processing.

2. How We Use Your Data

2.1 Core Service Delivery

• Price Comparison: We use your shopping list to find product prices and delivery fees from retailer databases and partner APIs.
• Delivery Estimates: Your location (address or coordinates) is used to determine which delivery apps serve your area and calculate accurate delivery fees.
• Account Management: Your email and phone number are used for login, password reset, email verification, and essential service communications.

2.2 Service Improvement & Analytics

• We analyse anonymised search and basket data to identify popular products, meal trends, and feature usage.
• We track which delivery app links are clicked (via /api/delivery-click) to understand user preferences and improve our recommendations.
• Price reports help us correct and verify product prices – the data is aggregated and anonymised for community savings calculations.

2.3 Marketing & Communications

• Email Communications: We send transactional emails (account verification, password reset). With your explicit consent, we may send occasional feature updates and community savings insights. You can opt out anytime.
• Google AdSense: We display ads to support free access. Ad personalisation is enabled but you can opt out via your Google Ad Settings.

3. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. Limited sharing occurs only for:

• Service Providers: We use trusted third parties to deliver our service:
  • Google Cloud / Render: Hosting infrastructure for the website and database.
  • Google Maps Places API: Used for address autocomplete and geocoding (when you type your address). Your location is processed by Google according to their Privacy Policy.
  • Google OAuth: If you sign in with Google, we receive your email and name from Google. We never store your Google password.
  • SMTP Email Provider: Used to send verification and password reset emails (your email address is passed to them for delivery).
  • Google Analytics: Anonymised usage analytics (you can opt out via Google's opt-out tool).
  • Google AdSense: Displays relevant ads (you can manage preferences via Google's Ad Settings).
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose data if required by South African law (e.g., POPIA enforcement, court orders).
• Business Transfer: If WalletHero is acquired or merged, your data would be transferred as part of the business assets (with continued privacy protections).

4. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Account Data: Kept as long as your account is active. You can request deletion at any time.
• Search & Basket Logs: Anonymised after 90 days. Identifiable logs are kept for up to 30 days for troubleshooting.
• Saved Addresses: Stored until you delete them or delete your account.
• Price Reports: Retained indefinitely in aggregated, anonymised form to track price history and community savings.

5. Your Rights (POPIA & GDPR)

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of all data we hold about you.
• Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request permanent deletion of your account and associated data (subject to legal retention obligations).
• Objection: Opt out of marketing communications or certain data processing activities.
• Portability: Request a machine-readable export of your data.

To exercise these rights, email us at shaun@wallethero.site. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers uses HTTPS/TLS encryption.
• Passwords: Stored as salted hashes (never in plain text).
• Session Security: Cookies are HTTP-only, SameSite=Lax, and Secure in production.
• Rate Limiting: Login and signup attempts are rate-limited to prevent brute-force attacks.
• Database Security: Access is restricted to the application server; regular backups are stored securely.

While we take reasonable precautions, no online service is 100% secure. We will notify you and the relevant authorities of any data breach affecting your personal information as required by POPIA.

7. Children's Privacy

WalletHero is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected a child's data, please contact us to delete it.

8. Third-Party Links & Services

Our site contains links to external retailer and delivery apps (Checkers Sixty60, Woolworths Dash, Pick n Pay ASAP, Spar2U). These sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their data practices.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy periodically to reflect new features or legal requirements. The "Last Updated" date at the top will change with each update. Significant changes will be notified via email or a prominent notice on the site.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how your data is handled, please contact:

• Shaun Nare – Founder & CTO
• Email: shaun@wallethero.site
• Address: WalletHero, Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa

🗂️ Data Protection Officer (DPO) Contact: For POPIA-related queries, you can also reach us at dpo@wallethero.site (we'll set up this alias to forward to Shaun).

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