POPIA COMPLIANT

Privacy Policy

How iKofi collects, uses and protects your personal information.

Effective date: 17 September 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how beachy Creative (Pty) Ltd t/a iKofi ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). By using iKofi, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

2. Identity and Contact Details

  • Responsible Party: beachy Creative (Pty) Ltd, registered in South Africa. Company details available on request.
  • Information Officer: The Managing Director of beachy Creative (Pty) Ltd.
  • Email: issues@ikofi.co.za
  • Physical Address: East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Account Information

When you register, we collect:

  • Email address
  • Full name or display name
  • Password (stored as a one-way hash — we cannot read it)
  • Role (creator, supporter, or advertiser)

3.2 Profile Information (Optional)

  • Bio, category, location
  • Profile photo or business logo
  • Social media links
  • Gallery images and event listings

3.3 Financial Information

  • Bank account details (for creators receiving tips) — processed and stored by Paystack, not by us
  • Transaction records: amounts, dates, status
  • We do not store credit card numbers or full bank details on our servers

3.4 Technical Information

  • IP address, browser type, device information
  • Pages visited, referral URLs
  • Cookies and session identifiers

3.5 Source of Data

We collect personal information directly from you when you register, fill in your profile, or use iKofi. Technical data is collected automatically through cookies and server logs. Payment data is processed by Paystack and shared with us only in aggregated or limited form.

3.6 Voluntary vs. Mandatory

Providing your email and name is mandatory to create an account. Profile information (bio, photo, links, gallery) is voluntary. If you refuse to provide mandatory information, you will not be able to register. If you refuse to provide voluntary information, your account will still function but your public page will be limited.

4. Purpose and Processing

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

  • Service delivery: To create and maintain your account, display your public page, and facilitate tipping.
  • Payment processing: To process tips and payments through Paystack.
  • Communication: To send account-related emails (welcome, password resets, security alerts).
  • Platform improvement: To analyse usage patterns and improve iKofi.
  • Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
  • Security: To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.

4.1 Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data based on:

  • Consent: When you register and agree to this policy.
  • Contract: To perform our obligations under the Terms of Service.
  • Legitimate interest: To improve our platform and ensure security.
  • Legal obligation: To comply with South African law.

4.2 Retention Periods

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or regulatory purposes (e.g., financial records for 5 years under the Companies Act).

5. Sharing and Transfers

5.1 Third Parties

We share your information only with:

  • Paystack (Stripe): Payment processing. They have their own privacy policy and are PCI-DSS compliant.
  • Hosting provider: Our servers are hosted by a South African hosting provider.
  • Analytics: We may use privacy-respecting analytics tools to understand site usage.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

5.2 Cross-Border Transfers

Paystack processes payments globally. When you make or receive a payment, your data may be processed outside South Africa. Paystack ensures appropriate safeguards are in place for cross-border transfers in accordance with POPIA.

6. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from loss, damage, unauthorised access, and misuse, including:

  • Passwords are hashed using bcrypt (one-way encryption)
  • HTTPS encryption in production
  • CSRF protection on all forms
  • Input validation and sanitisation
  • Session management with automatic expiry
  • Access controls on administrative functions

While we take reasonable steps, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request that we correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements).
  • Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for certain purposes.
  • Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (see below).

To exercise any of these rights, email us at issues@ikofi.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Cookies

iKofi uses essential cookies for session management and security. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can configure your browser to block cookies, but some features of iKofi may not function properly.

9. Children

iKofi is not intended for children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Complaints

If you believe your rights under POPIA have been violated, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

We encourage you to contact us first at issues@ikofi.co.za so we can resolve your concern directly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available at ikofi.co.za/legal/privacy. Continued use of iKofi after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

For any privacy-related queries, contact:

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