PRIVACY POLICY — HOMELYNK SA
Last updated: 10 October 2026

HomeLynk SA ("we", "our", "the app") connects domestic workers,
tradespeople and employers across South Africa. This policy explains
what information we collect, why, and how you can control it.


1. WHO WE ARE

HomeLynk SA is operated by Tebello Daniel Kele. If you have questions
about this policy or your data, contact us at tdkele@gmail.com.


2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We only collect what's needed to run the service:

- Account information: name, email address or phone number, password
  (stored securely, never in plain text).

- Identity verification: your South African ID number and a selfie,
  used to verify your identity before you're allowed to appear in
  search or contact other users. Workers and tradespeople also submit
  photos of their ID document (front and back); employers do not —
  an ID number and selfie are sufficient for employer verification.
  Your selfie (and ID document photo, for workers/tradespeople) is
  automatically analysed by a third-party service (listed under "Who
  can see your information" below) to confirm a face is present. See
  Section 3 for how this automated check works alongside human review.

- Profile information: bio, skills, experience, expected salary/budget,
  location (province, city, community, address), and — for workers —
  reference contacts you choose to add.

- Photos and video: profile photo, introduction video, and any work
  photos you post to the Discover feed.

- Messages: chat messages sent between employers and workers within
  the app. We automatically screen messages for shared contact details
  (phone numbers, emails, social handles) before a platform fee has
  been paid, to keep the platform fair.

- Payment information: platform fees are processed by PayFast, a
  licensed South African payment gateway. We never see or store your
  card or bank details — PayFast handles that directly.

- Device information: a push notification token (if you allow
  notifications), used only to send you in-app alerts (new messages,
  offers, verification updates).

We do NOT collect location tracking (GPS), contacts, browsing history
outside the app, or advertising identifiers.


3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

- To create and manage your account and profile.
- To verify your identity and display a verification badge to other users.
- To let employers and workers find and message each other.
- To process platform fee payments via PayFast.
- To send you notifications about messages, offers, and account activity.
- To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or attempts to bypass the
  platform fee (e.g. sharing contact details before payment).

We do not sell your personal information to third parties, and we do
not use your data for third-party advertising.

Automated identity checks: part of identity verification is automated
— confirming a real face is visible in your selfie (and, for workers
and tradespeople, in your ID document photo). Your South African ID
number is also validated for correct format. If every required check
passes, your account is verified immediately and automatically — no
admin step is needed. If a check doesn't pass, or can't be completed
(for example, if the automated service is temporarily unavailable),
this does not result in automatic rejection of your account: it is
flagged for review by a human member of our admin team before any
final decision is made. You may also contact us at any time to
request that a human review any verification decision made about you.


4. WHO CAN SEE YOUR INFORMATION

- Before verification/payment: other users can see your name, general
  location (province/city), skills, category, and public profile photo.
  Full contact details (phone number) are hidden until an employer has
  paid the applicable platform fee for a match.

- Admin review: our admin team reviews submitted ID documents and can
  view account details to moderate the platform, resolve disputes, and
  process payment confirmations.

- Service providers: we share the minimum data necessary with:
    * Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage (hosted
      infrastructure for the app)
    * Google Cloud Vision API — analyses your selfie (and ID document
      photo, for workers/tradespeople) to detect whether a face is
      present, as part of automated identity verification
    * PayFast — payment processing
    * Expo / Google push notification services — to deliver app
      notifications

These providers only receive what they need to perform their function
and are contractually required to protect your data. Some of these
providers may process data on servers located outside South Africa;
we only use providers whose data protection standards meet POPIA's
requirements for cross-border transfer of personal information.


5. DATA RETENTION AND DELETION

You can permanently delete your account at any time from
Profile > Delete Account. This immediately and permanently removes your
profile data, account record, and login credentials from our systems.
Some records (such as payment records required for financial/legal
compliance) may be retained as required by law even after account
deletion.


6. YOUR RIGHTS

Under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you
have the right to:

- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate information (via Edit Profile, or by
  contacting us).
- Request deletion of your account and data (via Delete Account, or by
  contacting us).
- Object to certain uses of your information.
- Request that a human review any automated decision made about your
  identity verification, rather than it being based solely on
  automated processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at tdkele@gmail.com.


7. SECURITY

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including
encrypted connections (HTTPS) between the app and our servers, and
access controls restricting who can view your data. No system is 100%
secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.


8. CHILDREN

HomeLynk SA is intended for users 18 years and older, as the platform
involves identity verification, employment matching, and payments. We
do not knowingly collect information from children.


9. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll update the "Last
updated" date above when we do. Continued use of the app after changes
means you accept the updated policy.


10. CONTACT US

Questions or requests about your data: tdkele@gmail.com

© 2026 HomeLynk SA · Operated by Tebello Daniel Kele