Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective date: 30 May 2026  ·  OnStandby Technologies (Pty) Ltd  ·  Reg. No. 2026/371214/07

1. Who We Are

OnStandby Technologies (Pty) Ltd ("OnStandby", "we", "us") is a South African private company operating an emergency dispatch and on-demand vendor marketplace at onstandby.co.za.

Information Officer: Jean du Preez
Contact: privacy@onstandby.co.za

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Users (people requesting services)

• Name, email address, phone number
• Location data — your approximate location at the time of a service request, used to match you with nearby vendors
• Job history — records of services you have requested, their status, and outcomes
• Ratings you submit for vendors
• Payment information — processed by Paystack and TradeSafe; OnStandby does not store card numbers or banking details
• In-app messages and voice notes exchanged with vendors during a job
• Device information — browser type, IP address, push notification subscription token

2.2 Vendors (service professionals)

• Full name, email address, phone number
• Business name, registration type, CIPC number, VAT number (if applicable)
• Service domains and professional certifications
• Bank account details — stored securely for payout processing
• Location — your base address and the service radius you set
• Availability calendar and time-off records
• Job history, completion photos, and generated documents (certificates, statements)
• Ratings received from users
• In-app messages and voice notes within job contexts

2.3 Vendor applicants (website application form)

• Name, email, phone, business details, and service information submitted via the vendor application form on onstandby.co.za
• Your POPI consent and the timestamp at which it was given

3. Why We Collect It

We process personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected:

• To provide the platform — matching users with vendors, dispatching service requests, managing the job lifecycle
• To process payments — initiating, holding, and releasing payments through Paystack (instant transfers) and TradeSafe (escrow)
• To verify vendors — reviewing applications, confirming credentials, and maintaining platform integrity
• To enable communication — in-app chat and voice between users and vendors during a job
• To resolve disputes — OnStandby administrators may review job records, messages, and photos when a dispute is raised
• To maintain safety and trust — platform-wide ratings, incident records, and suspension decisions
• To send notifications — job status updates, incoming dispatch alerts, and booking confirmations
• To comply with legal obligations

4. How We Store and Protect It

Your data is stored on Google Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL), hosted in the africa-south1 (Johannesburg) region. Files and photos are stored in Google Cloud Storage in the same region. All data is encrypted at rest and in transit (TLS 1.2+).

Access to personal data is restricted to OnStandby personnel with a legitimate operational need. Production systems are access-controlled via Google Cloud IAM.

We do not operate a call centre. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

5. Third Parties We Share Data With

We share only the minimum information required for each service to function:

• Paystack — processes instant payment transactions (callout fees, deposits, milestone payments). Subject to Paystack's own privacy policy.
• TradeSafe — holds escrow funds for job completion payments. A Standard Bank Group company, regulated in South Africa.
• Google LLC — Google Cloud (hosting, database, file storage), Google Calendar (vendor booking availability), Google Maps (location services). Subject to Google's privacy policy.
• Vercel Inc. — hosts the user, vendor, and admin web applications. No personal data is stored by Vercel beyond standard access logs.

We do not share your data with any advertising network, data broker, or third party outside the above.

6. Retention

• Active accounts — retained for as long as the account is active
• Job records — retained for 5 years to support dispute resolution and financial auditing
• Vendor application data — retained for 12 months; rejected applications are deleted after 6 months
• Deleted accounts — personal identifiers anonymised within 30 days of a deletion request; financial records retained as required by law
• Chat messages and voice notes — retained for 12 months after job closure, then deleted

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 inaccurate or incomplete information be corrected
• Deletion — request that your personal information be deleted, subject to legal retention requirements
• Objection — object to the processing of your information in certain circumstances
• Complaint — lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been violated

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@onstandby.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Cookies and Analytics

The OnStandby website uses no third-party analytics or advertising cookies. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or similar tracking tools. Session state in the web applications is managed via JWT tokens stored in browser localStorage — no cookies are used for authentication.

9. Children

OnStandby is not intended for use by persons under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has registered on the platform, contact us at privacy@onstandby.co.za and we will delete the account promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the platform evolves. Material changes will be communicated via the email address on your account at least 14 days before taking effect. The effective date at the top of this page will always reflect the current version.

11. Contact

For any privacy-related questions or requests:

• Email: privacy@onstandby.co.za
• General support: support@onstandby.co.za
• Company: OnStandby Technologies (Pty) Ltd, Reg. No. 2026/371214/07