Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how the owners and shareholders of massagetherapist.me ("we", "us") process personal information when you use the platform. We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and other applicable law. For POPIA purposes, the owners and shareholders are the responsible party for information processed to operate the platform. Each therapist is a separate, independent responsible party for any personal information she receives from clients and uses to arrange or provide sessions.

2. Information we collect

From clients and visitors: the day, time window and mode you choose; the address you enter; the calculated distance and travel estimate; your optional first name and cell number; any message you leave and the contact details you include; any question you type into the chat; and any review you leave, including your first name, scores, comment and the month.

From therapists: name, area, mobile number, travel base and coordinates, travel rule, studio address, note, photos and page settings; sign-in records; and records of claims, subscriptions and created photos.

Automatically: technical information such as IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, dates and times, referring links and diagnostic logs, collected to deliver, secure and improve the platform.

3. Why we process it

To publish therapist pages; to record and pass on booking requests and messages to the relevant therapist; to calculate travel estimates and show weather; to publish reviews; to answer general questions through the chat; to let therapists sign in and manage their pages; to administer invitations, claims and subscriptions; to prevent fraud, abuse and security incidents; to comply with law; and to improve the platform.

We rely on one or more of the following justifications under POPIA: your consent; the performance of a contract or steps at your request before a contract; compliance with a legal obligation; and our legitimate interests or those of a therapist, where those interests are not overridden by yours.

4. Who we share it with

Booking requests and messages are shared with the therapist whose page you used. When you tap Send request, a WhatsApp message containing your request opens on your device; sending it is your choice and it is then handled by WhatsApp under its own terms.

We use service providers (operators) for hosting, database and file storage, SMS delivery, mapping and distance calculation, weather forecasts and automated text answers. They process personal information only on our instructions and under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations. Some may store or process information outside South Africa, in which case we take steps required by section 72 of POPIA to ensure adequate protection.

We may disclose information where required by law, court order or a competent authority, or to protect the rights, property or safety of any person. We do not sell personal information.

5. Questions typed into the chat

Questions you type into the chat are sent to an automated text service to produce an answer. Do not include health details, names, addresses or other personal information in chat questions. We do not use chat questions to build profiles of visitors.

6. Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purposes above or as required by law. As a guide: booking requests and messages are kept for up to 24 months; reviews are kept while the page is published and for a reasonable period afterwards; therapist account records are kept for the duration of the subscription and up to five years afterwards for legal, tax and audit purposes; technical logs are kept for shorter periods. Information may be kept longer where necessary to resolve disputes or enforce our terms.

7. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction and unlawful access, including access controls, encryption in transit and role-based permissions. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted over the internet. We will notify affected persons and the Information Regulator of a security compromise as required by POPIA.

8. Your rights

Subject to POPIA, you may ask whether we hold personal information about you, request access to it, ask us to correct or delete it, object to processing on reasonable grounds, withdraw consent where processing relies on consent, and object to direct marketing. You may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa. To exercise a right, contact us as described below; we may need to verify your identity first.

Requests concerning information held by a therapist about her own clients should be directed to that therapist, who is an independent responsible party.

9. Children

The platform is not intended for persons under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided information, contact us so that we can delete it.

Governing law and jurisdiction

This document, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter, is governed by and must be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa. You agree that the courts of the Republic of South Africa have jurisdiction to hear and determine any such dispute, without prejudice to any right of the owners and shareholders to seek interim or urgent relief in any competent court.

Nothing in this document limits any right you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, or the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, to the extent that those Acts apply and cannot lawfully be limited.

Changes to this document

We may update this document from time to time to reflect changes in the platform, in the law, or in how we operate. The updated version takes effect when it is published on this page, and the date at the top will change. Where a change materially affects therapists with an active subscription, we will make reasonable efforts to tell them in advance through the contact details we hold. Your continued use of the platform after a change takes effect means you accept the updated document.

Severability, waiver and entire agreement

If any provision of this document is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision will be severed and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. Any failure or delay by us in enforcing a right does not amount to a waiver of that right. This document, together with the other policies linked in the footer of every page, constitutes the entire agreement between you and us on its subject matter.

Contact

Questions about this document can be sent to us using the contact details provided to therapists on onboarding, or by leaving a message through the platform. References in this document to "we", "us" and "our" are references to the owners and shareholders of the platform, collectively, and to no other person.