Privacy Policy

How Trade Caravan and Real-View SCM collect, use, share and protect your personal information, in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Draft — pending legal review. This page is provided for information only and is not legal advice. It is a working draft and is being finalised by a South African admitted attorney before it becomes binding.

Last updated: 9 June 2026

We comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). This policy explains how we handle your personal information across the Trade Caravan website, our free tools and the Real-View SCM application.

1. Scope

This policy applies to personal information we process as the responsible party when you use the Service. Where we process data on behalf of a business customer (for example shipment records inside Real-View), our Data Processing Addendum also applies.

2. Who we are & our Information Officer

The responsible party is Trade Caravan. Our Information Officer can be reached at [email protected].

3. What personal information we collect

  • Account information — name, email, password (hashed), company name.
  • Billing information — plan, billing email and transaction references. Card/bank details are handled by PayFast, not stored by us.
  • Usage information — pages and tools used, device/browser data, IP address, via server logs and Google Analytics (GA4).
  • Communications — emails, support messages, and WhatsApp number if you opt in to alerts.
  • Shipment data — container/bill-of-lading numbers and related tracking details you enter into Real-View.

4. How we collect it & our lawful basis

We collect information directly from you (registration, forms, tool inputs), automatically (cookies, logs), and from third-party data sources for tracking. We process it on one or more lawful bases under POPIA: your consent (for example newsletters and WhatsApp alerts), performance of a contract (providing paid features), our legitimate interests (securing and improving the Service), and compliance with the law.

5. Purpose for processing

We process personal information to create and manage your account; provide tracking and tools; take payment; send service messages and the communications you subscribed to; provide support; prevent fraud and abuse; and meet legal obligations. We collect only what we need for these purposes.

6. How we use your information

  • To deliver and maintain the Service and your subscription.
  • To send transactional emails (via Resend) and, if you opt in, newsletters/alerts and WhatsApp messages (via Twilio).
  • To monitor performance and errors and improve the product.
  • To connect you with a service provider only where you ask us to (with your consent).

We never sell your personal information.

7. Sharing with operators & third parties

We share personal information with operators (processors) who help us run the Service — hosting, payments, email, messaging, error monitoring and tracking data providers. They may only use it on our instructions. The current list is in our Data Processing Addendum & sub-processor list.

8. Cross-border transfers (POPIA section 72)

Some operators process data outside South Africa. Our primary application hosting is in South Africa; however Twilio/WhatsApp, Resend, Sentry and MarineTraffic may process data offshore (for example in the United States or European Union). Where data leaves South Africa we rely on a section 72 basis — typically an operator contract that provides protection substantially similar to POPIA, and/or that the transfer is necessary to perform our contract with you, and/or your consent. See the sub-processor table for each provider's location.

9. Security safeguards (POPIA section 19)

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information — encryption in transit (HTTPS), hashed passwords, access controls and reputable infrastructure providers. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to prevent loss of, damage to, or unauthorised access to your data, and to notify you and the Regulator of a breach as required.

10. Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes above or as required by law. Account data is kept while your account is active and for a limited period afterwards; billing records are kept for the period required for tax and accounting (including SARS retention requirements); newsletter data is kept until you unsubscribe.

11. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to ask us to correct or delete it, to object to certain processing, and to lodge a complaint. To exercise these rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

12. Direct marketing & opt-out

We send marketing only where permitted (your consent or an existing-customer relationship under POPIA section 69 and the CPA). Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out of WhatsApp alerts by replying STOP or emailing us.

13. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for sign-in, analytics and advertising. See our Cookie Policy and the consent banner to manage your choices.

14. Children

The Service is for business users and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without parental/guardian consent.

15. Complaints to the Information Regulator

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa): inforegulator.org.za, email [email protected]. We'd appreciate the chance to resolve it first.

16. Changes

We may update this policy; the "last updated" date above shows the current version. Material changes will be notified by email or an on-site notice.

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