Privacy Policy

APPIHIRE (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our users in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and applicable South African law.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights in relation to that information. By using our platform, you consent to the practices described herein.

We collect the following categories of information:

• Account information: name, email address, phone number, and password (hashed).
• Worker profile information: identity document details, biometric verification data (via VerifyNow OCR), skills, employment history, education, availability, profile photo, bank account details, and emergency contact information.
• Employer profile information: business name, registration details, contact information, and payment method details.
• Transaction data: job listings, applications, agreed rates, payment history, wallet balances, and PayFast payment details.
• Communication data: in-platform messages, voice notes, voice agreements, and contact form submissions.
• Location data: GPS coordinates for job check-in/check-out, availability radius, and reverse-geocoded addresses.
• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, and platform usage analytics.

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain the APPIHIRE platform services.
• To verify worker identities through our VerifyNow integration.
• To process payments via PayFast and manage wallet transactions.
• To facilitate communication between workers and employers.
• To send notifications about job matches, applications, and platform updates.
• To detect and prevent fraud, misuse, and security incidents.
• To comply with legal obligations under South African law.

We process personal information on the following lawful bases under POPIA:

• Consent: You provide explicit consent when registering and using the platform.
• Contract performance: Processing necessary to fulfil job agreements and service terms.
• Legitimate interest: Fraud prevention, security, and platform improvement.
• Legal obligation: Compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in the following circumstances:

• Workers ↔ Employers: Verified worker profiles are visible to employers for hiring purposes. Employer contact details are shared with accepted workers.
• Service providers: Google Cloud (hosting, storage), PayFast (payments), VerifyNow (identity verification), SMSPortal (SMS delivery), SendGrid (email delivery), and Agora (video calls).
• Franchise operators: Relevant worker and employer data may be shared with your territory’s franchise operator for local support.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety.

We implement industry-standard security measures including AES-256 encryption for sensitive data, JWT-based authentication, HTTPS-only communications, and secure Google Cloud Storage for documents and images. All data is stored in compliance with POPIA’s security safeguards.

While we take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, no internet transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Upon account deletion, we will remove your data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g., financial records for SARS) or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., fraud prevention).

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction or deletion of your information.
• Object to processing of your personal information.
• Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent).
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise these rights, contact us at appihirecloud@gmail.com.

Our platform uses essential cookies for authentication and session management. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. By continuing to use the platform, you consent to our use of cookies as described.

Some of our service providers (e.g., Google Cloud) may process data outside South Africa. We ensure that any cross-border transfers comply with POPIA Chapter 9 requirements and that appropriate safeguards are in place.

APPIHIRE is not intended for persons under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we become aware that we have collected data from a minor, we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or an in-platform notification. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

In terms of POPIA, APPIHIRE has designated an Information Officer responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act. To exercise your rights, lodge a complaint, or raise a data-related concern:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the Information Regulator of South Africa: