Privacy policy
Last updated: 14 October 2026
This policy explains how Finick (Pty) Ltd ("we", "us"), a company registered in South Africa, handles personal information when you use the Earwise app and this website. We aim to collect as little as possible.
1. Who is responsible
Finick (Pty) Ltd is the "responsible party" under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the "controller" under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Contact: hello@example.com. Information Officer: [name to be confirmed]. Company registration number: [to be added]. Registered address: [to be added].
2. What we use, and why
| Data | How it is used | Legal basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Location (GPS) | Used only on your device to start a story when you reach a stop and to show you on the offline map. It is not sent to us or stored on our servers. You can turn location off, and then you start stories by hand. | Your consent through the device permission |
| Purchases | Payments go through Apple App Store or Google Play. We never see your card details. We receive only what is needed to unlock what you bought, such as a purchase receipt or transaction ID. | Performance of a contract |
| Problem reports (optional) | If you choose to send a report or contact us, we receive what you send, such as your message, email address, app version, device model and the guide or stop involved. We use it only to reply and to fix the problem. | Consent and legitimate interest |
| App settings | Your language, appearance, playback speed and downloaded guides are stored on your device. | Not sent to us |
3. What we do not do
- No advertising, no ad tracking and no advertising IDs.
- We don't sell or rent personal information.
- We don't build location histories or profiles.
- No account is needed to use the app.
4. Service providers
We use a small number of providers that process data for us: Apple and Google (app distribution and payments), [content hosting/CDN, e.g. GitHub/jsDelivr, which receive your IP address when guides are downloaded] and [email/support provider]. Some of them may process data outside South Africa or the EU. Where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or the protections allowed under section 72 of POPIA.
5. How long we keep data
We keep problem reports and support emails for up to [24 months] and then delete them. Purchase records are kept by Apple or Google, and by us for as long as tax and accounting law requires.
6. Your rights
Under POPIA and the GDPR you can ask to access, correct or delete your personal information, object to or restrict processing, withdraw consent at any time, and (under the GDPR) receive your data in a portable format. Email hello@example.com. You may also complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za, or to the data protection authority in your EU country.
7. Children
The app is suitable for general audiences and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. [Age threshold to be confirmed: POPIA 18, GDPR 13–16 depending on the country.]
8. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the little data we hold, including encrypted connections (HTTPS).
9. This website
This website uses no cookies, analytics or trackers. Our host may keep standard server logs, such as IP addresses, for security.
10. Changes
If we update this policy, we will change the date at the top. If the changes are important, we will tell you in the app.