1. Responsible Party
In terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), Tutor In My Pocket (Pty) Ltd is the Responsible Party in respect of all personal information processed through the Platform. Our designated Information Officer can be contacted at hello@tutorinmypocket.co.za.
2. Personal Information We Collect
We collect and process the following personal information from registered parents and guardians only:
- •Full name;
- •Email address;
- •South African mobile number;
- •Payment information (processed and secured by PayFast — we do not store card details);
- •Session usage data linked to learner usernames (not to real names);
- •Platform interaction data for service improvement.
We deliberately do not collect any personally identifiable information from or about learners. Learner profiles consist only of a self-chosen username, a grade level, and an avatar selection. No real names, dates of birth, school names, photographs, or biometric data relating to learners are collected or stored.
3. Purpose of Processing
We process your personal information to:
- •Create and manage your account;
- •Deliver the Platform services, including generating parent reports and dashboard content;
- •Process subscription payments;
- •Communicate with you regarding your account, subscription, and service updates;
- •Improve and develop the Platform;
- •Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
4. Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal information on the following lawful bases under POPIA:
- •Performance of a contract — to deliver the subscription service you purchased;
- •Legitimate interests — to improve services, prevent fraud, and ensure security;
- •Legal obligation — to comply with South African law;
- •Consent — for marketing communications, which you may withdraw at any time.
5. Children's Personal Information
Section 34 of POPIA imposes specific and heightened obligations on the processing of personal information of children. Our Platform is specifically designed to avoid triggering these obligations entirely, by ensuring that no personal information of learners is collected. The username-only design is a deliberate legal and ethical design choice to protect the privacy of children who use the Platform. Parents and guardians should not enter a learner's real name, school, or any identifying information into the username field or any other field. By accepting these Terms, you acknowledge and agree to this requirement.
6. Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information with the following trusted service providers who process data on our behalf under appropriate data processing agreements:
- •PayFast — for payment processing;
- •Anthropic (Claude API) — for AI-powered session responses;
- •Supabase — for database hosting and authentication;
- •Vercel — for platform hosting;
- •Email service providers — for transactional and notification emails.
All third-party providers are required to process personal information only in accordance with our instructions and to maintain appropriate security measures.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account remains active and for a period of 3 years thereafter, or as required by law. Session data linked to learner usernames is retained for the duration of the active subscription. On account deletion, personal information is deleted within 30 days, subject to any legal retention obligations.
8. Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject, you have the right to:
- •Request access to the personal information we hold about you;
- •Request correction of inaccurate personal information;
- •Request deletion of your personal information, subject to lawful retention obligations;
- •Object to the processing of your personal information;
- •Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
To exercise any of these rights, contact hello@tutorinmypocket.co.za. We will respond within the timeframes prescribed by POPIA.
Information Regulator of South Africa — Website: www.inforegulator.org.za · Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za · Telephone: 010 023 5207
9. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or disclosure, including encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular security reviews. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Contact
Email: hello@tutorinmypocket.co.za · Website: tutorinmypocket.co.za
Company: Tutor In My Pocket (Pty) Ltd · Information Officer: Mikhail Dippenaar