Privacy Policy for Mekanyk Sync Platform

Last Updated: 12 April 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Mekanyk Sync Platform ("Platform", "Services"), developed by Mekanyk Tech ("we", "us", "our"), a company based in South Africa. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly and in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and other applicable data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Platform. Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access or use our Services.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect via the Platform depends on the content and materials you use, and includes:

• Personal Data: Personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, phone number, and potentially other details you provide when you register an account, interact with features like our AI Chat, participate in Challenges, or connect with Service Providers via our Platform. You may voluntarily give us this information. You are under no obligation to provide us with personal information of any kind, however your refusal to do so may prevent you from using certain features of the Platform.
• Derivative Data: Information our servers automatically collect when you access the Platform, such as your device's unique ID (if applicable), IP address, your operating system, the type of browser you use, and platform usage activity data.
• Mobile Device Access: We may request access or permission to certain features from your mobile device when you use our mobile application, specifically including your device's location (for location-based features), camera, and potentially storage or other features necessary for core functionality. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device's settings.
• Mobile Device Data: Device information such as your mobile device ID number, model, and manufacturer, version of your operating system, phone number (if provided), country, precise or approximate location (for location-based features), and any other data you choose to provide when using our mobile application.
• Chat Data: Content and metadata from your interactions with the AI Chat feature.
• Challenge Data: Information related to your participation and progress in Challenges, which might include user-generated content or performance metrics.
• Push Notifications: We may request to send you push notifications regarding your account, challenges, or other Platform activities via our mobile application. If you wish to opt-out from receiving these types of communications, you may turn them off in your device's settings.
• Third-Party Data: Information from third parties, such as personal information or usage data, if you connect your account to a third party (e.g., social login) or interact with integrated third-party services (like potential AI providers for chat or mapping services for places).
  • [Action Required: Specify any third-party integrations and data accessed.]

3. How We Use Your Information

Having accurate information about you permits us to provide you with a smooth, efficient, and customized experience. Specifically, we may use information collected about you via the Platform to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Provide and manage the AI Chat service.
• Facilitate participation in Challenges.
• Provide location-based services and features.
• Connect you with Service Providers via the Platform.
• Email you regarding your account or Platform activity.
• Enable user-to-user communications (if applicable).
• Fulfill and manage transactions related to the Platform.
• Generate a personal profile about you to make future visits to the Platform more personalized.
• Increase the efficiency and operation of the Platform.
• Monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve your experience with the Platform.
• Notify you of updates to the Platform or relevant activities (e.g., new challenges).
• Offer new products, services, applications, and/or recommendations to you.
• Perform other business activities as needed.
• Prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor against theft, and protect against criminal activity.
• Request feedback and contact you about your use of the Platform.
• Resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems.
• Respond to product and customer service requests.
• Solicit support for the Platform.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations. Your information may be disclosed as follows:

• By Law or to Protect Rights: If we believe the release of information about you is necessary to respond to legal process, to investigate or remedy potential violations of our policies, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others, we may share your information as permitted or required by any applicable law, rule, or regulation, including POPIA.
• Third-Party Service Providers: We may share your information with third parties that perform services for us or on our behalf. This may include:
  • Payment processing
  • Data analysis and usage analytics
  • Email delivery
  • Hosting services
  • Customer service
  • Marketing assistance
  • AI service providers (for the AI Chat feature, if applicable)
  • Mapping or location service providers (for location-based features, if applicable)
  • [Action Required: Confirm and list specific categories/providers.]
• Service Providers on the Platform: If you choose to connect with or request services from Service Providers listed on our Platform, we may share necessary information (like your contact details or request specifics) with them to facilitate that connection, with your explicit consent where required.
• Business Transfers: We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.
• Affiliates: We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us.
• Business Partners: We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services or promotions.
• With Your Consent: We may disclose your personal information for any other purpose with your consent (e.g., sharing challenge results publicly if you opt-in).

We do not sell your personal information.

5. Security of Your Information

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information. While we have taken reasonable steps to secure the personal information you provide to us, please be aware that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse. Any information disclosed online is vulnerable to interception and misuse by unauthorized parties. Therefore, we cannot guarantee complete security if you provide personal information.

6. Your Rights under POPIA

In accordance with POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, outdated, incomplete, misleading, or unlawfully obtained personal information.
• Erasure: Request the deletion or destruction of your personal information under certain conditions.
• Object: Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds relating to your particular situation, unless legislation provides for such processing.
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your personal information.
• Lodge a Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the contact details provided below.

7. Data Retention

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Platform and Services are not intended for use by children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information, including personal data, may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of South Africa where the data protection laws may differ. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and POPIA's requirements for cross-border information flows.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at:

Mekanyk Tech info@mekanyk.com