Wineries.ai Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how Wineries.ai ("Wineries.ai", "we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, discloses, retains and protects Personal Information when you use the Wineries.ai mobile application and related services (the "App").
We are committed to processing Personal Information in a lawful and reasonable manner that does not infringe your privacy, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and other applicable laws.
2. Definitions
"Account" means your registered profile used to access the App.
"Personal Information" has the meaning given in POPIA and includes information relating to an identifiable, living natural person and, where applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person.
"Processing" means any operation or activity concerning Personal Information, including collection, receipt, recording, organisation, storage, updating, retrieval, use, dissemination, or destruction.
"Operator" means a person who processes Personal Information for a responsible party in terms of a contract or mandate, without coming under the direct authority of that party.
"Responsible Party" means the party that determines the purpose of and means for processing Personal Information. For purposes of this Policy, Wineries.ai acts as the Responsible Party for Personal Information processed through the App.
3. Scope and Consent
This Policy applies to Personal Information processed through the App, including information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the App, and information obtained from integrated services you choose to connect.
By using the App, creating an Account, or otherwise providing Personal Information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy. Where Processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time, subject to lawful restrictions and the functionality of the App.
4. Information We Collect
We collect information necessary to operate the App, to provide features you request, and to comply with legal obligations. The categories of Personal Information we may collect are described below.
4.1 Account and Identity Information
When you create or manage an Account, we may collect your name, email address, authentication credentials (in hashed or tokenised form through our authentication provider), and profile preferences.
4.2 User Content
If you choose to create content in the App, we may process tasting notes, winery notes, reviews, ratings, images you upload, and any text you submit as part of community features.
4.3 Usage and Device Information
We may collect information about how you use the App, including feature interactions, approximate usage times, and performance diagnostics. We may also process device information such as device model, operating system version, language settings, and unique identifiers necessary for security and analytics.
4.4 Location Information
If you enable location permissions, we may process precise or approximate location information to provide location-based features, such as nearby winery discovery. You can disable location permissions in your device settings; certain features may then be limited.
4.5 Subscription and Transaction Information
If you purchase a subscription, payments are processed by the applicable app store or payment provider. We do not receive your full payment card details. We may receive limited transaction information such as purchase status, plan type, renewal status, and transaction identifiers needed to provide Premium features, manage entitlements, and handle support queries.
5. How We Use Personal Information
We may use Personal Information to create and manage Accounts, authenticate users, provide the App's core functionality, deliver Premium features, personalise content and recommendations, facilitate community interactions, and provide customer support.
We may also use information for security, fraud prevention, troubleshooting, analytics to improve the App, and to comply with applicable laws and lawful requests.
6. Lawful Bases for Processing (POPIA)
We process Personal Information only where there is a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, Processing may be based on one or more of the following:
Consent, where you have provided a voluntary, specific and informed indication of your wishes, including for optional features such as location-based services.
Contractual necessity, where Processing is required to provide the App or Premium subscription features you request.
Legitimate interests, where Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and such interests are not overridden by your rights, including for security, service improvement, and the prevention of misuse.
Legal obligation, where Processing is necessary for compliance with applicable law or to respond to lawful requests.
7. Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell Personal Information. We may disclose Personal Information to Operators and service providers who process information on our behalf under appropriate contractual safeguards, including providers for hosting, authentication, analytics, customer support, and subscription management.
We may disclose Personal Information where required by law, regulation, court order, or other lawful request, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, users, or the public, including for fraud prevention and security investigations.
Where community or sharing features are enabled, certain content you choose to publish (such as reviews or profile display information) may be visible to other users as configured by your privacy settings.
8. International Transfers
Your Personal Information may be processed in countries other than South Africa where our service providers or infrastructure are located. Where we transfer Personal Information across borders, we take steps to ensure that the recipient is subject to laws, binding rules, or contractual terms that provide an adequate level of protection, consistent with POPIA.
9. Retention
We retain Personal Information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including to provide the App, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and protect our legitimate interests.
Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is processed. Where feasible, we de-identify or delete Personal Information when it is no longer required.
10. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect Personal Information against loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include access controls, encryption in transit where supported, and secure infrastructure practices.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect Personal Information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Your Rights
Subject to POPIA and applicable law, you may have rights to request access to your Personal Information, to request correction or deletion, to object to certain Processing, and to withdraw consent where Processing is based on consent.
You may also request information about the categories of Personal Information we process, the purposes of Processing, and the third parties with whom we share Personal Information. To exercise your rights, contact us using the details in Section 15. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
12. Children and Age Restrictions
The App is intended for users who are at or above the legal drinking age in their jurisdiction. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from individuals who are under the legal drinking age.
If you believe a minor has provided Personal Information to us, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps.
13. Third-Party Services and Links
The App may integrate with or link to third-party services. Third parties process Personal Information in accordance with their own privacy policies and terms. We are not responsible for third-party practices, and we encourage you to review the applicable third-party policies before using those services.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify you within the App or through other appropriate means. The "Last Updated" date indicates when this Policy was most recently revised.
Continued use of the App after an update becomes effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy, where permitted by law.
15. Contact and Complaints
If you have questions about this Policy or wish to exercise your rights, contact us at info@wineries.ai.
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your Personal Information, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa), subject to POPIA.