Privacy Policy for WiseGuy

WiseGuy is a South African digital platform that helps users compare prices, discover products, track savings goals, set price drop alerts, and access aggregated deal information across 15+ South African retailers including Takealot, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Makro, Game, Dis-Chem, and Spar.

Our platform uses publicly available information, user-submitted data, partner data, APIs, and AI-powered automated data collection technologies to deliver its services.

2.1 Information You Provide

• Name and email address (account registration via login provider)
• Location data, suburb/city you enter for local deal results (stored locally on your device and optionally on your profile)
• Saved searches and search preferences
• Preferred stores and shopping method preferences
• Savings goals, contribution entries, budget entries, and financial tracking data
• Price alert configurations (product name, target price)
• Basket items and saved product collections
• Feedback and support communications
• Business profile information (name, branch, address, for business account holders)
• Business product listings and advertising campaign details
• Referral codes and affiliate sign-up information
• Uploaded images (for image-based product search feature)
• Group savings goal membership and contribution records

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• IP address and approximate location
• Browser type and device information
• Session activity and pages visited
• Search queries and click behaviour (including which search results you interact with)
• Feature usage analytics (searches performed, deals viewed, alerts set)
• Ad impressions and ad clicks (for business advertising measurement)
• Cookies and local storage identifiers

2.3 Data From Third Parties

• Authentication providers (used for login, we receive only your name and email)
• Stripe, payment processing for Premium subscriptions (we do not store full card details)
• Telegram, if you connect the Telegram Bot (Premium feature), we receive your Telegram user ID and messages you send to the bot
• AI/LLM providers, your search queries are processed by AI systems to generate results

WiseGuy collects publicly available commercial information from third-party retailer websites for price comparison, product indexing, search functionality, analytics, and market transparency. This may include product names, prices, publicly listed specifications, promotional data, store names, and availability information.

We aim to respect robots.txt directives, avoid collecting private or protected information, avoid bypassing authentication systems, and comply with all applicable legal obligations. We do not intentionally collect passwords, financial credentials, private communications, or personal user information through scraping systems.

• Provide and personalise AI-powered search, deal discovery, and price comparison features
• Operate the Savings Tracker, budget tools, and price alert notification systems
• Process Premium subscription payments via Stripe and manage your account
• Deliver Telegram Bot search and deal alert features (Premium users who opt in)
• Support business account management, product listings, and advertising campaigns
• Send relevant deal notifications, price drop alerts, and promotional communications (with your consent)
• Monitor platform performance, detect and prevent fraud, and maintain security
• Comply with legal obligations under POPIA, ECTA, and the Consumer Protection Act
• Improve AI search algorithms, recommendation accuracy, and overall user experience
• Operate the affiliate and referral programme
• Measure advertising effectiveness for business advertisers on the platform

• Consent: Where you have given explicit, informed, and revocable consent (e.g. marketing communications, non-essential cookies, Telegram Bot connection).
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to perform our service agreement with you (e.g. subscription management, account features).
• Legitimate Interest: Where processing is in our legitimate business interests and does not override your rights (e.g. security monitoring, internal platform analytics).
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is required to comply with applicable South African law.

We use third-party providers who process data on our behalf under contractual confidentiality obligations:

• Stripe, secure payment processing for Premium subscriptions
• Telegram, optional messaging bot integration for Premium users
• AI/LLM providers (including Claude by Anthropic), power AI-driven search, deal summaries, and no-results guidance
• Cloud hosting providers, platform infrastructure and database storage

Some service providers (including AI/LLM providers and cloud infrastructure) may store or process information outside South Africa. Where cross-border transfers occur, we take reasonable steps to ensure adequate safeguards and lawful processing in accordance with POPIA requirements.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil operational purposes, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and maintain security records. Account data is retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion requests. When no longer required, data is securely deleted, anonymized, or de-identified.

We implement reasonable technical and organizational safeguards including access controls, encrypted connections (HTTPS), monitoring systems, restricted administrator access, authentication controls, and periodic security reviews. No internet-based system is completely secure. Please report suspicious activity to hello@wiseguy.co.za.

You have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information held by us
• Request correction of inaccurate or outdated information
• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Object to certain forms of processing
• Withdraw consent at any time (e.g. disconnect Telegram, opt out of marketing, update cookie preferences)
• Lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator

Submit requests to hello@wiseguy.co.za.

We may send newsletters, deal updates, price alert notifications, and promotional announcements to registered users. You can unsubscribe at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly. We do not send unlawful unsolicited electronic communications.

WiseGuy uses AI-powered search (including large language models), automated ranking algorithms, and algorithmic analysis to power search results, deal summaries, and product recommendations. Your search queries are processed by AI systems. These systems analyse pricing trends, user behaviour, and aggregated platform data to improve results. We do not make legally binding decisions solely through automated processing.

Our Platform is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors without lawful authorisation.

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Changes become effective when published. Continued use after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.