Privacy Policy

Last updated [February 27, 2026]

INTRODUCTION

1) Overview

OpinionBay is a South African review and comparison platform where Users can post ratings, reviews and images about businesses, services, products, places, and providers (“Listings”), and where Businesses may claim profiles and respond.

We respect privacy and process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable laws.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect personal information when you use our website, create an account, post reviews (including images), claim or manage a business profile, communicate with us, or otherwise interact with the Platform (collectively, the “Services”).

If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Services.

2) Responsible Party and Privacy Contact (POPIA)

For POPIA purposes, OpinionBay is the Responsible Party for personal information processed via the Services.

Privacy / Information Officer contact:
Email: info@opinionbay.co.za

3) IMPORTANT: Public Reviews, Images, and User-Generated Content

OpinionBay is a public-facing review platform. Some content you submit may be visible publicly and may be indexed by search engines, including:

• your review text, rating, and comments;

• business responses to reviews;

• your display name (or “Anonymous” if that option exists);

• images/media you upload with a review (if enabled).

Do not post personal information (yours or anyone else’s) in reviews or images, including ID numbers, addresses, phone numbers, private emails, bank details, medical information, or private correspondence.

We may remove, redact, blur, or restrict content to reduce privacy risk, comply with POPIA, comply with law, or protect Platform integrity.

4) Subscriptionbay → OpinionBay transition and legacy data

The Services previously operated as Subscriptionbay.co.za and have since been repurposed and rebranded as OpinionBay.co.za.

As part of this transition:

• existing user accounts, Listings, and database records may be retained and migrated; and

• personal information previously collected may continue to be processed to operate OpinionBay, protect the integrity of the Platform, and comply with legal obligations.

What this means in practice

• We aim to use legacy data only for compatible, reasonable purposes (e.g., account continuity, security, integrity controls, preventing fraud, and enforcing Terms).

• If we use information for marketing, we will provide clear opt-out mechanisms and may re-confirm consent where appropriate.

• We may minimise or remove fields that are no longer relevant to a review platform (for example, old shipping-related fields), where feasible.

5) Personal information we collect

5.1 Information you provide

May include:

• Account data: name, email, phone number, username/display name, password (stored as a secure hash).

• Profile data: optional photo, location (if you add it), preferences.

• Review content: ratings, text, comments, images/videos you upload.

• Business profile / claim data: business name, representative contact info, verification information to confirm control of a Listing, profile content (logos/images you upload), and response text.

• Support and disputes: emails, complaint/appeal submissions, and related evidence you provide (we recommend redacting unnecessary personal data before sending).

• Payments (if introduced): billing contact details, payment references, subscription tier and invoices. We generally do not store full card details; payment processors handle those.

5.2 Information collected automatically (technical and usage data)

May include:

• IP address, device and browser information, operating system;

• pages viewed, clicks, scrolls, referral URLs, timestamps;

• approximate location inferred from IP;

• cookies and similar identifiers (see Section 10).

5.3 Information from third parties

May include:

• information from service providers that help us run the Platform (analytics, spam/fraud prevention, hosting, email delivery);

• publicly available business information used to populate basic Listings (e.g., business name, category, website, general location).

6) Images and media in reviews (important)

If you upload images/videos:

• you must have the right to upload them;

• do not upload images showing private individuals (especially children) without consent;

• do not upload documents/images showing personal data (phone numbers, addresses, ID numbers, invoices, license plates, etc.);

• do not upload images intended to harass, shame, or threaten.

Metadata (EXIF/GPS)

Some images contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). We recommend removing it before uploading. Where feasible, we may strip metadata, but we do not guarantee it is removed in all cases.

7) Special personal information (POPIA)

We do not ask you to submit special personal information (such as health information, biometric identifiers, religious beliefs, etc.) in reviews.

If you voluntarily include such information in a review, you do so at your own risk, and we may remove or redact it for safety and compliance.

8) Why we process personal information (purposes)

We process personal information to:

8.1 Provide and operate the Platform

• create and manage accounts;

• display Listings, reviews, and images;

• allow businesses to claim profiles and respond;

• enable reporting, complaints and appeals;

• provide user support.

8.2 Protect integrity, prevent abuse, and enforce policies

• detect fake reviews, manipulation, coordinated campaigns, spam and abuse;

• investigate reports and disputes;

• enforce our Terms & Conditions;

• preserve evidence/logs where necessary for compliance and risk management.

8.3 Improve and develop the Platform

• analytics and measurement (what features people use);

• performance monitoring and debugging;

• experiments and A/B testing (different layouts, prompts, review forms, ordering, labels).

8.4 Communications

• service emails (account, security, policy changes);

• responses to your support requests and reports.

8.5 Marketing (optional)

• newsletters and promotional communications, where you have opted in or where permitted by law and you can opt out at any time.

8.6 Monetisation (now or in future)

If we introduce paid features, advertising, promoted listings, or analytics, we may process personal information to:

• provide those features and customer support;

• prevent fraud and comply with payment rules;

• measure the performance of promotions and improve our offering.

Promoted/sponsored placements may affect display order. Where reasonably possible, we may label these “Sponsored” or “Promoted”.

9) Lawful bases for processing (POPIA)

We process personal information only where a lawful basis exists under POPIA, including:

• Consent (e.g., marketing preferences; certain cookies/trackers; optional profile details; image uploads);

• Contract / steps before contract (e.g., providing Platform functionality you request through account use);

• Legal obligation (e.g., lawful requests, record retention where applicable);

• Legitimate interests (e.g., fraud prevention, security, integrity controls, service improvement, dispute handling), balanced against your privacy rights.

10) Cookies, Google Analytics, and Meta Pixel

We use cookies and similar technologies for essential functionality and measurement.

10.1 Essential cookies

Used to:

• keep you logged in;

• remember settings;

• support security and site stability.

10.2 Analytics (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site (e.g., pages visited, time on page, interactions). This helps us improve performance and usability.

10.3 Advertising/measurement (Meta Pixel)

We use the Meta Pixel to measure ad performance, understand conversions, and build audiences for advertising. This may involve cookies or similar identifiers.

10.4 Your controls

• You can manage cookies through your browser settings.

• Where required, we will provide a cookie banner/settings tool to accept or reject non-essential cookies.

• You can also manage ad preferences within Google and Meta account settings, where available.

Disabling cookies may reduce functionality.

11) Sharing personal information

We do not sell personal information as a business model. We may share personal information as follows:

11.1 Service providers (“operators”)

We share limited personal information with trusted providers who support the Platform, such as:

• hosting/infrastructure;

• email delivery;

• analytics (including Google Analytics);

• security and fraud/spam prevention tools;

• payment processors (if paid features exist).

They process personal information only to provide services to OpinionBay under contractual controls.

11.2 Legal and safety

We may disclose personal information where required or permitted by law, including responding to:

• subpoenas, court orders, or lawful requests;

• investigations into fraud, abuse, or security incidents;

• measures to protect rights, property, and safety of OpinionBay, Users, Businesses, or the public.

11.3 Business transfers

If OpinionBay is involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable legal safeguards.

11.4 Public content you post

Reviews, ratings, and images you publish may be seen by the public and may be shared or indexed externally.

12) Cross-border transfers

Some service providers may store or process personal information outside South Africa. Where cross-border transfer occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate protection consistent with POPIA, including contractual safeguards and security measures.

13) Data retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for:

• operating and improving the Platform;

• integrity, fraud prevention and security;

• handling disputes, complaints and appeals;

• legal and compliance obligations.

Retention periods vary by data type. We may retain logs and abuse-prevention records longer where necessary to protect the Platform. We may also de-identify data and retain aggregated analytics longer.

14) Security safeguards

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organisational safeguards, which may include:

• secure access controls and least-privilege permissions;

• encryption in transit (HTTPS) and where appropriate encryption at rest;

• security monitoring, patching, backups and recovery controls.

No system is perfectly secure. You should protect your account credentials and use strong passwords.

15) Your rights and choices (POPIA)

You may have rights under POPIA to:

• request access to personal information we hold about you;

• request correction of inaccurate information;

• object to processing on reasonable grounds (especially marketing);

• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;

• request deletion or restriction in certain circumstances.

Account deletion vs public reviews

Because OpinionBay is a review platform, deleting your account may not automatically remove content you posted if retention is necessary for integrity, legal compliance, dispute handling, or fraud prevention. Where appropriate, we may anonymise or de-identify content (e.g., remove display name) while retaining the review content.

To exercise rights, email info@opinionbay.co.za. We may request identity verification to prevent unauthorised access.

Marketing opt-out

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails via the unsubscribe link or by emailing us. We may still send essential service messages (security, account notices, policy changes).

16) Children

The Platform is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted personal information, contact info@opinionbay.co.za and we will take reasonable steps to investigate and remove it.

17) Complaints and the Information Regulator

If you have a privacy complaint, contact us first at info@opinionbay.co.za so we can try to resolve it.

You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa). (Their current contact details are available on the Information Regulator’s official website.)

18) Updates to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the “Last updated” date. Continued use of the Services after changes means you accept the revised policy.

19) Contact

Email: info@opinionbay.co.za