Privacy Policy

POPIA Compliant — Last updated: May 2026

This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

1. Who We Are

Responsible Party: Jibraeel Management Consulting CC
Website: heyhalaal.co.za
Contact: info@heyhalaal.co.za

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide:

Review submissions — name, email address, review content
Business submissions — business details, your name, email, phone, relationship to business
Account registration — name, email, password

Information collected automatically:

Page views — which pages you visit, when, and how often
Interactions — which businesses you click on, searches you perform, categories you select, and whether you use Near Me
Specials & promotions — whether you click on featured deals
Anonymous Visitor ID — a random identifier stored in your browser's local storage (not a cookie). Used to count return visits. Contains no personal information and resets when you clear browser data
Approximate location — your city/province derived from your IP address (not precise GPS). Used for geographic analytics only
GPS location — only when you explicitly tap "Near Me" and grant permission. Used solely to find nearby businesses; your exact coordinates are never stored after your session
Device & browser — browser type, operating system (used to block bot traffic and improve compatibility)
Referrer — the page you came from (e.g., Google, social media)

What we do NOT track: We do not track you across other websites, serve interest-based ads, sell your data, or use third-party advertising trackers (no Facebook Pixel, no Google Ads tracking).

3. How We Use Your Information

To display and improve the halal business directory
To moderate and publish reviews
To process business listing submissions
To provide the "Near Me" location-based search
To analyse usage patterns and improve the Platform
To communicate with you about your submissions or account

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Location Data

The "Near Me" feature requests access to your device's GPS location. This is used only to search for nearby businesses in real time. We do not store your precise GPS coordinates beyond the duration of your session. You can deny location access at any time through your browser or device settings.

Note: Business location data is sourced from third-party certification websites and may not be perfectly accurate.

5. Cookies & Local Storage

We use:

Essential cookies — session management, CSRF security token (cannot be disabled; required for the site to function)
Analytics cookies — anonymous usage statistics (you can opt out via the cookie banner)
Opt-out cookie — if you decline analytics, a hh_no_track cookie is set to remember your preference
Local storage (not a cookie) — we store a random anonymous visitor ID (hh_vid) and your last-used location in your browser's local storage. No personal information is contained in these values. You can clear them by clearing your browser data

You can manage cookies through your browser settings or via the cookie preference panel on this site.

6. Data Sharing

We may share data with:

Hosting provider (Afrihost) — for server infrastructure
Analytics services — anonymous aggregated data only
Law enforcement — if required by law

7. Your Rights (POPIA)

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

Request access to personal information we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of your information ("right to erasure")
Object to processing of your information
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

To exercise these rights: info@heyhalaal.co.za

8. Data Retention

Review submissions: retained indefinitely unless deletion is requested
Business submission data: retained for 3 years
Page view & click event logs: retained for 13 months, then automatically purged
Anonymous visitor IDs (localStorage): cleared when you clear browser data
Account data: retained until account deletion

9. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and access controls. No system is 100% secure.

10. Children

HeyHalaal is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact the Information Regulator

If you have concerns about how we handle your data:
Information Regulator (South Africa)
Website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za