Privacy Policy

What this covers

FindItSA ("we", "us") operates finditsa.com, a lost-and-found platform for South Africa. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, and how it's handled, in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Information we collect

• Account details: name, email address, and optionally a phone number when you register or sign in with Google/Microsoft.
• Listings you post: item description, category, general location/area, and any photos you upload.
• Claims you submit: your narrative and proof description explaining why an item is yours. This is shown to the finder (and to staff only if a claim is escalated) — never published publicly.
• Messages: conversations between a finder and an approved claimant, used to arrange handover.
• Technical data: IP address (used for rate limiting and fraud prevention), login timestamps, and basic device/browser information.

What we deliberately don't ask for

We ask you not to include a full ID number, card number, or full serial number in a public listing or in a claim narrative — this is enforced by validation on the site. Use the private "hidden verification cue" field on a listing instead, which is never shown publicly.

How we use it

• To operate the platform — matching finders and owners, sending claim/message notifications by email and in-app.
• To secure accounts — login attempt tracking, optional two-factor authentication, and rate limiting.
• To moderate the platform — our staff can review a listing or an escalated claim, logged in an internal audit trail.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Who can see what

• Public: listing title, description, category, general area, and any photos.
• The finder only: claim narratives and proof descriptions submitted against their listing.
• You and staff reviewing a disputed claim: a listing's hidden verification cue.
• Nobody except our staff: your email address, phone number, and account security details — these are never shown to other users.

Retention & deletion

Listings, their claims, and related messages are automatically deleted 6 months after the listing was posted, via a daily cleanup job — we don't keep lost-and-found records indefinitely. An account created but never email-verified is automatically removed after 24 hours. You can also withdraw a listing at any time from its item page.

To request deletion of your account and associated data sooner, contact us at support@finditsa.com — we'll action this within a reasonable time, subject to any records we're legally required to retain (e.g. for an unresolved dispute or fraud investigation).

Your rights

Under POPIA, you can ask us what personal information we hold about you, request a correction, or request deletion. Email support@finditsa.com to exercise any of these.

Contact

Questions about this policy: support@finditsa.com