Privacy Policy

At Waitra, your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website, product, and services (collectively, the "Service").

If you are in South Africa, we process your personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 ("POPIA"), including the rights and principles described in our POPIA section.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

a. Personal Information

When you sign up, create a waitlist, join a waitlist, or interact with Waitra, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Company or project name
• Job title (if provided)
• Phone number (if provided)
• Referral and waitlist participation data (e.g., referral links, leaderboard position, reward status)
• Any custom fields you add to your waitlist forms

b. Usage & Device Data

We automatically collect information about how you use our services, including:

• IP address
• HTTP User-Agent string sent by your browser—this typically includes browser product and version and may reflect general device or platform characteristics; we store this value for security and fraud prevention, not as separate categorized fields
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring website
• Events related to waitlist signups, referrals, and fraud detection

c. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for essential functions (for example authentication and security), preferences, and where applicable analytics. You can control cookies through your browser settings; strictly necessary cookies may still be required for the Service to work. Our cookie banner records your choice where we rely on consent under POPIA for non-essential cookies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your data to:

• Provide and improve Waitra's services (waitlists, leaderboards, rewards, fraud protection)
• Personalize your experience and power referral tracking
• Monitor usage and analyze trends to improve the product
• Communicate important updates and marketing messages (you may opt out anytime)
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and ensure platform security
• Verify signups and enforce fair use of referral and reward features

3. Third-Party Services

To deliver the Service we may integrate with trusted third-party tools, such as:

• Analytics: To monitor traffic and product usage
• Email & communication: For transactional email, verification, and notifications
• Scheduling: For demo and support scheduling when provided

These tools may collect information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

4. Sharing of Information

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. Your data may be shared with:

• Trusted service providers under strict confidentiality
• Authorities if required by law, regulation, or legal process

Waitlist creators may see data submitted by participants on their waitlists (e.g., email, referral counts) as part of the Service.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

6. Your Rights and Choices

You may:

• Access or update your information in your account settings
• Request deletion of your account or data
• Opt out of marketing communications
• Control cookie preferences via your browser (and our cookie notice where shown)

If you are in South Africa, POPIA gives you additional rights in relation to your personal information; see Section 10 (POPIA).

7. Data Security

We implement technical and organizational safeguards to protect your data from unauthorized access, misuse, or disclosure. No system is 100% secure; we work to maintain best practices.

8. Children's Privacy

Waitra is not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

10. POPIA & South African residents

This section applies when we process "personal information" (as defined in POPIA) about individuals located in South Africa.

Responsible party

For POPIA purposes, Waitra is the responsible party that determines why and how your personal information is processed when you use the Service. For privacy enquiries and data subject requests, contact us at hello@waitra.com. Where required by law, we have designated an information officer to support POPIA compliance; you may use the same contact details for these matters.

What we process and why

We collect and use personal information only for specific, explicitly described purposes related to providing and securing the Service (for example account creation, waitlist participation, referrals, fraud prevention, billing, and support). We limit processing to what is adequate, relevant, and not excessive for those purposes (data minimisation).

Lawful basis

Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more valid grounds under POPIA, such as:

• Your consent (for example optional marketing or non-essential cookies where we ask for it)
• Processing necessary to perform our contract with you or to take steps at your request
• Legitimate interests of Waitra or a third party, balanced against your rights (for example security monitoring and product improvement), where permitted
• Legal obligation or protection of a legitimate interest as recognised under POPIA, where applicable

Cross-border transfers

Our Service may be hosted or supported using infrastructure and subprocessors in countries outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take steps designed to ensure an adequate level of protection (including contractual safeguards where appropriate), consistent with POPIA.

Your rights under POPIA

You may have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of personal information, subject to legal exceptions
• Object to processing of your personal information in certain circumstances
• Withdraw consent where processing was based on consent (without affecting prior lawful processing)
• Lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator

To exercise these rights, email hello@waitra.com. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

The Information Regulator can be reached at justice.gov.za/inforeg (official portal for South Africa's data protection authority).

Security and breaches

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. If we become aware of a notifiable security compromise involving your personal information, we will handle notifications in line with POPIA and applicable guidance from the Information Regulator.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at: hello@waitra.com