Privacy Policy
Last updated: 22 September 2026
Handlink is operated by Citadene Technologies (Pty) Ltd (Registration No. 2025/296372/07), South Africa — the responsible party for the personal information described below.
This is a starting template, not legal advice. It describes, in plain terms, what Handlink actually collects and does today. Have it reviewed by a lawyer before relying on it — especially since Handlink is used worldwide and different regions have their own real requirements (GDPR-style, CCPA-style, and others) that generic template text can't correctly cover on its own.
What we collect
When you book an appointment: your name, email, phone number, and any notes you add for the business. When you sign up a business or freelance listing: your name, business name, email, phone, category, location, and a description. When you buy something from the shop: your name, email, phone number, and shipping address. Booking payments are handled by PayFast and shop payments by Paystack — we never see or store your card details either way.
Identity verification (optional)
Businesses can opt in to identity verification by submitting a photo ID and a selfie. These are stored in a private, access-controlled file store — never public, never shown to customers — and are only ever viewed by an admin reviewing the request, or by the business itself viewing its own submission. Approved verification photos are kept indefinitely unless the business asks for deletion.
Shop order fulfillment
When you buy from the shop, your name, delivery address, and phone number are shared with the third-party supplier who sources and ships that item on Handlink's behalf — they need it to get the order to you. Suppliers only receive what's needed to fulfill your specific order, not your full account or browsing history.
Cross-border data transfers
Some of the infrastructure Handlink runs on — hosting, file storage, payments (Paystack and PayFast), and email delivery — is operated by providers with servers outside South Africa. Your information may be processed there as a result, under those providers' own security safeguards.
Cart reminder emails
If you add something to your cart, start checkout, and don't complete it, we may email you a reminder about those specific items — tied to something you did, not general marketing. If you'd rather not receive these, contact us and we'll turn them off for your email address; we don't yet have a self-service unsubscribe link on the email itself.
Cookies
Handlink uses a session cookie to keep you signed in, and a small preference cookie (handled_intent) that remembers whether you came to browse or to list a service, so we don't ask twice. We don't use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.
Who sees what
A business only sees the booking details a customer provides for their own bookings — never a customer's contact info for quote-request conversations before a quote is accepted (all messaging happens through Handlink's own message thread instead). Handlink's admins can see platform-wide data for support, fraud prevention, and identity-verification review.
Data retention
Booking, order, and account records are kept for as long as the account is active, plus a reasonable period for legal, tax, and dispute-resolution purposes.
Your rights
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you can ask us to confirm what personal information we hold about you, correct it, or delete it, and you can object to it being used for direct marketing at any time. Contact us to exercise any of these. If you're not satisfied with how we've handled a request, you can lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) — inforegulator.org.za.
Information Officer
Citadene Technologies (Pty) Ltd's Information Officer for POPIA purposes is Heinrich Potgieter, reachable at hpotgieter000@gmail.com. Registration of this role with the Information Regulator is pending.
Requesting records (PAIA)
You can request access to records Handlink holds about you under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) by contacting us directly with your request — Handlink does not yet publish a separate formal PAIA manual.
Contact
Questions about this policy? Reach out through the business you're working with, or via Handlink's admin contact.