Your privacy matters in every conversation.

1. Who we are and what this covers

Helpfully is a brand of ANTI.Social Collective (Pty) Ltd (“Helpfully”, “we”, “us”). We are the responsible party for personal information we decide to collect and use to run our website, our own products, subscriptions and support. This notice explains that processing under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

It covers our website, contact enquiries, WhatsApp assistants, JotAlong, FaithTether, GoodUs and NightWatch, as applicable to the features you use. A product may give you an additional notice at the point of collection. Read that notice with this policy and our Terms of Service.

For an assistant operated for another business, that business may be the responsible party and Helpfully its operator, processing on written instructions. Its own privacy notice explains its purposes and your contact point. We remain responsible for our own administration and legal obligations.

2. Information, sources and your choices

• Contact and account information: your name, email address, WhatsApp number, WhatsApp profile details made available to the business, and service identifiers.
• Conversation content: messages, notes, reminders, preferences and any images, voice notes or documents you choose to send to a feature that accepts them. Replies, timestamps and delivery information may also form part of the record.
• Product information: saved tasks and reminders, food preferences and meal requests, faith-related requests, mood check-ins, approximate location and emoji responses, depending on the product.
• Subscriptions and payments: plan, billing contact, payment reference, status and transaction history. Payment providers process payment credentials through their own secure payment flows. Do not send card details, PINs or one-time passwords in a chat or enquiry.
• Support and technical records: enquiries, feedback, consent and opt-out records, device/browser information, IP addresses and security or error logs processed by the relevant website, messaging or hosting service.

We collect information mainly from you. Messaging, hosting and payment providers supply service identifiers, delivery, transaction and technical information. A business customer may provide information lawfully for its assistant; where required, we or that business will explain the source and purpose.

Providing optional information is your choice. Details needed to reply, deliver a requested reminder or manage a paid service are necessary for that feature. Without them we may be unable to provide it. We explain any legally required collection when it arises. Please keep your details accurate and share only what is needed.

3. Purposes and lawful grounds

We use information to respond to requests, deliver the feature you ask for, personalise its output to your stated preferences, send requested reminders, manage subscriptions, process enquiries, resolve problems, prevent misuse and meet legal obligations.

Depending on the purpose, we rely on your consent, steps requested before a contract or performance of that contract, a legal obligation, or a legitimate interest permitted by POPIA, such as protecting a service from fraud. An interest does not override your rights. Special personal information and children’s information require an additional lawful authorisation.

We limit collection to relevant information. A new, incompatible purpose requires a separate lawful basis and an explanation before that use. Visiting the website or accepting general terms does not give blanket consent to marketing or unrelated uses of your conversations.

4. WhatsApp conversations and message choices

When you message a Helpfully assistant, the business receives your message and relevant WhatsApp details so it can respond. WhatsApp/Meta and any messaging provider used for that assistant also process information to deliver the conversation under their respective terms.

WhatsApp protects messages in transit to the recipient. Once a message reaches our business systems, it may be processed and stored by the systems and authorised people providing the service, including an AI provider where that feature uses AI. This is not a promise that only you can access a business conversation.

We obtain the permissions required for messages we initiate. Requested reminders, subscription content and essential service notices are distinct from promotions. We honour requests to stop optional messages. Use the unsubscribe or preference controls offered by the assistant, or email help@helpfully.co.za. You can also block the business in WhatsApp. Blocking a number or deleting a chat does not itself cancel a paid plan or delete records already held by us.

WhatsApp has its own Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Helpfully is independent of WhatsApp and Meta.

5. Sensitive information and children

Prayer requests and faith conversations can reveal religious beliefs. Food, wellbeing or mood conversations may reveal health information. These can be special personal information under POPIA. We will obtain specific consent or establish another applicable legal authorisation before processing it, and limit its use to the stated purpose. A general enquiry or subscription is not consent to every sensitive use.

Avoid sending identity documents, financial secrets, detailed medical records or another person’s private information. Remove names and identifying details from prayer requests, notes or examples about other people unless you have lawful authority to share them.

Our general services are intended for adults aged 18 and over, unless a particular service expressly offers an appropriate, supervised experience. We do not knowingly seek children’s information without the required lawful authorisation, including consent from a competent person where applicable. Contact us if a child’s information has been submitted so we can assess and address it.

6. AI, service review and automated decisions

Some assistants use AI to interpret a request and generate a response. Relevant conversation content and preferences may be sent to the provider powering that feature. AI replies can be incomplete or incorrect; avoid entering information unnecessary for the task.

Authorised personnel may review relevant records to resolve a support request, investigate misuse or diagnose a fault. Any quality improvement use of personal information must have a defined, lawful purpose and suitable access limits. Using a bot does not give blanket permission to train models on private conversations. We will explain any optional secondary use and obtain consent where required.

Our assistants provide guidance rather than decisions about legal rights, credit, employment or healthcare. If you believe an automated outcome has substantially affected you, contact us to request an explanation and human consideration. POPIA’s protections for qualifying automated decisions remain available.

7. NightWatch and public information

NightWatch is designed for anonymous, temporary mood check-ins rather than named profiles. The mood, approximate map location and emoji encouragement you choose to post can be visible to other visitors. Do not include details that identify you or someone else.

A public check-in’s expiry is different from deletion of all technical records, backups or copies made by viewers. Website and infrastructure providers may process technical connection information even where a product does not display your identity. Approximate location can still be sensitive in context. Use the location and notification choices provided by the product; browser notification permissions can be revoked in browser settings.

8. Who receives information

We share the minimum information needed with authorised team members and providers supporting the relevant service: hosting and infrastructure, WhatsApp and messaging delivery, AI processing, payments, email and customer support. For example, this website is hosted through Cloudflare and contact enquiries are delivered to our support mailbox through Brevo. The provider mix for an individual assistant may differ.

We require operators acting for us to protect confidentiality, apply appropriate security and process information only as authorised under a written agreement. Some providers, such as payment services and WhatsApp, also process information for their own purposes under their own privacy notices.

We may disclose information where lawfully required, to protect rights or investigate fraud, or to professional advisers bound by confidentiality. A business transfer must include appropriate protection and notice where required. We do not sell your personal conversations or provide them to advertisers for their independent marketing.

9. Processing outside South Africa

Hosting, messaging, email, AI and payment services may process information in other countries. A transfer must satisfy POPIA section 72, for example through an adequate protective law or binding agreement, or another applicable statutory ground. Provider safeguards must also address onward transfers.

We assess the purpose, recipient and safeguards for transfers rather than treating general use of the website as consent to any international transfer. Contact us for information about providers and transfer arrangements relevant to your service.

10. Retention and deletion

We keep personal information for no longer than reasonably needed for its purpose, unless law permits or requires longer retention. The criteria differ by record:

• Conversation, note and reminder records support the requested feature, your settings and related support needs.
• Enquiry and support records are kept while addressing the matter and for a reasonable period to handle follow-up or disputes.
• Billing and transaction records may need to remain for statutory accounting, tax and dispute requirements after cancellation.
• Security logs, consent evidence and minimal opt-out records may be needed to investigate abuse, demonstrate lawful handling or respect your message choices.

When information is no longer needed, we delete, de-identify or securely dispose of it. Backups may retain restricted copies until their normal replacement cycle; a legal hold can delay deletion of affected records. We explain applicable exceptions when responding to a deletion request. Product-specific expiry notices do not replace these distinctions.

11. Security and incident response

We apply reasonable technical and organisational safeguards proportionate to the information and risk, including access restrictions, secure transmission, provider controls and review of security risks. No internet service can guarantee absolute security. Protect your phone and WhatsApp account, and never share login codes or payment secrets with an assistant.

If there are reasonable grounds to believe personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will investigate and notify the Information Regulator and affected people as soon as reasonably possible, as POPIA requires. Any lawful limits on notification still apply. Reports will explain the known impact and protective steps. Please report suspected incidents to help@helpfully.co.za.

12. Direct marketing

We send electronic direct marketing only with valid consent or where the limited existing-customer exception in POPIA applies. Where WhatsApp requires opt-in, we also obtain that permission. A message asking for help is not an unrestricted marketing opt-in.

Marketing messages identify us and offer a way to object or unsubscribe. You can object without a marketing opt-out fee. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal. Necessary billing or service messages may still be sent while the relevant service continues; they will not be used to bypass your marketing preferences.

13. Website storage and external links

Our website and service providers may use essential browser storage or similar technologies for functionality, preferences and security. Your browser lets you manage local storage and cookies; restricting them may affect a feature. We will explain optional tracking and obtain consent where required before introducing it.

This website loads typefaces through Google Fonts. When a font is requested, Google receives connection information, including your IP address and browser request headers, to deliver the font.

Links to WhatsApp, payment pages, social media and other external websites take you to services with their own notices and controls. Clearing browser storage or deleting a WhatsApp conversation does not remove records held in business systems. Use the privacy request process below for those records.

14. Your POPIA rights and privacy requests

Subject to applicable legal requirements, you may ask whether we hold your personal information, request access, seek correction or deletion of information we may not lawfully retain, object on reasonable grounds to qualifying processing, withdraw consent, or object to direct marketing. You may also complain to the Information Regulator and use the remedies provided by law.

Email help@helpfully.co.za, addressed to the Information Officer, ANTI.Social Collective (Pty) Ltd trading as Helpfully. Tell us which product you used, the relevant email or WhatsApp number and what you want us to do. Do not include passwords, PINs or unnecessary identity documents.

We may request proportionate identity verification to protect your information. Confirmation of whether we hold your information is free; a legally permitted access fee, if applicable, will be explained before proceeding. We respond within the applicable legal period or, where none is specified, a reasonable time, and explain any lawful refusal or retention requirement. If we process on a business customer’s instructions, we will help route the request to the responsible party.

You do not have to contact us before approaching the Information Regulator’s complaints service. Current contact details and prescribed forms are available on the Regulator’s website.

15. Updates and contact

We update this notice when services or relevant requirements change. The date above records this revision. Material changes will be brought to your attention through an appropriate service notice where required; new consent will be requested where necessary.

Company: ANTI.Social Collective (Pty) Ltd, South Africa.
Helpfully support and privacy enquiries: help@helpfully.co.za.

Helpfully is a brand of ANTI.Social Collective (Pty) Ltd and is not a separate registered legal entity. Further business details are available on request by emailing help@helpfully.co.za.

Related resources: Terms of Service, Help Centre and the Protection of Personal Information Act.