Proof of Position (“POP”, “we”, “us”) values your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you use proofofposition.org and related services (the “Service”).
We are based in South Africa and process personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). Where users from other jurisdictions interact with the Service, additional rights may apply.
1. What we collect
The information we hold about you can include:
- Profile data — name, contact details, employment history, qualifications, skills, and any content you add to your profile or Career Story.
- Verification data — corporate email confirmations, peer verification responses, document verification metadata, and the source and timestamp of each verified signal.
- Account data — login credentials, account settings, communication preferences, and subscription status.
- Usage data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, device information, and similar technical data collected via cookies and analytics tools.
- Communications — messages you send through the platform or to our support inbox.
2. How we collect it
- Directly — when you sign up, build a profile, request verification, or contact us.
- From verifiers — when peers, employers, or issuing institutions confirm or dispute information about you.
- Automatically — through cookies, analytics, and standard web logs.
3. Why we use it
- To create and maintain your verified POP profile.
- To compute, display, and explain your Trust Score and the inputs that contribute to it.
- To enable employers and other authorised parties to discover you, subject to your visibility settings.
- To send you transactional communications (e.g. verification requests, account notifications) and, where you opt in, marketing communications.
- To improve the Service, prevent fraud, and meet legal obligations.
4. How we share data
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the following circumstances:
- With your consent — for example, when an employer requests contact and you choose to respond.
- Public profile fields — information you mark as public on your profile (e.g. role titles, employers, Career Story) is visible on the open web.
- Service providers — including hosting (Vercel), database (Supabase), email delivery (SendGrid), payment processing (Stripe), analytics (Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity), and AI processing (where explicitly used to generate or summarise content). These providers are bound by contractual data protection obligations.
- Legal obligations — where we are required to disclose information by law or to protect our rights.
5. Your rights under POPIA
- Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated personal data.
- Objection — object to processing for direct marketing or, in certain cases, for other purposes.
- Complaint — lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@proofofposition.org.
6. Data retention
We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymise associated personal information within a reasonable period, subject to legal and audit requirements.
7. Security
We use industry-standard security practices including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular reviews. No system is perfectly secure, and we encourage you to use a strong, unique password.
8. Cookies
We use cookies for essential functionality and analytics. See our Cookie Policy for details.
9. Children
POP is not directed at children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
10. Changes
We may update this Privacy Policy. Material changes will be communicated via the Service or by email. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent version.
11. Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns: privacy@proofofposition.org.