Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026 · POPIA compliant

Your privacy matters to us. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

1. Who We Are

Trust is operated as a private platform. The responsible party for your personal information is the Trust administrator, contactable at admin@trust.famgram.co.za.

2. What Information We Collect

When you register and use Trust, we collect the following:

Account information — your name, display name, username, email address, and password (stored encrypted).
Contact details — your WhatsApp number, if you choose to provide it, for friend notifications.
Profile photo — if you upload one.
Content you create — photos, albums, blog entries, and comments you post on the platform.
Usage data — basic server logs including your IP address and the pages you visit, retained for security and troubleshooting purposes.
Device subscription data — if you enable push notifications, we store your browser's push subscription identifier to deliver notifications to your device.

3. Why We Collect It

We only collect information that is necessary to provide the Trust service:

To create and manage your account.
To enable you to connect with friends and share content privately.
To send you notifications about activity from your friends.
To maintain the security and integrity of the platform.

We do not collect your information for advertising, analytics resale, or any commercial purpose beyond operating Trust.

4. How We Store and Protect Your Information

Your data is stored on secure servers. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. Passwords are stored using one-way encryption and are never readable by anyone, including administrators.

Photos and blog content are stored directly in our database and are never shared with third-party storage providers.

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell, trade, or share your personal information with third parties, except in the following limited cases:

Friends you approve — your display name, profile photo, albums, and blogs are visible to friends you have explicitly accepted on the platform.
WhatsApp notifications — if you provide a WhatsApp number and enable notifications, your number is used via the Twilio service to send you messages. Twilio processes this data under their own privacy policy.
Push notifications — if you enable push notifications, your device subscription is shared with Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) or Apple Push Notification Service (iOS) to deliver notifications to your device. No personal content is shared — only the notification itself.
Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required to do so by South African law or a valid court order.

6. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the right to:

Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction — request that we correct inaccurate information.
Deletion — request that we delete your personal information. You can do this yourself at any time by deleting your account in your profile settings.
Objection — object to the processing of your personal information.
Complaint — lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been violated (inforegulator.org.za).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@trust.famgram.co.za.

7. Cookies and Tracking

Trust uses a session cookie to keep you logged in. This is a functional cookie that is strictly necessary for the platform to work. We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or any third-party analytics tools.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all personal information — including your profile, photos, albums, and blog entries — is permanently deleted within 30 days. Server logs may be retained for up to 90 days for security purposes.

9. Children's Privacy

Trust is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has registered, please contact us immediately.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent update. Continued use of Trust after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

11. Contact

For any privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at admin@trust.famgram.co.za.