Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how The Automators ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information when you interact with our WhatsApp notification service (the "Service"). By using the Service you agree to the practices described below.

1. Who we are

The Service is operated by The Automators, based in South Africa. You can contact us at sales@theautomators.co.

2. What information we collect

We only collect the minimum information needed to deliver notifications over WhatsApp. Specifically:

Information you or our customer provides to us

• Your WhatsApp phone number
• Your name or contact label, if supplied
• Any message content you send to our WhatsApp business number
• Preferences such as opt in status, language, and notification categories

Information we collect automatically

• Timestamps of messages sent and received
• Delivery and read receipts returned by WhatsApp
• Technical metadata such as message IDs and status codes
• Basic logs used for troubleshooting and abuse prevention

We do not collect location data, contact lists, financial account details, or sensitive categories of personal data through the Service.

3. How we use your information

We use the information described above to:

• Deliver the WhatsApp notifications you or our customer has requested
• Respond to inbound messages you send to our business number
• Maintain a record of opt ins and opt outs
• Diagnose technical issues and prevent abuse of the Service
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your WhatsApp messages to train machine learning or AI models.

4. Legal basis for processing

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing (for example the EU or UK GDPR), we rely on:

• Your consent, which you give by opting in to receive messages and which you can withdraw at any time
• Our legitimate interest in operating and securing the Service
• Performance of a contract when the Service is provided to a customer who has a relationship with you
• Compliance with legal obligations

5. How we share your information

We share information only with:

• Meta Platforms, Inc., which operates the WhatsApp Business Platform used to deliver messages
• Infrastructure providers that host our application and database (for example our cloud hosting and database providers)
• Authorities when required by law, subpoena, or to protect our rights or the safety of others

We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers.

6. International transfers

Our service providers may process your information outside of your country of residence. Where transfers occur, we rely on recognised safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms required by your local law.

7. How long we keep your information

We retain message records, opt in status, and related metadata for as long as needed to provide the Service and for a reasonable period afterwards for legal, audit, and dispute resolution purposes. Typical retention is 24 months after your last interaction, after which data is deleted or anonymised, except where longer retention is required by law.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your information
• Withdraw your consent to receive messages
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Port your information to another provider
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, email us at sales@theautomators.co. You can also stop receiving messages at any time by replying STOP to any WhatsApp message from us.

9. How to request data deletion

To request deletion of your information, email sales@theautomators.co with the subject line "Data Deletion Request" and the WhatsApp phone number you would like removed. We will confirm deletion within 30 days.

10. Security

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit, access controls, and audit logging. No system is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us and we will delete it.

12. Third party services

Your use of WhatsApp is also governed by Meta's own terms and privacy policy, available at https://www.whatsapp.com/legal. We are not responsible for Meta's practices.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Material changes will be communicated through the Service or by other reasonable means.