1. Information Stoep uses
Stoep may process account details, profile information, an address supplied for community matching, verification records, role assignments, content, reports, messages, notification preferences, device information and security events.
2. Why information is processed
Information is used to create and secure accounts, match people to communities, provide requested features, prevent abuse, moderate reports, communicate service notices, support users, meet legal duties and improve reliability.
3. Location privacy
Your exact home address is used for community matching and verification. It is not displayed on your public profile. Other members see only the community or general area needed for the feature.
4. Private messages
Direct messages between members are end-to-end encrypted. They are encrypted on your device with a key protected by your messaging PIN, so Stoep cannot read your chats and does not store your PIN or your unlocked key. Stoep does keep the information needed to deliver messages, such as who is talking to whom, when messages were sent and their size.
If you report a conversation, your device decrypts it and shares it with Stoep moderators, including messages written by the other person. Moderators see only what is shared in a report, each view is logged, and the shared text is checked against a cryptographic commitment recorded when the message was sent so it cannot be altered. Do not report a chat unless you are comfortable with moderators reading it.
If you forget your messaging PIN, nobody at Stoep can recover it. You can set a new PIN, but messages sent to you before then cannot be read again. Messages sent before end-to-end encryption was introduced were not encrypted and remain readable by Stoep systems.
5. Analytics and marketing
Optional analytics stay off until consent is given. Analytics events do not include names, email addresses, exact addresses, message content or other direct identifiers. Marketing measurement requires separate marketing consent and is only enabled for a relevant campaign.
6. Sharing and service providers
Stoep may use carefully selected providers for hosting, email delivery, maps, storage, security and analytics. They receive only the information needed for their service and must protect it. Information is never sold.
7. Retention and deletion
Information is kept only as long as needed for the stated purpose, legal duties and safety. A signed-in member may download their Stoep data or request account deletion after confirming their current password. A deletion request signs the member out on all devices and starts the configured grace period. The member may cancel before processing begins. Business or organisation ownership must be resolved before deletion can complete. Permanent removal or anonymisation will only run under an approved retention, legal-hold and backup-expiry process. Security, transaction and audit records may be retained where deletion would undermine legal or safety obligations.
8. Your choices and rights
You may request access, correction or deletion, object to certain processing, withdraw optional consent and lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa. Identity checks may be required before a privacy request is fulfilled.
9. Security and contact
Stoep uses encrypted transport, password hashing, secure sessions, access controls, audit history and restricted file storage. No system is risk free.
Privacy requests for this MVP may be sent to privacy@stoep.community. We aim to acknowledge requests within two business days. Identity checks may be required before a request is fulfilled.
Information Officer: [[INFORMATION_OFFICER_NAME]], to be appointed before public launch. Until then, write to the privacy address above and we will route your request carefully.