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Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Tshepiso Consulting Services, trading as CVGenius ("CVGenius", "we", "us"), respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use cvgenius.co.za (the "Website") and our CV redesign, CV building, and ATS checking services (the "Services"), why we collect it, and what rights you have over it.

This Policy should be read together with our Terms & Conditions.

2. What information we collect

We collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide the Services:

Category	Examples	When collected
Contact details	Name, email address, phone number	When you upload a CV, build a CV, or make a payment
CV content	Work history, education, skills, summary, contact details within your CV	When you upload a CV file or fill in the "Build from scratch" form
Uploaded files	PDF or DOCX CV files	When you use the upload, redesign, or free ATS check features
Order & payment metadata	Order reference, amount paid, payment status, template selected	When you complete a purchase via PayFast
Technical data	IP address, browser type, session identifiers, referral source, page visit timestamps	Automatically, when you use the Website

We do not collect or store full card numbers, card expiry dates, or CVV/CVC codes. These are entered directly on PayFast's secure payment page and never pass through CVGenius's systems.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Extract, structure, and redesign your CV using AI processing;
• Generate the ATS compatibility report you request;
• Generate an optional cover letter where you request one;
• Process payment for the Services via PayFast;
• Deliver your completed document by way of a download link;
• Respond to support queries and refund requests;
• Maintain the security, performance, and reliability of the Website;
• Understand aggregate usage of the Website (e.g. which templates are popular) in a form that does not identify you personally.

We do not use your information for direct marketing without your consent, and we do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Your CV content specifically

Your CV content is the most sensitive information we process, so it receives extra care:

• Free ATS check: the uploaded file is analysed by our AI processing pipeline and then deleted immediately after the report is generated. It is not stored.
• Paid CV redesign: your CV content is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to generate your document, allow you to re-download it, and provide support if something goes wrong. Files are automatically deleted from active storage after a limited retention period (currently 7 days), after which only minimal order metadata (no CV content) is kept for accounting and dispute-resolution purposes.
• AI processing: CV content is sent to our AI processing provider solely to extract and structure the information into your chosen template and is not used by that provider to train its models on your personal data, beyond what is required to deliver the response to us.

5. Sharing & third parties

We share personal information only with the following categories of third party, and only as needed to provide the Services:

• PayFast (Pty) Ltd — to process your payment. PayFast receives your name, email, and payment details directly; CVGenius never sees or stores your card details.
• AI processing providers — to extract and structure CV content and generate documents, reports, and cover letters.
• PDF rendering providers — to convert your completed CV into a downloadable PDF.
• Hosting providers — who store the Website and associated files on servers located in, or accessible from, South Africa.

We do not share your personal information with advertisers, data brokers, or any other third party for marketing purposes. We will only disclose personal information where required by law, such as in response to a valid court order.

6. Payment information

All payments are processed by PayFast, an independent payment gateway. PayFast's own privacy and security practices govern the handling of your card details; please refer to www.payfast.co.za for more information. CVGenius receives only confirmation of payment success or failure, an order reference, and the amount paid — never your full card number or CVV.

7. Data retention & deletion

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy:

• Files uploaded for the free ATS check: deleted immediately after the report is generated.
• Uploaded CV files and generated PDFs for paid orders: retained for 7 days to allow re-download, then deleted.
• Order and payment metadata (no CV content): retained for as long as required for accounting, tax, and dispute-resolution purposes under South African law.
• Support correspondence: retained for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve your query and for a reasonable period afterward in case of follow-up.

You may request earlier deletion of your information at any time — see Section 9 below.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, unauthorised access, and disclosure, including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) across the Website, restricted access to stored files, and use of reputable, security-vetted third-party providers for payment and AI processing. No system can be guaranteed 100% secure, but we continually review our practices to reduce risk.

9. Your rights under POPIA

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

• Be informed that your personal information is being collected and for what purpose (this Policy);
• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Request correction of inaccurate or outdated personal information;
• Request deletion of personal information we no longer have a lawful basis to retain;
• Object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances;
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights under POPIA have been infringed.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@cvgenius.co.za with your request. We will respond within a reasonable time and in any event within the timeframes required by POPIA.

The Information Regulator can be contacted at inforegulator.org.za.

10. Cookies & tracking

The Website uses minimal, privacy-conscious tracking to understand how it is used:

• A randomly generated session identifier is stored in your browser's local storage to keep track of your CV processing job. It does not identify you personally and is not linked to advertising networks.
• We log aggregate visit data (date, hour, a hashed and non-reversible session identifier, and general traffic source such as "Google" or "direct") to understand overall usage. This data cannot be used to identify an individual visitor.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking pixels.

11. Children's privacy

The Services are intended for use by individuals who are at least 18 years old or otherwise legally able to enter into employment in South Africa. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated Policy will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.

13. Contact & Information Officer

Company: Tshepiso Consulting Services, trading as CVGenius
Registration number: 2020/171749/07
Physical address: 1 Ruskin Road, Parklands, Cape Town, 7441, South Africa
Email: support@cvgenius.co.za
Telephone: +27 82 850 2221

For all privacy-related queries, requests, or complaints, please contact us using the details above in the first instance.