Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to Mindula, South Africa's leading financial forecasting platform. We understand that your financial data is deeply personal, and we're committed to protecting your privacy with the same diligence we apply to financial planning. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard your personal information when you use our services at mindula.com.

By using Mindula's services, you're trusting us with sensitive financial information. We don't take this responsibility lightly. This policy details our commitment to transparency and explains your rights regarding your personal data under South African privacy laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Information We Collect

To provide accurate financial forecasting and personalized insights, we collect several types of information. Here's what we gather and why it's necessary for our service:

• Personal Identification Information: Your name, email address, phone number, and physical address. We use this to create your account, send important notifications, and verify your identity for security purposes.
• Financial Information: Income details, expense patterns, investment portfolios, debt obligations, and financial goals. This data is essential for creating accurate forecasting models and personalized recommendations.
• Usage Data: How you interact with our platform, including pages visited, features used, time spent on different sections, and click patterns. This helps us improve our service and understand user preferences.
• Device Information: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and location data. We use this for security monitoring and to provide a consistent experience across devices.
• Communication Records: Records of your interactions with our support team, including emails, chat logs, and phone call summaries when you contact us for assistance.

How We Use Your Information

Your information serves specific purposes that directly benefit your experience with Mindula. We don't use your data for purposes unrelated to financial forecasting and account management. Here's exactly how we put your information to work:

• Account management and authentication, including secure login processes and password recovery
• Providing customer support and responding to your inquiries or technical issues
• Sending important service notifications, security alerts, and updates about your account
• Improving our forecasting algorithms and developing new features based on usage patterns
• Compliance with South African financial regulations and legal requirements
• Fraud prevention and security monitoring to protect your account from unauthorized access

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We maintain strict control over your personal information and never sell your data to third parties. However, we do work with carefully selected service providers who help us deliver our financial forecasting services. Here's who we share information with and why:

• Cloud Infrastructure Providers: We use secure cloud services to store and process your data. These providers are bound by strict confidentiality agreements and comply with international security standards.
• Payment Processors: When you make payments for premium services, we share necessary payment information with secure payment processors who handle transactions on our behalf.
• Security Service Providers: We work with cybersecurity companies to monitor for threats and protect your data from unauthorized access or breaches.
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose information when required by South African law, court orders, or regulatory authorities, but only to the extent legally necessary.

All third-party providers are contractually required to maintain the same level of data protection that we provide. We regularly audit these relationships to ensure your information remains secure.

Your Privacy Rights

Under South African privacy laws, you have significant control over your personal information. We've made it easy for you to exercise these rights through your account dashboard or by contacting our privacy team directly.

Data Security and Protection

Protecting your financial information is our top priority. We employ multiple layers of security measures that meet or exceed industry standards for financial data protection:

• Multi-factor authentication requirements for account access and sensitive operations
• Regular security audits conducted by independent cybersecurity firms
• Employee access controls with role-based permissions and background checks
• Network security monitoring with 24/7 threat detection and response capabilities
• Secure data centers with physical access controls and environmental monitoring
• Regular penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities

Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal requirements. Different types of data have different retention periods based on their purpose and legal requirements:

• Active Account Data: Maintained while your account is active and for 12 months after account closure to handle any final transactions or inquiries.
• Financial Records: Kept for 7 years after account closure to comply with South African financial record-keeping requirements.
• Communication Records: Customer service interactions are retained for 3 years to maintain service quality and resolve any disputes.
• Security Logs: Access logs and security monitoring data are kept for 2 years for fraud prevention and security analysis.

When data reaches the end of its retention period, we securely delete it using industry-standard data destruction methods that make recovery impossible.

International Data Transfers

While Mindula is based in South Africa, some of our cloud infrastructure and service providers operate internationally. When we transfer your data outside of South Africa, we ensure it receives the same level of protection through:

• Standard contractual clauses that require equivalent privacy protection
• Adequacy decisions recognizing equivalent privacy laws in destination countries
• Binding corporate rules for multinational service providers
• Regular compliance audits of international partners and service providers

Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience on our platform. These small files help us remember your preferences, maintain your session, and analyze how our service is used. You can control cookie settings through your browser, though some features may not work properly if cookies are disabled.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we'll notify you through email and prominently display the updates on our platform. We encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Minor updates that don't materially affect your rights will be posted with an updated "Last Modified" date. Major changes will include a 30-day notice period before taking effect, giving you time to review the changes and make decisions about your account.