Effective Date: 30 May 2026
SearchMyRide.co.za Privacy Policy
At SearchMyRide.co.za, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), applicable South African privacy laws, and recognised data protection principles.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect, disclose and otherwise process personal information when you use SearchMyRide, including our car marketplace, dealer dashboard, buyer enquiry tools, rent-to-own features, finance assistance features, AI search tools, AI voice mode, voice search, natural language car search, hands-free mode, gesture control, push notifications, AI-assisted car listing tools, AI dealer analytics reports, website calculators, vehicle comparison tools, promotional alerts and other related services.
By using SearchMyRide.co.za, creating an account, submitting an enquiry, listing a vehicle, using our AI tools, enabling camera or microphone features, subscribing to notifications, or interacting with our dealers, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the relevant parts of our website or services.
1. Who We Are
The responsible party for the processing of personal information on this website is:
SearchMyRide.co.za
Email: privacy@searchmyride.co.za
Website: SearchMyRide.co.za
For POPIA-related requests, privacy questions, account deletion requests, access requests, objections, complaints or consent withdrawals, you may contact us using the email address above.
Where a dealership, finance provider, rent-to-own provider, service provider or third-party partner receives your personal information from us in order to respond to your enquiry, provide a quote, contact you, assess your application, or continue a transaction with you, that third party may also act as an independent responsible party for the information it processes after receiving it. You should review that third party’s own privacy policy and terms where applicable.
2. What SearchMyRide Does
SearchMyRide is a South African automotive marketplace and vehicle discovery platform. Our services may include, without limitation:
- Vehicle listings from dealerships, private sellers or approved partners;
- Dealer profiles and dealership directory pages;
- Buyer enquiries, lead forms, call buttons, WhatsApp buttons, email enquiry buttons and vehicle contact forms;
- Rent-to-own vehicle enquiry features;
- Vehicle finance and affordability-related enquiry features;
- Car search, filtering and recommendation tools;
- Natural language car search and AI-assisted search;
- AI voice search and AI voice mode;
- Hands-free mode and gesture-based browsing features;
- Dealer dashboard tools for adding, managing and promoting vehicles;
- AI voice-assisted car adding tools for dealerships;
- AI-generated or AI-assisted dealer analytics and performance reports;
- Vehicle comparison, affordability, ownership-cost, evaluation or calculator tools where available;
- AI-assisted vehicle descriptions, specifications, content generation or listing enhancement tools;
- AI-generated 360° vehicle display or visual enhancement features where available;
- Website analytics, performance tracking and lead reporting;
- Promotion alerts, new listing notifications, web push notifications and email alerts;
- Progressive Web App features, such as add-to-home-screen prompts and push notification subscriptions;
- Marketing, newsletters, updates and service communications.
This policy applies to all these services, unless a separate privacy notice is provided for a specific feature.
3. Personal Information We Collect
We collect different categories of personal information depending on how you use SearchMyRide.
3.1 Account and Contact Information
- Full name;
- Email address;
- Mobile number or telephone number;
- Username and account details;
- Password or login credentials, where applicable, stored in protected or encrypted form where technically supported;
- Profile picture or avatar, where applicable;
- Communication preferences;
- Marketing consent preferences;
- Account status, login history and security logs.
3.2 Buyer, Lead and Enquiry Information
- Vehicle enquiries submitted through contact forms;
- Cars viewed, saved, compared or enquired about;
- Preferred make, model, year, mileage, body type, fuel type, transmission, colour, price range and location;
- Budget, deposit amount, monthly affordability and rent-to-own preferences;
- Finance, affordability or pre-approval related information that you choose to submit;
- Employment, income range, affordability or financial details where you voluntarily provide them for finance or rent-to-own assistance;
- Message content submitted to dealers or SearchMyRide;
- Lead source, campaign source or referral page;
- Call clicks, WhatsApp clicks, email clicks, form submissions and other enquiry actions;
- Date, time and status of your enquiry;
- Dealer or vehicle linked to your enquiry.
Please do not submit information that is not required for your enquiry. If a finance provider, dealership or rent-to-own provider requires additional documents, they may request them directly or through a secure process. We will only process such information where necessary for the relevant service and where a lawful basis exists.
3.3 Dealer and Seller Information
- Dealership name, trading name and company details;
- Dealer representative name and contact details;
- Business address, city, province and service areas;
- Business registration, VAT or verification information where applicable;
- Dealer logo, images, branding and profile content;
- Vehicle inventory, listing details and pricing;
- Dealer dashboard login activity;
- Dealer subscription, package, credit, lead purchase or billing-related information;
- Dealer performance data, including leads, views, clicks, promotions and listing engagement;
- Communications with SearchMyRide support or administration teams.
3.4 Vehicle Listing Information
- Vehicle title, make, model, year, trim, mileage, price and condition;
- VIN, registration-related details or stock number where provided;
- Fuel type, transmission, engine size, colour, body type and features;
- Rent-to-own pricing, deposit, income requirement, monthly amount and contract period where applicable;
- Vehicle description and seller notes;
- Vehicle images, gallery images, videos or generated visual assets;
- Vehicle location, dealer location and availability status;
- Promotion status, featured listing status or bump-up status;
- Listing performance data such as views, clicks, enquiries and conversion signals.
Vehicle images may sometimes contain metadata, background details, number plates, location clues or personal information. Dealers and sellers should avoid uploading unnecessary personal information in vehicle photos or descriptions.
3.5 Automatically Collected Technical Information
- IP address;
- Browser type and version;
- Device type, operating system and screen size;
- Approximate location derived from IP address;
- Pages visited and time spent on pages;
- Search filters used and navigation patterns;
- Referral source, campaign source or search engine source;
- Error logs, security logs and performance logs;
- Cookie identifiers, session identifiers and analytics identifiers;
- Interaction events such as button clicks, form starts, form submissions, WhatsApp clicks, phone clicks and email clicks.
3.6 Location Information
We may process location-related information in the following ways:
- Approximate location based on your IP address;
- Location you manually enter, such as city, province or preferred search area;
- Dealer or vehicle location displayed in listings;
- Precise browser location only if you actively allow location access through your device or browser.
You can disable browser location permissions through your device or browser settings. Some location-based vehicle search features may not work correctly if location access is disabled.
3.7 Voice, Audio and Speech Recognition Information
SearchMyRide may provide AI voice mode, AI voice search, voice commands, voice-assisted vehicle search and dealer dashboard voice-assisted car adding features. When you use these features, we may process:
- Microphone permission status;
- Voice commands spoken by you;
- Temporary audio input needed to process the command;
- Speech-to-text transcripts;
- Search queries generated from your voice input;
- Vehicle details dictated by a dealer when adding or editing a vehicle;
- Corrections, confirmations and edited listing fields;
- Error logs relating to voice recognition performance.
Voice features are optional. Your microphone should only be activated after you choose to enable a voice feature or grant microphone permission. You can disable microphone access at any time through your browser or device settings.
We do not use voice features to identify you by your voiceprint, create biometric profiles, or make decisions based on biometric identification. Voice input may be converted into text and used to complete your requested action, such as searching for a car, filling in a vehicle listing form, asking for AI assistance, or requesting dealer dashboard insights.
Where a third-party speech recognition, browser speech API, AI provider or hosting provider is used to process voice commands, only the information required to provide the feature should be shared with that provider. We require such processing to be limited to providing, securing, maintaining or improving the relevant feature, subject to applicable terms and safeguards.
3.8 Camera, Hands-Free Mode and Gesture Control Information
SearchMyRide may offer hands-free browsing, gesture control or touchless control features that allow users to navigate parts of the website using hand gestures, such as moving a virtual cursor, selecting items, scrolling, closing the control window or moving through image galleries.
When you use hands-free mode, your browser may request camera permission. Depending on the technical implementation of the feature, the following information may be processed:
- Camera permission status;
- Temporary video frames needed to detect gestures;
- Gesture recognition outputs, such as open palm, closed fist, swipe or pointing gestures;
- Interaction events generated by the gesture tool;
- Device and browser compatibility information;
- Error logs needed to troubleshoot the feature.
Hands-free mode is optional. The camera should only be activated after you choose to enable the feature and grant camera permission. You can disable camera access at any time through your browser or device settings.
SearchMyRide does not intentionally record, store, publish or sell camera footage from hands-free mode. The purpose of camera access is to recognise gestures and allow touchless navigation. Where gesture recognition runs locally in your browser, video frames may be processed on your device for the duration of the session. Where third-party libraries, browser components or external services are used, they may receive limited technical information required to load or operate the feature.
Hands-free mode is not intended for identity verification, surveillance, facial recognition, biometric profiling or behavioural profiling beyond the immediate gesture-control function.
3.9 AI Search, Natural Language Search and Recommendation Information
SearchMyRide may allow you to search for cars using natural language, conversational prompts or AI-assisted search. For example, you may ask for a fuel-efficient car, a family SUV, a vehicle suitable for ride-hailing, a rent-to-own car, a car under a specific budget, or a car in a specific location.
When you use these tools, we may process:
- Your typed or spoken search query;
- Your selected filters and preferences;
- Budget, deposit, monthly affordability or finance preferences you provide;
- Location preferences;
- Vehicle recommendations shown to you;
- Clicks, saves, comparisons and enquiries generated from AI search results;
- Feedback you provide about search results or recommendations;
- Technical logs used to improve relevance, safety and performance.
AI search results are intended to assist discovery and comparison. They may not always be complete, accurate, current or suitable for your personal circumstances. You should confirm vehicle details, pricing, availability, finance terms, rent-to-own terms, mileage, condition and all other important information directly with the relevant dealer or provider before making a decision.
3.10 Dealer Dashboard AI Tools and Voice-Assisted Car Adding
Dealers may use AI-assisted tools in the dealer dashboard to create listings, improve vehicle descriptions, generate summaries, organise specifications, analyse leads, and add vehicles using voice recognition or guided form completion.
When dealers use these tools, we may process:
- Dealer account information;
- Vehicle information dictated, typed, uploaded or imported by the dealer;
- Audio commands and transcripts used to populate vehicle fields;
- Images uploaded by the dealer;
- AI-generated suggestions, descriptions or specifications;
- Dealer edits, approvals and corrections;
- Listing publication status;
- Dashboard usage logs and error logs.
Dealers remain responsible for checking and confirming the accuracy of vehicle information before publishing. AI-assisted descriptions, specifications, recommendations or generated content should be reviewed and corrected by the dealer before use. SearchMyRide may remove or correct content that appears misleading, unlawful, harmful, inaccurate or inconsistent with platform rules.
3.11 AI Dealer Analytics, Reports and Recommendations
SearchMyRide may provide dealerships with analytics dashboards, AI-generated reports and performance recommendations. These may include:
- Total vehicle views;
- Total enquiries and leads;
- Organic leads and paid leads;
- WhatsApp clicks, phone clicks and email clicks;
- Vehicle-level performance;
- Monthly, year-to-date and date-range comparisons;
- Promotion performance;
- Lead source performance;
- Comparison against aggregated or anonymised marketplace benchmarks;
- AI-generated recommendations for improving listings, pricing, photos, descriptions or lead conversion.
Where we compare dealer performance to other dealerships, we aim to use aggregated, anonymised or benchmarked information where practical, rather than exposing another dealer’s confidential business information. AI analytics are intended as business guidance and may not guarantee more leads, sales, approvals or revenue.
3.12 Promotions, Push Notifications and Alerts
If you subscribe to alerts, browser push notifications, promotional emails or new listing notifications, we may process:
- Your email address;
- Your notification subscription token or browser push endpoint;
- Your device/browser notification permissions;
- Your selected preferences, such as preferred vehicles, location or budget;
- Promotion categories and notification history;
- Open, click and unsubscribe events;
- Lead history or recent enquiry activity, where used to send relevant promotion alerts.
You may unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link provided in the communication, where available, or by contacting us at privacy@searchmyride.co.za. You can disable browser push notifications through your browser or device settings.
3.13 Google Login and Google API Data
If you choose to sign in with Google or use a feature that connects to Google services, we may process limited Google account information, such as:
- Your Google account name;
- Your Google email address;
- Your Google profile picture, where provided by Google;
- Authentication tokens or login verification data required to keep you signed in securely.
Unless we clearly request additional permission from you for a specific feature, we do not intentionally access your Gmail messages, Google Drive files, Google Calendar events or other private Google content.
SearchMyRide’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We do not use Google user data for advertising purposes, sell Google user data, or transfer Google user data except as necessary to provide or improve user-facing features, comply with law, protect security, or with your consent where required.
3.14 Payment, Billing and Subscription Information
Where SearchMyRide offers paid listings, dealer packages, lead purchases, promotional placements, credits, subscriptions or other paid services, we may process billing-related information such as:
- Dealer account details;
- Package or product purchased;
- Invoice details;
- Payment status;
- Transaction reference numbers;
- Billing contact details;
- Credit balances, lead purchase records or listing credit usage.
Payment card details should be processed by secure third-party payment providers where applicable. SearchMyRide does not aim to store full card numbers unless clearly stated and lawfully supported by appropriate security controls.
3.15 Support, Complaints and Communications
When you contact us for support, submit a complaint, report a listing, request account help or communicate with us, we may process:
- Your name and contact details;
- Message content;
- Screenshots or attachments you provide;
- Account, listing or enquiry details relevant to the issue;
- Support notes and resolution history;
- Fraud, abuse or safety reports.
4. Information We Do Not Intentionally Collect
Unless specifically required for a lawful and clearly disclosed purpose, SearchMyRide does not intentionally collect:
- Biometric identifiers for identifying a person;
- Facial recognition templates;
- Voiceprints used to identify users;
- Unnecessary health information;
- Unnecessary criminal record information;
- Unnecessary special personal information;
- Children’s personal information without appropriate consent where required;
- Private Google content such as Gmail messages or Google Drive files, unless a future feature clearly requests and obtains the required permission.
If you submit unnecessary personal information through a free-text field, upload, voice command, image or support message, we may process it only as required to provide the service, moderate content, comply with law, protect rights, or delete it where appropriate.
5. How We Collect Personal Information
We may collect personal information directly or indirectly through:
- Account registration forms;
- Dealer registration forms;
- Vehicle listing forms;
- Buyer enquiry forms;
- Rent-to-own enquiry forms;
- Finance or affordability enquiry forms;
- AI search and natural language search prompts;
- Voice commands and voice-assisted tools;
- Hands-free mode and gesture-control tools;
- Website cookies and analytics technologies;
- Push notification subscriptions;
- Email newsletter subscriptions;
- Support tickets, emails, WhatsApp messages or phone interactions;
- Dealer dashboard activity;
- Payment, billing or subscription processes;
- Third-party services, dealers, finance providers or advertising partners where lawful and relevant;
- Publicly available sources, where lawful and necessary for verification, fraud prevention or listing quality.
Where possible and practical, we collect personal information directly from you.
6. Why We Process Personal Information
We process personal information for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Examples | Lawful Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Providing the marketplace | Displaying listings, dealer pages, search results and vehicle details | Performance of a service, legitimate interest |
| Responding to buyer enquiries | Sending your enquiry to a dealer, seller or relevant partner | Consent, legitimate interest, steps prior to a transaction |
| Rent-to-own and finance assistance | Assessing or forwarding affordability, deposit or contact details to relevant providers | Consent, steps prior to a transaction, legitimate interest |
| Dealer account management | Creating dealer accounts, managing listings, billing and support | Contract, legitimate interest |
| AI search and recommendations | Understanding natural language queries and suggesting relevant cars | Consent, legitimate interest |
| Voice features | Converting speech into search queries or listing fields | Consent, legitimate interest |
| Hands-free mode | Recognising gestures for touchless website navigation | Consent |
| AI dealer reports | Showing leads, clicks, performance trends and AI recommendations | Legitimate interest, contract |
| Marketing and promotions | Sending newsletters, promotion alerts and vehicle updates | Consent, soft opt-in where lawful, legitimate interest |
| Push notifications | Sending browser notifications about new cars or promotions | Consent |
| Analytics and improvement | Measuring traffic, page performance, lead quality and feature usage | Legitimate interest |
| Security and fraud prevention | Preventing spam, fake listings, abuse, unauthorised access or fraud | Legal obligation, legitimate interest |
| Legal compliance | Keeping records, responding to lawful requests, enforcing rights | Legal obligation, legitimate interest |
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal, and it may limit your ability to use certain features.
7. AI Features and Automated Processing
SearchMyRide may use artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation or rule-based systems to improve search, listings, lead handling, dealer tools and analytics. These tools may assist with:
- Natural language vehicle search;
- Voice search;
- Voice-assisted car listing creation;
- Vehicle recommendation and matching;
- AI-generated listing descriptions;
- AI-assisted vehicle specifications and summaries;
- AI dealer performance reports;
- Lead quality insights;
- Promotion recommendations;
- Fraud, spam or abuse detection;
- Website personalisation and search relevance.
AI tools are designed to assist users and dealers, not to replace human judgement. AI-generated information may contain errors, omissions or outdated details. Vehicle availability, price, mileage, condition, finance terms, rent-to-own terms and dealer representations should always be confirmed directly with the relevant dealer, seller or provider.
SearchMyRide does not make final credit, finance, rent-to-own approval or affordability decisions on behalf of banks, finance houses, dealerships or rent-to-own providers unless expressly stated. Any finance or rent-to-own approval decision is usually made by the relevant provider according to its own criteria, policies and legal obligations.
If an automated or AI-assisted result significantly affects you, you may contact us to request clarification, correction or human review where applicable.
8. Sharing of Personal Information
We do not sell your personal information in the ordinary sense of selling personal information as a data broker. However, SearchMyRide operates a marketplace where buyer enquiries and leads may be shared with relevant dealerships, sellers, finance providers, rent-to-own providers or approved partners so that they can respond to your request.
We may share personal information with:
- Dealerships and sellers: To respond to enquiries about vehicles, pricing, availability, trade-ins, test drives or promotions.
- Finance and rent-to-own providers: To assist with finance, affordability, pre-approval or rent-to-own enquiries where you request this.
- Dealer dashboard users: To show leads, enquiries, call clicks, WhatsApp clicks, email clicks and listing performance linked to that dealer’s vehicles.
- Service providers: Hosting providers, email delivery providers, analytics providers, security providers, payment providers, support tools, AI providers, speech recognition providers and technical vendors.
- Google services: Where you use Google Login or Google-related features, limited information may be processed for authentication or the specific feature you request.
- Marketing and communication providers: To send newsletters, push notifications, service messages or promotional alerts where lawful.
- Professional advisers: Lawyers, accountants, auditors, insurers or consultants where necessary.
- Regulators and authorities: Where required by law, court order, lawful request or regulatory obligation.
- Business transfer parties: In connection with a merger, sale, restructuring, acquisition, investment, transfer of assets or similar business transaction.
Where we use operators or service providers to process personal information on our behalf, we require them to process personal information only for authorised purposes and to apply reasonable security and confidentiality measures.
Once your information is shared with a dealership, finance provider, rent-to-own provider or other third party for purposes you requested, that party may contact you directly and may process your information under its own privacy policy.
9. Leads, Dealer Contact and Marketplace Disclosures
When you submit an enquiry, click a call button, click a WhatsApp button, send an email enquiry, request finance assistance, request rent-to-own information, ask about a promotion, or otherwise express interest in a vehicle, your relevant contact and enquiry information may be shared with the dealer, seller or partner connected to that vehicle or service.
Dealers may receive information such as your name, phone number, email address, message, vehicle of interest, budget, location, enquiry type, lead source and interaction date. This allows the dealer or provider to contact you about the vehicle or service you requested.
SearchMyRide may also generate analytics from lead activity, including organic leads, paid leads, listing views, WhatsApp clicks, phone clicks, email clicks and enquiry conversion trends. These analytics may be shown to dealers in dashboards, reports or AI-generated recommendations.
Dealers are responsible for using lead information lawfully, contacting users responsibly, respecting opt-outs, protecting personal information and complying with POPIA and other applicable laws.
10. Cookies, Analytics and Tracking Technologies
SearchMyRide uses cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, session storage and similar technologies to operate, secure, analyse and improve the website.
These technologies may be used for:
- Keeping you logged in;
- Remembering preferences;
- Measuring website traffic;
- Understanding which pages and vehicles are popular;
- Tracking leads, clicks and conversions;
- Improving search relevance;
- Preventing fraud, spam and abuse;
- Testing website performance and layout improvements;
- Measuring marketing campaign performance;
- Supporting remarketing or advertising features where enabled and lawful.
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect login, search, saved preferences, analytics, security and other website functionality.
Where required, we may provide cookie notices or consent tools that allow you to manage certain categories of cookies.
11. Direct Marketing, Newsletters and Promotions
We may send you marketing communications, newsletters, promotion alerts, dealer offers, new listing alerts, rent-to-own updates or service updates where:
- You have consented;
- You subscribed to receive alerts;
- You submitted an enquiry and the communication relates to similar or relevant services, where lawful;
- We are otherwise permitted to do so under applicable law.
You can opt out of marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link in the email, where available, or by contacting privacy@searchmyride.co.za. You may still receive important service, security, legal or transactional messages even if you opt out of marketing.
If you receive promotional alerts because you recently submitted a vehicle enquiry, you may request removal from promotional communications at any time.
12. Push Notifications and Progressive Web App Features
SearchMyRide may offer Progressive Web App features, browser push notifications, add-to-home-screen prompts and mobile-style alerts. If you allow push notifications, your browser or device may provide us with a push subscription token or endpoint that allows us to send notifications to that device or browser.
Push notifications may include new vehicle alerts, promotion alerts, dealer updates, saved search updates, platform updates or other relevant messages.
You can disable push notifications through your browser or device notification settings. If you clear browser data, change devices or reinstall your browser, your push subscription may need to be reset.
13. Third-Party Services and External Links
SearchMyRide may use third-party services for hosting, analytics, maps, fonts, icons, AI processing, speech recognition, gesture recognition, email delivery, payment processing, security, performance monitoring, advertising, social sharing, embedded content or communication tools.
Our website may also contain links to dealership websites, finance providers, WhatsApp, social media platforms, payment providers, map services, advertising platforms or other third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security or terms of third-party websites or services that we do not control.
When you leave SearchMyRide or interact directly with a third-party service, that third party’s own privacy policy and terms may apply.
14. International Transfers
Some of our service providers, cloud infrastructure, analytics tools, AI providers, email providers, security providers or technical vendors may process personal information outside South Africa.
Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, we aim to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, which may include contractual protections, data processing agreements, security controls, access controls, confidentiality obligations or reliance on lawful transfer mechanisms permitted by POPIA and applicable law.
15. Security of Personal Information
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction.
These measures may include:
- Secure hosting controls;
- HTTPS encryption where available;
- Access controls and user permissions;
- Password protection and authentication controls;
- Administrative role restrictions;
- Logging and monitoring;
- Backups and recovery processes;
- Spam, abuse and fraud prevention controls;
- Security updates and maintenance;
- Confidentiality obligations for authorised personnel and service providers.
No website, platform, AI system, communication channel or storage system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect personal information using reasonable and appropriate safeguards.
If we become aware of a security compromise involving personal information, we will take appropriate steps in accordance with applicable law, which may include investigating the incident, taking containment measures, notifying affected parties where required, and reporting to the relevant regulator where legally required.
16. Data Retention
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
| Information Category | Typical Retention Approach |
|---|---|
| Account information | For as long as the account remains active, and for a reasonable period afterwards for legal, security and administrative purposes. |
| Buyer enquiries and leads | For as long as needed to manage the enquiry, support dealer reporting, resolve disputes, prevent fraud and comply with legal obligations. |
| Dealer account and billing records | For the duration of the dealer relationship and for any legally required accounting, tax, contractual or dispute period afterwards. |
| Vehicle listings | While listings are active and for a reasonable archive period after removal, expiry or sale. |
| Voice transcripts and AI prompts | For as long as needed to provide the feature, improve reliability, troubleshoot issues, maintain safety and comply with legal obligations, unless anonymised or deleted earlier. |
| Camera video from hands-free mode | We do not intentionally store camera footage for hands-free mode. Temporary processing should occur only as needed to operate gesture control. |
| Marketing subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or your details are removed in accordance with our retention practices. |
| Push notification tokens | Until you unsubscribe, disable notifications, clear browser permissions, or the token becomes inactive or is removed. |
| Analytics data | May be kept in aggregated, anonymised or pseudonymised form for reporting, performance analysis and business intelligence. |
| Security logs | For a reasonable period required to detect abuse, investigate incidents and protect the platform. |
When personal information is no longer required, we will delete, de-identify, aggregate or archive it where appropriate and legally permitted.
17. Your Rights Under POPIA
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:
- Be notified when your personal information is collected;
- Access personal information we hold about you;
- Request correction of inaccurate, outdated, incomplete or misleading information;
- Request deletion or destruction of personal information where legally permitted;
- Object to processing in certain circumstances;
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- Object to direct marketing;
- Request details of third parties to whom your personal information has been disclosed, where applicable and legally required;
- Submit a complaint to the Information Regulator of South Africa;
- Request human review or clarification where an automated process significantly affects you, where applicable.
To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@searchmyride.co.za.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests. We may refuse or limit requests where permitted by law, such as where disclosure would affect another person’s rights, compromise security, reveal confidential business information, interfere with legal claims, or conflict with legal obligations.
18. Your Choices and Controls
You can control certain types of processing in the following ways:
- Marketing emails: Use unsubscribe links where available or contact us.
- Push notifications: Disable notifications in your browser or device settings.
- Microphone access: Disable microphone permission in your browser or device settings.
- Camera access: Disable camera permission in your browser or device settings.
- Location access: Disable location permission in your browser or device settings.
- Cookies: Manage or block cookies using your browser settings.
- Account data: Update your account information where account editing tools are available.
- Dealer listings: Dealers can update or remove listings through the dealer dashboard where available.
- AI search: Avoid submitting personal or sensitive information in AI prompts unless necessary for the requested service.
Some features may stop working or may be limited if you disable required permissions.
19. Children and Minors
SearchMyRide is primarily intended for users who are old enough to enquire about vehicles, interact with dealerships, enter into vehicle-related transactions, or use automotive marketplace services lawfully.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children in a manner that is unlawful or inappropriate. If you are under 18, you should use SearchMyRide with the involvement of a parent or guardian, especially when submitting enquiries, finance-related information, rent-to-own information, contact details or any information that may lead to a transaction.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate consent where required, we may delete or restrict that information.
20. Accuracy of Information
We rely on users, dealers, sellers and partners to provide accurate information. Dealers and sellers are responsible for ensuring that vehicle listings, pricing, mileage, features, condition, finance terms, rent-to-own terms, images and availability details are accurate and not misleading.
SearchMyRide may use automated checks, AI tools, moderation, user reports or manual review to improve listing quality, but we cannot guarantee that every listing or AI-generated suggestion is accurate, complete or current.
You should verify all important details directly with the relevant dealer, seller, finance provider or rent-to-own provider before making any decision or payment.
21. User-Generated Content and Public Information
If you submit content for publication, such as vehicle listings, dealer profiles, vehicle descriptions, reviews, images, comments or promotional information, that content may become visible to other users, search engines and third-party platforms.
Please do not include unnecessary personal information in public listing descriptions, images, comments or profile content. Publicly available content may remain visible in search engine caches or third-party archives even after it is removed from SearchMyRide.
22. Data Quality, De-Identification and Aggregated Analytics
We may use aggregated, anonymised or de-identified information to understand marketplace trends, improve website performance, analyse vehicle demand, compare listing categories, measure dealer performance, train or improve internal tools, generate benchmark reports and improve SearchMyRide services.
Where information has been properly anonymised or aggregated so that it can no longer reasonably identify a person, it may not be treated as personal information under applicable law.
Examples of aggregated analytics may include total searches for a vehicle category, average enquiry rates, popular models, device usage trends, regional demand, conversion rates or marketplace growth statistics.
23. Google API Limited Use Disclosure
SearchMyRide’s use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
Where Google Login or Google APIs are used:
- We request only the Google information needed for the relevant user-facing feature;
- We use Google user data only to provide, secure or improve the feature you use;
- We do not sell Google user data;
- We do not use Google user data for advertising purposes;
- We do not allow humans to read Google user data unless necessary for security, support, legal compliance, or with your consent where required;
- We do not transfer Google user data except as necessary to provide the feature, comply with law, protect security, or with your consent where required.
If SearchMyRide introduces a future feature that requires broader Google permissions, we will request the relevant permission and provide appropriate disclosures before accessing that data.
24. Complaints
If you believe your personal information has been processed unlawfully, unfairly or in a way that violates this Privacy Policy, please contact us first at privacy@searchmyride.co.za so that we can investigate and respond.
You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
Information Regulator South Africa
Website: inforegulator.org.za
25. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, AI features, voice tools, camera-based features, dealer tools, legal requirements, third-party services or business operations.
When we make material changes, we may update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify users through the website, email, account notice or another suitable method.
You should review this Privacy Policy regularly to stay informed about how we process personal information.
26. Contact Us
For questions, requests, complaints or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal information, please contact:
SearchMyRide.co.za
Email: privacy@searchmyride.co.za
Website: SearchMyRide.co.za
