Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

PulseSMS is a business messaging platform operated by GITECH (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. The platform enables customers to manage contacts, create contact groups, collect subscribers, purchase SMS credits and send business SMS campaigns.

We handle personal information in accordance with applicable South African data-protection requirements, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

2. Information we collect

Depending on how PulseSMS is used, we may process:

• Account information such as name, business name, email address and mobile number.
• Contact and subscriber information such as first name, surname, mobile number, email address and group membership.
• Consent information, including the wording accepted, subscription date and supporting technical records.
• Messaging information, including campaign details, destination numbers, message content and delivery status.
• Billing and transaction information relating to SMS credit purchases and account balances.
• Technical and security information such as IP address, browser/device information, timestamps, referrer information and application logs.
• Support communications and information you provide when requesting assistance.

3. How we use personal information

We use personal information where necessary to:

• Create, verify and secure PulseSMS accounts.
• Provide contact, group, subscriber-link and campaign-management functionality.
• Route and deliver SMS messages and report delivery status.
• Process SMS credit purchases and maintain transaction records.
• Provide customer support and operational communications.
• Prevent fraud, abuse, unauthorised access and misuse of the platform.
• Maintain service performance, reliability and audit records.
• Meet legal, regulatory, contractual and accounting obligations.

4. Subscriber links and SMS consent

A PulseSMS customer may create a public subscriber link for a specific contact group and share or embed that link on a website, online store, social-media page or other digital channel.

When a person submits a subscriber form, the information supplied is added to the relevant customer's PulseSMS contact database and the selected contact group. PulseSMS may also retain evidence of the subscription and consent event for audit and compliance purposes.

The PulseSMS customer that created the subscriber link determines the purpose of the marketing or customer communication and is responsible for ensuring that its collection, messaging and opt-out practices are lawful. PulseSMS processes subscriber data to provide the platform and messaging service on that customer's behalf.

Subscribers may withdraw marketing consent or request that messaging stop by contacting the business that collected their information or by using any opt-out method made available in that business's communication. PulseSMS customers are responsible for honouring valid opt-out requests.

5. Sharing and service providers

We may share or transmit information only where reasonably necessary to operate PulseSMS, comply with law, protect the platform, or fulfil a customer's requested service. This may include trusted technology, hosting, payment, telecommunications and messaging service providers.

For example, payment transactions may be processed through PayFast and SMS delivery may involve Twilio and downstream telecommunications networks. These providers process information according to their own contractual and legal obligations.

We do not sell or rent customer or subscriber personal information for third-party advertising purposes.

6. How long we keep information

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service, maintain account and transaction records, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, protect the platform and meet legal or regulatory obligations. Retention periods may differ according to the type of information and the reason it is held.

PulseSMS customers control the contacts and groups in their own accounts and should remove or update information when it is no longer required for a lawful business purpose.

7. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. These measures include controlled account access, authentication controls, secure application practices, logging and appropriate infrastructure protections.

No internet-based system can guarantee absolute security. Customers are responsible for protecting their login credentials and for managing access to their PulseSMS accounts appropriately.

8. Your privacy rights

Subject to applicable law, you may request access to personal information we hold about you, ask for inaccurate information to be corrected, object to certain processing, request deletion where appropriate, or raise a concern about how your information is handled.

If your information was collected by a PulseSMS customer through that customer's subscriber link or contact database, the quickest route may be to contact that business directly. You may also contact PulseSMS for assistance using the details below.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa where applicable.

9. Cookies and technical data

PulseSMS uses cookies and similar technical mechanisms where required for secure login, session management, fraud prevention and core application functionality. We may also record limited website and application usage information to understand service performance and protect the platform.

Disabling essential browser storage or cookies may prevent certain account or portal functions from working correctly.

10. Cross-border processing

Some service providers or infrastructure used to deliver PulseSMS may process information outside South Africa. Where cross-border processing occurs, we take reasonable steps to use providers and arrangements that provide appropriate protection for personal information.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when the PulseSMS service, our business practices or applicable requirements change. The current version and its last-updated date will be published on this page.