Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following information:

Information You Provide

• name or display name;
• email address;
• password (stored securely in encrypted or hashed form);
• profile photo;
• biography;
• general location;
• website and social media links;
• listings and listing photos;
• messages sent through the Platform;
• reviews and ratings;
• any information you voluntarily submit.

Information Collected Automatically

• IP address;
• browser type;
• device information;
• operating system;
• pages visited;
• referring website;
• search terms used on the Platform;
• cookies and similar technologies;
• advertising identifiers and information about the ads you see or interact with;
• log files.

2. Public Information

Certain information is intentionally public to allow the Platform to function as a classifieds marketplace.

Your public profile may display:

• display name;
• profile photo;
• biography;
• general location;
• links you choose to add to your profile;
• your public listings;
• public reviews and ratings;
• join date.

Your listings and profile may also appear in search engine results.

Do not include information in your public profile that you do not wish to be publicly available.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• provide and operate the Platform;
• create and manage your account;
• publish your listings;
• enable communication between users;
• improve our services;
• respond to support requests;
• detect fraud and abuse;
• enforce our Terms and Conditions;
• comply with legal obligations;
• send important service-related communications;
• show advertising, which helps keep the Platform free to use (see section 6).

Where permitted by law, we may also send promotional emails. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.

4. Messages

Messages sent through the Platform are stored so that conversations can be delivered, displayed, and moderated where necessary.

We do not routinely read private messages, but we may access them where reasonably necessary to:

• investigate abuse or fraud;
• respond to legal requests;
• protect users or the Platform;
• enforce our Terms and Conditions.

5. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• keep you signed in;
• remember your preferences;
• improve website performance;
• measure website usage;
• show and measure advertising;
• detect security issues.

Some of these cookies are set by third parties, such as Google, when we show ads or measure how the Platform is used. See section 6 for details.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect functionality.

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the Platform. Analytics cookies are only set once you accept them in our cookie notice. You can also opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

6. Advertising

We show ads on the Platform to help keep it free to use. Ads are served by Google AdSense and other third-party advertising partners, and some ads are sold directly by us.

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to trot.co.za or other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to trot.co.za and/or other sites on the internet.
• Google and its partners may also use device identifiers, IP addresses, and similar technologies to show ads, limit how often you see an ad, measure ad performance, and prevent fraud.

You can opt out of personalised advertising from Google by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting aboutads.info or, in Europe, youronlinechoices.eu. If you opt out, you will still see ads, but they will be less relevant to you.

Depending on where you are, you may be asked for your consent before personalised ads are shown. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your cookies for trot.co.za, or through the privacy and cookie settings option where it is shown.

For more information about how Google uses data when you use sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

We do not share your name, email address, messages, or other account details with advertisers.

7. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share information with:

• service providers who help operate the Platform;
• hosting providers;
• analytics providers;
• advertising partners, including Google, as described in section 6;
• email service providers;
• payment providers (if applicable in the future);
• law enforcement or government authorities where legally required;
• professional advisers where necessary.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to:

• provide our services;
• comply with legal obligations;
• resolve disputes;
• enforce our agreements.

Deleted listings or accounts may remain in backups for a limited period before being permanently removed.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information.

However, no method of electronic storage or transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• access your personal information;
• correct inaccurate information;
• delete your account and personal data;
• object to certain processing;
• restrict processing;
• request a copy of your data;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Requests may be subject to legal limitations or verification of your identity. To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@trot.co.za.

11. Third-Party Links

Listings, profiles, and advertisements may contain links to external websites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

12. Children's Privacy

trot.co.za is not intended for children under the age of 18.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

13. International Data Transfers

Your information may be processed or stored in countries other than your own where our service providers operate.

Where required by law, we will take appropriate safeguards to protect your information.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us through the contact page on trot.co.za or by email at privacy@trot.co.za.