Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18 July 2026

This policy is compliant with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of the Republic of South Africa.

1. Who we are

Bark Parks is operated from Cape Town, South Africa ("we", "us", "our").

Information Officer: The Information Officer of Bark Parks
Email: andrew@barkparks.co.za
Physical address: Unit 2 Gaywood, Kingston Road, Rosebank, Cape Town
Website: barkparks.co.za

We are in the process of registering our Information Officer with the Information Regulator of South Africa as required by section 55 of POPIA. To contact the Information Officer, use the email address above.

2. What personal information we collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

  • Account information: Your name, email address, and phone number when you register.
  • Identity verification: Government-issued ID or passport number and a selfie photograph, collected to verify your identity as required by our platform safety obligations.
  • Profile information: Profile photo, biography, and dog profiles (name, breed, age, photo) that you voluntarily add.
  • Booking information: Dates, times, spaces booked, number of dogs, payment amounts, and booking history.
  • Payment information: Bank account details provided by Hosts for payouts. Card details are processed directly by Paystack and are not stored by Bark Parks.
  • Location data: General location (city/province) used to surface relevant listings. We do not track your real-time GPS location.
  • Communications: Messages sent through our in-app messaging system between Guests and Hosts.
  • Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, and pages visited, collected automatically for security and analytics purposes.

3. Why we collect your information

We process your personal information only for the following lawful purposes under POPIA:

  • To create and manage your account.
  • To verify your identity and maintain the safety of the platform.
  • To facilitate bookings between Guests and Hosts.
  • To process payments and payouts.
  • To send booking confirmations, reminders, and platform notifications.
  • To investigate reports of misconduct or safety incidents.
  • To comply with legal obligations under South African law.
  • To improve the platform and user experience (using anonymised, aggregated data only).

We will not use your personal information for purposes beyond those listed above without your explicit consent.

4. Who we share your information with

We share personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Between users: When a booking is confirmed, the Guest receives the Host's full address. The Host receives the Guest's name and profile. No other personal details are shared between users without consent.
  • Paystack: Payment processing. Paystack is subject to its own privacy policy and PCI DSS compliance obligations.
  • Supabase: Our database and authentication provider. See section 5 regarding cross-border transfers.
  • Vercel: Our hosting provider. See section 5 regarding cross-border transfers.
  • Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand how the platform is used. This service collects anonymised usage data. You can opt out using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
  • Resend: Our transactional email provider, used to send booking confirmations and notifications.
  • Legal obligations: We may disclose information to law enforcement or regulators if required to do so by South African law, including POPIA and the ECT Act.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Cross-border transfers

Some of our service providers — including Supabase (database and authentication) and Vercel (hosting) — may store or process your personal information outside South Africa, including in the United States and the European Union.

In accordance with section 72 of POPIA, we transfer personal information to third parties in other countries only where those parties are subject to adequate data protection laws or we have put in place appropriate safeguards. Supabase and Vercel both operate under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or equivalent mechanisms that provide protections comparable to those under POPIA.

By using Bark Parks, you consent to your personal information being processed in these jurisdictions for the purposes set out in this policy.

6. How we protect your information

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. These measures include:

  • Encrypted data storage and transmission (HTTPS/TLS).
  • Row-level security policies on our database ensuring users can only access their own data.
  • Private storage buckets for sensitive files such as identity documents and dog photos.
  • Access controls limiting internal access to personal data on a strict need-to-know basis.

Security breach notification: In the event of a security breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator of South Africa as soon as reasonably possible after becoming aware of the breach, as required by section 22 of POPIA.

No system is completely secure. If you suspect your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at andrew@barkparks.co.za.

7. How long we keep your information

  • Account data: Retained for as long as your account is active, plus 12 months after closure to allow for dispute resolution.
  • Booking records: Retained for 5 years for financial and legal compliance in accordance with the Tax Administration Act and Companies Act.
  • Identity documents: Retained for 12 months after your last booking, then securely deleted.
  • Messages: Retained for 12 months after the related booking, then deleted.

8. Your rights under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:

  • Right of access: You may request a copy of all personal information we hold about you.
  • Right to correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
  • Right to deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
  • Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
  • Right to complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za.

To exercise any of these rights, email our Information Officer at andrew@barkparks.co.za. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.

9. Cookies and analytics

We use session cookies to keep you logged in to your account. We also use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the platform. Google Analytics collects anonymised usage data such as pages visited, session duration, and device type. We do not use advertising cookies or share any identifiable data with advertisers.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings or opt out of Google Analytics collection via the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Disabling session cookies will prevent you from staying logged in.

10. Children's privacy

Bark Parks is not intended for use by persons under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has registered, please contact us immediately at andrew@barkparks.co.za.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email at least 5 business days before taking effect. Continued use of the platform after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact us

For any privacy-related queries or to exercise your rights, contact our Information Officer:
andrew@barkparks.co.za

To lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator:
inforegulator.org.za

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