Visita is not a social network. We do not optimize for engagement, we do not sell ads based on your behavior, and we do not treat you as a product. We are a civic utility.
Our Promise
We will never sell your personal data. We will never track you across other websites. We will minimize data collection to what is strictly necessary for civic participation.
Ethical Analytics
We use privacy-first analytics. We don't use persistent cookies. We hash your identity daily, so we can count "unique visitors" today without building a profile of you forever.
1. What We Collect (and Why)
We classify data into three buckets. We are transparent about each:
Identity Data (Strictly Private)
What: Phone number, Name (if provided), Encrypted Password.
Why: To allow you to log in, vote, and receive alerts you subscribe to.
Access: Your phone number is NEVER visible to other users.
Civic Record (Public Ledger)
What: Signals reported, Votes cast (anonymized), Project pledges.
Why: To build trust. If you report a pothole, neighbors need to see it exists. Governance votes are aggregated (e.g., "54% Yes"), never linked to you personally.
Access: Publicly visible on the Ward Page.
Location Intelligence
What: Ward Code derived from IP (approximate) or GPS (if granted).
Why: To show you the correct ward dashboard. We do not store your GPS history.
Access: Ephemeral. Used to route you, then discarded.
2. How We Avoid Creepy Tracking
Most websites use "cookies" to follow you around the internet. We don't. We use a system called Visitor Hashing:
- When you visit, we combine your IP + User Agent + "Daily Salt" (a secret random code).
- This creates a unique hash like `a1b2c3d4`.
- We engage with this hash to count "1 visitor".
- At midnight, we delete the Salt.
- Tomorrow, you generate a completely new hash. We cannot link yesterday's visit to today's.
3. Data Sharing & Selling
We do not sell your data. Period. We may share aggregated intelligence with municipalities (e.g., "Ward 10 has 50 uncollected bags of trash") to improve service delivery. This data never identifies individuals.
4. Your Rights (POPIA / GDPR)
You own your civic identity. You have the right to:
- Download data: Export everything we have on you.
- Delete account: Wipe your personal data instantly. (Note: Civic actions like "Reported Pothole" remain on the ledger but are decoupled from your identity).
- Silence: Turn off all notifications.
Questions about this policy? Contact our Data Officer at privacy@visita.co.za.