Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

The data controller for the CapeCircle platform is Raimund Welge, reachable at hello@the-capecircle.com.

2. Data We Collect

We collect the following personal data:

• Name, email address, phone number, city, and occupation (provided during registration)
• Profile photo and bio (optionally provided by you)
• Instagram handle (optionally provided by you)
• Payment and subscription data (processed by Stripe)
• Device tokens for push notifications (if enabled)
• Camera input for QR code scanning (partner portal only — no images are stored or transmitted)
• Usage data and event RSVPs

3. Purpose of Processing

We process your data to:

• Provide and maintain the CapeCircle membership service
• Process payments and manage subscriptions
• Send transactional emails (invitations, receipts, password resets)
• Enable community features (member directory, connections, events)
• Send push notifications (if enabled by you)

4. Legal Basis

We process your data based on: (a) performance of the membership contract, (b) your consent where applicable (e.g., push notifications), and (c) our legitimate interest in operating and improving the Service.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Firebase (Google) — Authentication, database, hosting, storage, cloud functions, push notifications (FCM)
• Stripe — Payment processing and subscription management
• Apple — App distribution (App Store), push notifications (APNs), Apple Wallet passes
• SMTP (Nodemailer) — Transactional email delivery

These services may process data outside the EU. We rely on appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) where applicable. Apple processes data in accordance with Apple’s Privacy Policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all personal data, subscription information, connections, RSVPs, and notifications are permanently removed. Payment records may be retained by Stripe as required by law.

7. Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR and POPIA), you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify inaccurate data via your profile settings
• Delete your account and all associated data
• Withdraw consent for push notifications at any time
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

8. Account Deletion

You can permanently delete your account at any time through the settings on both the website and the iOS application (Settings → Delete Account). This will cancel your subscription, remove all your data from our systems, and delete your authentication credentials. This action is irreversible.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (TLS), Firebase security rules, and secure authentication via Firebase Auth.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify members of material changes via email. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Mobile Application

When you use the CapeCircle iOS application, we may additionally process: device type and operating system version for compatibility purposes; push notification tokens (via Firebase Cloud Messaging and Apple Push Notification service) if you opt in to notifications; camera access when you use the QR code scanner feature (partner portal only — no images are stored or transmitted); and Apple Wallet pass data when you add your membership card to Apple Wallet. Camera access and push notifications require your explicit permission and can be revoked at any time through your device settings. We do not collect precise location data, advertising identifiers, or health data.

12. Contact

For privacy-related inquiries, please contact us at hello@the-capecircle.com.