Privacy policy

Effective from: 13.09.2026

This privacy policy explains what data is collected, how it is used and who it may be shared with when you use compareza.co.za (the "Site"). The Site is an independent, free service for comparing financial products from South African banks and microfinance institutions, and is not itself a bank or financial institution. Terms of use for the Site are set out separately in the Terms of Use.

1. Legal basis

This policy is drawn up in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African legislation.

2. What data we collect

2.1. Data you provide yourself

• the text of your request to the AI advisor (the /advisor page and the quick request on the home page) — processed to help match you with suitable products;
• if the "Leave a number for contact" form is active — your phone number or Telegram, so we can get back to you (this form is currently hidden on the Site but technically implemented);
• the text of any email you send us at hello@compareza.co.za.

2.2. Data collected automatically

The Site uses analytics services, including Google Analytics (which may record page interactions such as clicks, scrolling and cursor movement) and contextual advertising. These services may collect: IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, referral source, and approximate location (to city level). These services set their own cookies — see section 5.

When you use the AI advisor, your IP address is irreversibly hashed (SHA-256) and stored on our server together with the text of your request — this is needed to limit the number of requests from a single address per hour and to protect against abuse.

2.3. Data that stays only in your browser

Your theme preference, the list of products selected for comparison, and your history of visits to bank websites (the most recent 500) are stored in your device's localStorage. This data is not sent to our server and stays only on your device — it disappears if you clear your browser data.

3. Purposes of processing

• recommending suitable financial products through the AI advisor;
• improving how the Site works, finding bugs, and understanding which sections are useful to users;
• rate-limiting requests and protecting against abuse (bots, spam);
• getting back to you if you used the contact form;
• measuring advertising effectiveness.

4. Who data is shared with

We do not sell data. Data may be shared with third parties in the following cases:

• external analytics and advertising providers (such as Google) — their own privacy policies apply to their processing;
• the bank or MFI whose website you visit via the "Apply" button — all further exchange of data is then governed by that organisation's own privacy policy, which we do not control;
• where required by law — to the relevant government authorities.

Some links on the Site are affiliate (CPA) links — if you apply for a product through one of them, we may earn a commission from the bank or a partner network. This does not affect the product's terms and creates no extra cost for you; such links are identified by the "Apply" button and the referral source of the page.

5. Cookies

The Site itself does not set cookies — your session state (theme, comparison list) is stored via localStorage, not cookies. However, the external services listed above may set their own cookies — to recognise visitors, gather statistics and personalise advertising. You can disable or restrict cookies in your browser settings at any time, though some features (particularly analytics) may then not work correctly.

6. Retention period and security

The AI advisor's request log and hashed IP addresses are kept for as long as necessary to control abuse and improve the service. Contact details left through the feedback form are deleted once your enquiry has been handled. Technical and organisational measures are applied to protect against unauthorised access, though no one can guarantee 100% security of data transmitted over the internet.

7. Your rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• find out what data about you is held;
• request correction of inaccurate data;
• request deletion of data (where there is no longer a lawful basis to retain it);
• withdraw your consent to processing at any time;
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

To exercise these rights, email hello@compareza.co.za. For data held in your browser's localStorage (theme, comparison list), you don't need to contact us — you can delete it yourself at any time through your browser settings.

8. Children

The Site is not intended for persons under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect data from such users. If we become aware that we have received a minor's data, we will take steps to delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time — for example, when legislation changes or new features are added to the Site. We will announce material changes by updating the date at the top of the page. Continuing to use the Site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

10. Contact

If you have questions about this policy or your data — email hello@compareza.co.za or go to the contact page.