Eride Technologies — Privacy Policy

Thank you for trusting Eride Technologies with your information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, secure and retain personal information when you interact with Eride Technologies, our services, products and websites — including our AI Travel Assistant for SADC Travellers and DHA Vlist-Assist: South Africa Visa Overstay Appeal System. It also explains your rights and how you can exercise them.

This is a comprehensive, plain-English policy. Where we refer to legal obligations and data-subject rights, we align our approach with recognised data-protection frameworks (for example POPIA in South Africa and the EU GDPR) and with regulator guidance on automated decision-making. Please read it carefully and contact us if you have questions. (POPIA, EUR-Lex, ICO)

Important: This policy is a statement of Eride Technologies’ practices. It is not legal advice. If you require a version that quotes local legal clauses verbatim, or that is certified for a specific procurement process, please ask and we will work with your legal counsel.

Who we are (Controller / Responsible party)

Eride Technologies (trading as “Eride”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is the organisation responsible for deciding how and why personal information is processed in connection with the services described in this policy.

Contact for privacy requests: Email: info@eridetech.africa

Scope / Where this policy applies

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information we collect: via our web sites and mobile/web apps; when you sign up for or use the AI Travel Assistant or Vlist-Assist; when you contact our customer support or sales teams; through integrations and partner services; and when we receive data from third parties on your behalf.

Definitions (brief)

Personal information / personal data: any information that identifies you or can be linked to you (name, passport number, contact details, travel history, etc.).

Special / sensitive personal information: highly sensitive categories (health information, biometric data, criminal or immigration status where present). We treat this with additional safeguards.

Processing: collecting, storing, using, sharing, analysing or erasing personal information.

Automated decision-making / profiling: use of algorithms or AI to make or assist decisions about a person. See the “AI & automated decisions” section.

Personal information we collect — categories & examples

We collect and process categories of personal information that are necessary to provide our services. Examples include:

• Identity & identity documents: full name, date of birth, nationality, gender, ID / passport numbers, passport scans and photo pages, visa documents and stamps.
• Contact details: email address, mobile telephone, postal address, emergency contact.
• Travel & immigration information: travel itinerary, flight bookings, entry/exit data, visa types, previous overstays, reasons for travel, appeal histories.
• Sensitive (special) personal information: health records or medical certificates (if uploaded in support of an appeal), criminal conviction information or immigration enforcement details when required for an appeal. We only process this where you have given explicit consent or another lawful basis applies.
• Payment & billing data: billing names, invoices, transaction references (we do not store full card numbers — our payment partners handle card data).
• Usage, device & technical data: IP address, device identifiers, browser, operating system, crash logs, analytics, cookies, approximate or precise location (only when you allow it).
• Communications & support data: chat transcripts, emails, uploaded documents, call recordings (where permitted) and dispute records.
• Derived & profile data: AI-generated assessments (eligibility scores, checklist completion status), preferences and other inferred data used to personalise services.

How we obtain personal information

You give it to us directly (account registration, forms, chat, uploads).

We collect it automatically when you use our website or apps (cookies, analytics, logs).

We receive it from third parties you instruct us to work with (travel agents, payment providers, partners, or government agencies such as Home Affairs where lawful and necessary).

We may receive publicly available information or information from verification providers.

Why we process personal information — purposes & lawful grounds

We process personal information to provide, secure and improve our services, including operating the AI Travel Assistant and Vlist-Assist, verifying identities, processing payments, preventing fraud, improving services, and communicating with users. Legal bases include contract performance, consent, legitimate interests, and legal obligations (POPIA/GDPR).