Privacy, POPIA, Terms & AI Data Use

Effective 29 July 2026 · Replaces the notice last updated 27 February 2024

1 · Privacy & POPIA Notice

Who we are

Gender Rights in Tech (GRIT) is a South African feminist non-profit company (NPC 2021/709928/08 · NPO 286-451), based in Cape Town, South Africa. We build free, survivor-centred technology: the GRIT App (previously named Kwanele), Zuzi, our AI chat companion, and inFORMed, a protection-order assistant currently in development.

GRIT is the "responsible party" for personal information processed through our tools, as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). Questions about this notice: info@grit-gbv.org.

What we do with your information

GRIT collects only the information needed to provide and improve its tools and services. The information collected depends on which GRIT tool you use and which permissions you give. This may include:

• account details
• location information
• information you choose to save
• conversations with Zuzi (see the AI & Data Use Notice)
• basic information about how the service is working

How we use personal information

• To provide and maintain the GRIT App, Zuzi and related services, and to manage your account.
• To respond in an emergency, including connecting you with responders, counsellors or legal support.
• To improve our tools, and — in de-identified form only — for research into GBV response (see below).
• To contact you with service updates, and, where you opt in, news about GRIT's work.
• To meet legal obligations and protect the safety of users and others.

Sharing

• Emergency and support partners — armed response, police, lawyers and counsellors, when you ask for help or trigger an emergency. We cannot control their response times.
• Service providers who process data on our behalf under contract (hosting, communications and analytics providers). ◆ pending confirmation — the current provider list is being finalised for publication.
• Legal requirements — if a court or a lawful request from a public authority requires disclosure, we comply; where the law allows, we tell you first. If you ask us to support your case, we share the information you direct us to share.
• Organisational changes — if GRIT's operations are ever transferred, your data may transfer with them; we would notify you before that happens.

Retention

• Evidence you store is retained for up to 10 years, so it remains available if you decide to open a case. ◆ pending confirmation
• Emergency-response partner records are retained by that partner for up to 6 years. ◆ pending confirmation
• Other personal information is kept only as long as needed for the purposes above, then deleted or de-identified. Usage data is kept for shorter periods.

Cross-border processing

Some service providers may store or process information outside South Africa, in countries whose data-protection laws differ from POPIA. Where that happens, we require protections consistent with POPIA's conditions for trans-border information flows. ◆ pending confirmation — the list of processing locations is being confirmed.

Children and young people

Our public website does not knowingly collect personal information from children. Where young people take part in GRIT programmes or use our tools, we apply POPIA's rules on processing children's information, including obtaining competent-person consent where required. ◆ pending confirmation — the app's minimum-age policy (previously stated as 13) is under review.

Your choices

You can:

• stop using Zuzi at any time
• ask for human support
• ask what information GRIT has about you
• ask for incorrect information to be corrected
• ask for information to be deleted where the law allows
• withdraw permission where information is being used with your consent
• contact the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you have a concern: inforegulator.org.za

To exercise any of these rights, email info@grit-gbv.org with the subject "POPIA request". We aim to respond within a reasonable time and will verify your identity before acting on a request.

Security

GRIT uses recognised safety and security measures to protect personal information. No online service can promise complete security. We treat the protection of personal information as an important part of keeping people safe.

2 · Terms of Use

• Our tools are provided free of charge, for use in South Africa, to help people affected by gender-based violence access information, safety features and support.
• You may not use GRIT's tools for anything unlawful. We may suspend or block accounts that abuse the service or put others at risk.
• The GRIT App depends on third parties — armed response, police, lawyers, counsellors. We cannot control or guarantee their response times. If a response is taking too long, contact us through the in-app chat or on WhatsApp: 072 737 8819.
• Zuzi and inFORMed provide general information and guidance. They do not replace emergency services, a qualified lawyer, a healthcare professional, a counsellor, the police or the courts. GRIT cannot guarantee how quickly another service will respond or what decision a police officer, lawyer, healthcare worker or court will make. inFORMed is in development: it is being built to help people understand and complete protection-order documentation, with legal review and referral pathways where applicable. It does not guarantee legal validity or acceptance of any document by a court.
• Something not working, or content that feels wrong or harmful? Tell us — WhatsApp 072 399 6992 or info@grit-gbv.org — so we can fix it.
• We may update these terms and this notice from time to time; the "effective" date above always reflects the current version. Continued use of the service after an update means the updated terms apply.

3 · AI & Data Use Notice (Zuzi)

Zuzi is GRIT's AI chat companion, available on the GRIT App, on the web and on WhatsApp. It exists to help you find information and explore your options — anytime, in your own language.

• Consent — we ask before you use Zuzi, and you can stop at any time or ask for human support instead.
• Your chats with Zuzi — we limit who can see your chats and use your information only in the ways explained in our Privacy, POPIA and AI Data Use Notice. We may remove details that could identify you and use the remaining information to improve Zuzi or GRIT's research. Published reports and research will not include information intended to identify you.
• Human-support escalation — Zuzi is designed to hand over to human support when you ask, or when a conversation indicates you need more than information.
• When a trained person may step in — in limited situations, trained GRIT staff may review a conversation if: someone may be in serious danger; a child may be at risk; someone asks for human support; or the law requires GRIT to share information. Where possible, GRIT will explain what is happening and what support may be available.
• Legally required disclosure — we disclose information where the law requires it, as described in the Privacy Notice above.
• Fairness and inclusive design — Zuzi is co-created with communities across South Africa and is built to give everyone equal help.
• Research — aggregated, de-identified data from our tools (for example alert volumes, locations at area level, and types of GBV reported) may be used for research that improves GBV response.

AI & environmental impact

AI uses energy and other resources. GRIT builds AI for social and community benefit and is working to understand and reduce the environmental footprint of the technology we use.

For questions about privacy, POPIA or how GRIT uses information, contact info@grit-gbv.org · Press and media: shamryn@grit-gbv.org