1) Who we are & scope
1.1 This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) explains how ReWearth (“ReWearth”, “we”, “our”, “us”) processes Personal Data on discover.rewearth.org (the “Site”). It applies to:
- Vendors who create listings (shops, charities, event organisers, creators/influencers), and
- Visitors and community members who browse or interact with the Site.
1.2 If you have questions, contact swap@rewearth.org.
1.3 Personal Data means information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked with a person (e.g., name, email, phone, IP, location, listing and account data). Some information you submit may be public (see Section 3.2).
2. How We Collect Data
We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including:
2.1 Direct from you. When you:
- create an account or a vendor listing,
- upload photos, text and links,
- purchase or redeem a package/feature (if applicable),
- contact us or request support,
- subscribe to updates/newsletters.
2.2 Automated. We use cookies and similar tech to collect device, usage and log info (e.g., IP, pages viewed, referrers). See Cookies (Section 11).
2.3 Third parties. We may receive Personal Data from:
- analytics providers (e.g., [Google Analytics/Matomo] – site usage),
- email and transactional senders (e.g., [WP Mail SMTP/provider] – deliver emails),
- payment processors (e.g., [Payfast/Stripe/PayPal] – payments/receipts),
- mapping/geolocation tools (e.g., embedded maps if you add an address),
- hosting and security providers.
3. What we collect & what is public
3.1 Account data (private): name, email, hashed password, settings, internal IDs, IP/logs (for security), billing info if you purchase a package.
3.2 Listing/vendor profile data (public): content you choose to publish (e.g., listing title, category, area/region, description, images, website/Instagram, contact email/phone if you opt to display it).
- Important: Anything you place in public fields will be visible to visitors, indexed by search engines, and may be shared or cached by others. Only include contact details you’re comfortable publishing.
3.3 Optional/conditional fields: event cadence, formats offered, services, donation rules, topics/causes, languages, etc. These are public when added to a public listing.
3.4 Payments (if applicable): we receive limited payment metadata from the processor (success/failure, transaction ID, last 4 digits/brand if the gateway returns it). Full card data is handled by the processor, not stored by us.
4. How we use your data
We process Personal Data to:
4.1 Provide the service: create/maintain accounts, display and manage listings, enable search and discovery, and deliver site functionality.
4.2 Publish your listing: show your vendor content publicly according to your settings.
4.3 Communicate: service messages (account/verification, moderation, policy notices), and newsletters if you subscribed (you can unsubscribe anytime).
4.4 Improve & secure: monitor usage, fix issues, prevent spam/fraud, enforce terms, and develop new features.
4.5 Payments & billing (if used): process orders, send receipts, handle support and accounting.
4.6 Legal compliance: respond to lawful requests and meet regulatory obligations.
5. Legal bases (how the law lets us do this)
We rely on one or more of the following, depending on the activity:
- Consent (e.g., newsletters, publishing optional contact info).
- Contract (providing your account, showing your listing as requested).
- Legitimate interests (running, improving and securing the platform; combating abuse; basic analytics).
- Legal obligation (where we must keep or disclose certain info).
6. Sharing your information
We share Personal Data only as needed:
- Service providers/processors: hosting, email delivery, analytics, security, payment processing, cache/CDN.
- Public audience: anything you set as public in your listing/profile is visible to anyone.
- Legal: when required by law or to protect rights, safety, and our platform.
- With your direction or consent: e.g., integrations or promotional features you opt into.
We do not sell your Personal Data.
7. International transfers
Our providers may process data in other countries. Where applicable, we put appropriate safeguards in place so that your rights remain protected according to relevant data-protection law.
8. Data retention
8.1 Accounts: kept while active. If you close your account, we’ll usually delete or anonymise within up to 3 years (to handle disputes, backups, and legal requirements).
8.2 Listings: visible while published. If you unpublish/delete a listing, it’s removed from public view; residual copies may remain in backups/logs for a limited time.
8.3 Anonymised data: we may keep non-identifiable stats indefinitely.
9. Your choices & rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights to:
- Access the Personal Data we hold about you;
- Rectify inaccurate data.
- Delete your data (subject to legal requirements);
- Restrict or object to certain processing;
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- Portability (receive a copy in a machine-readable format);
- Complain to a supervisory authority.
To exercise rights, contact swap@rewearth.org. We may need to verify your identity.
10. Children
The Site is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children.
11. Cookies & similar technologies
11.1 We use cookies and similar tech to operate the Site, remember preferences, and understand usage.
11.2 Types:
Functionality (remember choices like area filters).
11.3 You can control cookies via your browser. Blocking some cookies may affect features (e.g., login, submissions). You can block cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of the site may not function properly if you do.
Necessary (security, login, form submission, basic functionality);
Analytics (how the Site is used, so we can improve);
12. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect Personal Data (encryption in transit, access controls, backups). No system is perfectly secure; please use strong, unique passwords and keep your account credentials safe.
13) Moderation & safety
We may review, unlist, or remove content that violates our Terms or Safety Guidelines (e.g., scams, illegal content, doxxing, hateful or misleading listings), and may suspend accounts involved in abuse or fraud.
14) Third-party links & embeds
Listings may include links to third-party sites or embeds (e.g., Instagram, maps). We’re not responsible for their privacy practices. Review their policies before sharing data with them.
15) Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. We’ll post the new date at the top. If changes materially affect your rights, we’ll take reasonable steps to notify you.
16) Contact
Questions or requests about privacy: swap@rewearth.org