Privacy Policy

Last updated: 23 February 2026

1. Who We Are

WhatsMap is operated from South Africa. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use WhatsMap at whatsmap.co.za.

2. What We Collect

Data	How It's Stored	Purpose
WhatsApp group names	Temporarily in memory	Graph labels during your session
Group participant IDs	Hashed (SHA-256, one-way)	Build connection graph
Group membership counts	As numbers	Statistics & scoring
Your session ID	Random token in your browser	Reconnect to your session

3. What We Do NOT Collect

Your messages or chat content — never.
Your phone number in plain text.
Your contacts' phone numbers in plain text.
Photos, videos, or media of any kind.
Your WhatsApp profile picture or status.
Location data.

4. How We Process Your Data

When you connect your WhatsApp account:

We fetch your group list and member IDs via WhatsApp Web protocol.
Member IDs are immediately hashed using SHA-256 — we never see or store the original phone numbers.
A network graph is built from shared group memberships.
Your visualization and social score are generated from this graph.
The WhatsApp connection is then closed.

5. Globe & Aggregated Data

When you map your network, anonymized aggregate data (total nodes, total edges, approximate geographic region) may be added to the WhatsMap public globe. This data cannot be traced back to you or any individual.

6. Sharing & Share Cards

When you share your social card or share link:

Only your aggregated statistics (people count, group count, social score) are visible.
No group names, member identities, or connection details are shared.
Share tokens are random and cannot be used to access your raw data.

7. Data Retention

Session data is stored for the duration of your active session.
Hashed network data is retained until you delete it.
You can delete ALL your data at any time using the delete button in the app.
Deletion is permanent and irreversible.

8. Data Security

All connections are encrypted via HTTPS/TLS.
Contact identifiers are one-way hashed — they cannot be reversed to reveal phone numbers.
Session tokens are generated randomly and stored only in your browser.
We do not sell, rent, or share your data with any third party.

9. Cookies & Local Storage

WhatsMap uses browser localStorage to store:

Your session ID (to reconnect)
Your auth token (to secure API requests)

We do not use tracking cookies, analytics, or third-party scripts.

10. Your Rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and similar legislation, you have the right to:

Access — View your data through the app dashboard.
Delete — Permanently remove all your data at any time.
Object — Stop processing by disconnecting and deleting.
Portability — Your social card contains your key statistics.

11. Children's Privacy

WhatsMap is not intended for use by anyone under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect data from minors.

12. Third-Party Services

WhatsMap is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc. or WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a registered trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the "last updated" date above.

14. Contact

For privacy-related questions or data requests, contact us at hello@whatsauction.co.za.