Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. This policy explains how dawnshimmercove collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our budget control platform.

Last Updated: January 15, 2025

1. Information We Collect

When you use dawnshimmercove's budget control platform, we collect information that helps us provide better financial management services. The information we gather falls into several categories, each serving specific purposes in delivering our services.

Personal Information

Name, email address, and phone number when you create an account
Billing address and payment information for subscription services
Profile information including financial goals and preferences
Communication preferences and contact history

Financial Data

Bank account connections and transaction history (with your consent)
Budget categories and spending patterns
Financial goals and saving objectives
Income information and expense tracking data

Usage Information

App usage patterns and feature interactions
Device information including IP address and browser type
Session duration and frequency of platform access
Error logs and performance data for service improvement

2. How We Use Your Information

Your information helps us deliver personalized budget control services and continuously improve our platform. We use the data we collect in several key ways to enhance your financial management experience.

Primary Purpose: We use your information primarily to provide budget tracking, expense categorization, and financial goal setting services that help you manage your finances more effectively.

Data Type	Purpose	Retention Period
Account Information	User authentication and account management	Duration of account plus 3 years
Financial Data	Budget analysis and spending insights	7 years for regulatory compliance
Usage Analytics	Platform improvement and feature development	24 months from collection
Communication Records	Customer support and service delivery	5 years from last interaction

We also use your information to send important account updates, security notifications, and optional educational content about financial management. You can control communication preferences in your account settings.

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

dawnshimmercove takes a privacy-first approach to data sharing. We never sell your personal information to third parties, and we only share data when necessary to provide our services or as required by law.

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who help us deliver our platform:

Banking Integration Partners: Secure connections to your financial institutions
Cloud Infrastructure: Data storage and platform hosting services
Payment Processors: Subscription billing and payment handling
Analytics Services: Platform performance and user experience improvement

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law, regulation, or legal process, including:

Compliance with court orders or government requests
Protection of dawnshimmercove's legal rights and interests
Investigation of potential fraud or security threats
Enforcement of our Terms of Service

Important: All third-party service providers are required to maintain the same level of data protection as dawnshimmercove and are prohibited from using your information for their own purposes.

4. Data Security and Protection

Protecting your financial information is our top priority. We employ multiple layers of security measures to safeguard your data against unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure.

Technical Safeguards

256-bit SSL encryption for all data transmission
Advanced encryption at rest for stored data
Multi-factor authentication for account access
Regular security audits and penetration testing
Secure API connections with financial institutions

Operational Security

Limited employee access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
Regular security training for all staff members
Incident response procedures for potential breaches
Compliance with South African data protection regulations
Regular backup and disaster recovery procedures

Despite our comprehensive security measures, no system is completely immune to security risks. We continuously monitor for threats and update our security protocols to address emerging risks in the financial technology sector.

5. Your Rights and Choices

You have significant control over your personal information and how it's used. dawnshimmercove respects your privacy rights and provides several ways to manage your data and privacy preferences.

Access and Portability

You can access and download your data at any time:

View all personal information in your account settings
Export your financial data in common formats (CSV, PDF)
Request a complete copy of your data within 30 days
Access transaction history and budget analysis reports

Correction and Deletion

You can modify or remove your information:

Update personal details directly in your account
Correct financial data or remove incorrect transactions
Request deletion of your account and associated data
Opt out of marketing communications while maintaining account access

Communication Preferences

Control how we communicate with you:

Choose email frequency for budget reports and insights
Enable or disable push notifications for spending alerts
Opt out of promotional emails while receiving account updates
Set preferences for educational content and financial tips

Response Time: We respond to privacy requests within 30 days and provide confirmation of any changes made to your account or data.

6. International Data Transfers

dawnshimmercove operates primarily within South Africa, but some of our service providers may process data in other countries. When we transfer your information internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

Transfer Safeguards

Contractual data protection clauses with international partners
Compliance with South African data protection laws
Regular audits of international service providers
Encryption of data during international transmission

We maintain a record of all international data transfers and can provide information about specific transfers upon request. Your data is never transferred to countries with inadequate data protection laws without proper safeguards.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your information only as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal requirements. Different types of data have different retention periods based on their purpose and regulatory requirements.

Automatic Deletion

Some data is automatically deleted after specific periods:

Session logs and temporary data: 90 days
Marketing analytics data: 24 months
Customer support transcripts: 5 years
Deleted account data: 30 days (except where legally required)

Account Deletion

When you delete your account:

Personal information is deleted within 30 days
Financial data may be retained for 7 years for regulatory compliance
Anonymized usage data may be retained for service improvement
You receive confirmation of deletion completion

We regularly review our data retention practices and delete information when it's no longer needed. You can request early deletion of specific data types, subject to legal and regulatory requirements.

8. Children's Privacy

dawnshimmercove's budget control platform is designed for adults and we do not knowingly collect information from children under 18 years of age. Our financial services require users to be of legal age to enter into financial agreements.

Age Verification

Account creation requires age confirmation
Identity verification for financial service access
Immediate deletion of any inadvertently collected child data
Parental notification procedures if child data is discovered

If you believe we have collected information from someone under 18, please contact us immediately so we can delete the information and terminate the account.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. We believe in transparency and will notify you of any significant changes.

Notification Process

Email notification for material changes 30 days in advance
In-app notifications for minor updates
Updated policy available on our website
Version history maintained for reference

Continued use of our platform after policy changes indicates acceptance of the updated terms. If you disagree with changes, you can delete your account before the changes take effect.

Contact Us About Privacy

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your information, we're here to help. You can reach our privacy team through several channels:

Email: info@dawnshimmercove.com

Phone: +27 11 740 2288

Address: 715 Platinum Street, Elarduspark, Pretoria, South Africa

We respond to privacy inquiries within 48 hours and work to resolve any concerns quickly and transparently.