Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 20 May 2026
Website URL: https://meerkhat.co.za
Business Name: MEERKHAT (Pty) Ltd
Country: South Africa

1. Introduction

Welcome to Meerkhat. Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website https://meerkhat.co.za .

By accessing or using our website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy and consent to the processing of your information as described herein.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Name, email address, and contact details
• Any content submitted via our forms or contact features
• Business details (name, contact info, Facebook Business ID)
• WhatsApp account details (WABA ID, phone number ID, tokens)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring website
• Pages visited and time spent on the website
• Cookies and tracking technologies (see Section 6)
• Communication logs and API usage data

2.3 WhatsApp Business Integration

When you connect a WhatsApp Business Account to Meerkhat through Meta's Embedded Signup, we receive and store the following information from Meta Platforms, Inc. ("Meta"):

• Your WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID), Business ID, phone number ID, display phone number, verified business name, and quality rating.
• An access token that authorises Meerkhat to send and receive messages and calls on behalf of that WhatsApp Business Account.
• A two-step verification PIN that we generate during phone number registration so the number can be re-registered without your end users having to be involved.

Access tokens and verification PINs are stored encrypted at rest, are only accessible to the parts of Meerkhat that need to call WhatsApp on your behalf, and are never shared with any party other than Meta itself when making API calls.

During normal operation, we send and receive the following data to and from Meta's WhatsApp Cloud API and Graph API on your behalf:

• Outbound and inbound messages (text, media, template, and interactive messages), including timestamps, sender and recipient identifiers, and delivery status.
• WhatsApp calling signalling and call metadata when calling features are enabled.
• Message templates, phone number settings, and account configuration data when you manage these through the Meerkhat dashboard.

Meta's handling of this data is governed by Meta's own privacy policies and the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, which take precedence over this policy for anything Meta does with the data after it leaves Meerkhat.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain our website and services
• Communicate with you (e.g. respond to inquiries, send updates)
• Improve our website and service offerings
• Comply with legal obligations
• Prevent fraud and ensure the security of our platform
• Provide WhatsApp onboarding and messaging services
• Support you with technical issues
• Analyze usage and improve our platform

4. Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your data with trusted third parties only in the following cases:

• With service providers who assist us in operating our business
• When required by law or to comply with legal processes
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of MEERKHAT (Pty) Ltd or others

All third-party partners are contractually obligated to keep your information secure and confidential.

5. End-User Data and Our Role as a Processor

When someone messages a WhatsApp number that has been connected to Meerkhat by one of our business clients (a "Business Customer"), Meerkhat receives and stores that person's messages, profile name, and phone number on behalf of the Business Customer.

For this end-user data:

• The Business Customer is the responsible party (data controller under POPIA, or controller under GDPR where it applies). They decide what messaging they send, on what legal basis, and for how long they keep the conversation.
• Meerkhat is the operator (data processor) acting on the Business Customer's documented instructions. We do not use end-user message content for our own purposes, do not sell it, and do not use it to train machine learning models without a separate, explicit opt-in from the Business Customer.

If you are an end user (someone who messaged a business through their Meerkhat-connected WhatsApp number) and you want to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, please contact the business you messaged. They control the data and are best placed to action your request. We will support them in fulfilling lawful requests.

If you cannot reach the business or believe Meerkhat is processing your data unlawfully on its own account, contact us at [email protected] and we will investigate.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our website. These may include:

• Session cookies (expire when you close your browser)
• Persistent cookies (remain on your device for a set period)
• Analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics)

You can manage cookie preferences in your browser settings.

7. Data Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Data may be stored on secure servers located in South Africa or in jurisdictions compliant with data protection standards.

8. Data Retention

We keep different categories of information for different periods:

• Account information (your name, email, organisation details): kept for as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period afterwards to handle billing queries, disputes, and legal obligations.
• WhatsApp messages: kept for as long as your organisation needs them for customer service. The default retention is indefinite while a conversation is active, with archive and deletion controls available in your dashboard. Once you delete a conversation or close your account, messages are removed from active systems on the schedule below.
• WhatsApp call recordings (where your organisation has chosen to enable call recording): kept for 90 days by default, configurable in your settings.
• Webhook event logs (used for delivery debugging and incident response): kept for 90 days.
• Access tokens and verification PINs: kept while the WhatsApp Business Account is connected to your Meerkhat organisation. They are deleted within 7 days of disconnection.
• System backups: a rolling 30-day window. Data deleted from active systems will persist in backups until the backup ages out, after which it is permanently removed.

You can request earlier deletion of your information at any time. Where law or a legitimate business reason (for example, an ongoing dispute or tax record-keeping) requires longer retention, we will explain that to you when you make the request.

9. Your Rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and applicable laws, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct or update inaccurate information
• Request deletion or restriction of your personal data
• Object to processing under certain circumstances
• Data portability — to receive the personal information you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and (where technically feasible) to have it transferred to another service provider of your choice.

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in Section 11.

10. Children’s Privacy

Meerkhat does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected personal information from your child, please contact us so we can delete the information.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to exercise your rights, please contact us at:

MEERKHAT (Pty) Ltd
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://meerkhat.co.za

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The revised version will be posted on our website with the updated date. We encourage you to review it regularly.