MyOwnPA is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it — in plain language.
1. Who We Are
My Own PA (Pty) Ltd ("MyOwnPA", "we", "us", "our") is a South African company registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). We operate the MyOwnPA platform — an AI-powered personal assistant delivered via WhatsApp.
Contact: support@myownpa.app · George, Western Cape, South Africa
2. Information We Collect
Information you provide directly
- Your full name and WhatsApp number when you register
- Your email address and home city
- Payment information processed securely via our payment provider (we never store card details)
- Content you share with MyOwnPA via voice notes or text messages
- Business information including business name, VAT number and banking details where relevant to your vertical
Information created through your use of the platform
- Calendar events, tasks and reminders you create
- Expense, receipt and travel records you log
- Contact details of people you add to your MyOwnPA contacts
- Pipeline, CRM and deal data you capture
- Notes, quotes, invoices and other content you record or generate
- Meeting transcriptions created when you use the meeting recording feature
- Images and files you upload to the platform
- Interaction logs between you and the MyOwnPA platform
Voice note processing
When you send voice notes to MyOwnPA, they are transcribed to text by a third-party voice transcription service. This transcription is used to understand your instruction and generate a response. Voice note audio is not permanently stored by MyOwnPA after transcription.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information only to: provide and operate the MyOwnPA service; process your commands and take actions on your behalf; send you automated service messages in response to your WhatsApp messages; process payments and manage your subscription; respond to support queries; improve the platform based on anonymised usage patterns; and comply with legal obligations including SARS record-keeping requirements.
We do not use your personal information for direct marketing without your explicit consent. We do not sell your data to third parties under any circumstances.
WhatsApp message content — AI training restriction
In accordance with the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, the content of your WhatsApp messages to MyOwnPA is used solely to process your specific instruction and generate a response. Your WhatsApp message content is never used to train AI models, build marketing profiles, or shared with other users of the platform. Our AI processing provider is contractually prohibited from using your message content for any purpose other than generating a response to your specific instruction.
AI-powered processing disclosure
MyOwnPA uses artificial intelligence to interpret your messages and generate responses. This AI processing is performed by a third-party AI provider. At no point does a human read or review your messages before a response is generated, unless you contact our support team directly. All AI processing occurs within the scope of your specific instruction — MyOwnPA does not engage in open-ended or general-purpose AI conversations outside of defined task categories.
4. Where Your Data is Stored
Your data is stored in a private, controlled environment operated by My Own PA (Pty) Ltd. Each registered user has their own isolated data workspace. Your data is not shared with other users of the platform.
Some data processing occurs via third-party services. We do not disclose the specific technology providers we use for competitive reasons, but confirm all processors are reputable international services. The categories of third-party processing are:
- Message delivery — delivers messages between you and MyOwnPA via the WhatsApp Business Platform
- AI processing — processes your text instructions to generate responses and content. Message content is not used for AI model training.
- Voice transcription — converts your voice notes to text for processing
- Calendar and email — manages calendar events and emails created on your behalf
- File and document storage — stores presentations, images and documents you create or upload
- Payment processing — processes subscription payments securely
- Workflow automation — manages the processing pipeline between services
All third-party processors are contractually required to maintain appropriate security standards and may only process your data for the purpose of providing the service to you.
5. How Long We Keep Your Data
- Active account data — retained for the duration of your subscription
- Financial records — retained for 5 years in compliance with SARS requirements
- Support history — retained for 3 years for dispute resolution purposes
- Meeting transcriptions — retained until you request deletion or cancel your subscription
- Deleted account data — removed within 30 days of a verified deletion request, except where legal retention obligations apply
6. Your Rights Under POPIA
As a South African resident, you have the following rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA):
- Right to access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Right to correction — request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to deletion — request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
- Right to object — object to the processing of your personal information
- Right to opt out — opt out of direct marketing at any time
- Right to data portability — request a copy of your data in a portable format
To exercise any of these rights, say "Send me a copy of my data" or "Delete my data" via WhatsApp, or email support@myownpa.app. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.
7. Data Security
- Encrypted data transmission via HTTPS and WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption
- Access controls limiting who within MyOwnPA can access your data
- Isolated data environments — your data is not accessible to other users
- Regular security monitoring and error logging
- No storage of payment card details — all payments processed by our payment provider
8. WhatsApp Platform Compliance
MyOwnPA operates via the WhatsApp Business Platform in full compliance with the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. Specifically:
- MyOwnPA only messages users in response to messages they initiate — we never send unsolicited business-initiated messages
- All automated responses occur within the 24-hour customer service window opened by the user's message
- Users may reach a human support agent at any time by saying "contact support" or emailing support@myownpa.app
- MyOwnPA is a task-specific AI assistant — it does not engage in open-ended general-purpose AI conversations
- WhatsApp message content is not used for AI model training or shared between users
9. Children's Privacy
MyOwnPA is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has registered, please contact us immediately at support@myownpa.app.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will notify registered users via WhatsApp and update the "last updated" date. Continued use of the service after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
For any privacy-related queries: support@myownpa.app · My Own PA (Pty) Ltd, George, Western Cape, South Africa.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at www.inforegulator.org.za.