Privacy Policy
Effective date: 25 June 2026 · Last reviewed: 2 July 2026
PulaDrive (Pty) Ltd ("PulaDrive", "we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who uses our platform. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have under the Botswana Data Protection Act, 2018.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in the following categories:
Account Information
When you sign in via Clerk, we receive your name, email address, and profile image from your identity provider (Google, email/password). We do not store passwords — authentication is handled by Clerk.
Browsing & Interaction Data
We log which vehicle listings you view, how long you spend on each, and which listings you add to your wishlist. This data powers our personalised 'For You' feed.
Search History
Queries entered in standard search and AI Deal Finder are stored to display your recent searches and improve recommendation quality.
Device & Session Data
We automatically collect your browser type, device type, general location (country/city from IP), and session identifiers for analytics and fraud prevention.
Dealer-Submitted Data
If you operate a dealership on PulaDrive, we store your business name, contact email, phone number, location, and vehicle listings including photos.
Cookies & Local Storage
We use browser local storage to persist anonymous session identifiers, wishlist items, and search history for users who are not signed in. No third-party advertising cookies are set.
2. How We Use Your Information
- 1To operate and improve the PulaDrive marketplace.
- 2To personalise your vehicle recommendations ('For You' feed) based on your browsing history and wishlist.
- 3To power the AI Deal Finder — matching your stated budget and preferences to available inventory.
- 4To send you transactional notifications (e.g. account-related emails) — we do not send marketing emails without explicit opt-in.
- 5To generate anonymised analytics for dealerships (e.g. how many views a listing received).
- 6To detect and prevent fraud, spam, and misuse of the platform.
- 7To comply with our legal obligations under Botswana law.
3. Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal data. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:
Dealerships
Dealerships can see anonymised engagement metrics for their own listings (views, wishlist adds). They cannot see individual user identities unless you initiate contact via WhatsApp.
Clerk (Authentication)
Your sign-in is managed by Clerk Inc. Clerk processes authentication data under their own privacy policy. We receive only your profile details upon sign-in.
Convex (Database)
All application data is stored on Convex's cloud infrastructure. Data is encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2+). Convex does not use your data for any purpose other than providing storage services to PulaDrive.
Upstash Redis (Caching Layer)
Search query results are temporarily cached in Upstash Redis for up to 5 minutes to improve response times. Only anonymised, non-personally-identifiable search parameters (price ranges, vehicle categories, etc.) are stored as cache keys. No user account data, names, or contact details are ever written to Redis. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit via TLS 1.2+.
Legal Authorities
We may disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or lawful request from governmental authorities in Botswana or applicable jurisdictions.
4. Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain certain records for legal compliance (e.g. financial records for up to 7 years under Botswana law). Anonymised telemetry data (no personal identifiers) may be retained indefinitely for analytical purposes.
5. Your Rights
Under the Botswana Data Protection Act, 2018, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
Right of Access
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to Erasure
Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention obligations).
Right to Restrict Processing
Ask us to pause processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability
Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to Object
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
6. Contact & Data Requests
To exercise any of your rights, or if you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
PulaDrive Data Protection Officer
Email: [email protected]
Address: Gaborone, Botswana
We will respond to all requests within 30 days of receipt.
Related Legal Documents
Review our other policies for the full picture.