Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Akira Digital ("we", "us", "our") operates MARKA AI ("MARKA", "the Service") at marka.akiradigital.co.za. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa.

By using MARKA, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

• Account information: your name, email address, and password when you register
• Business profile: information you provide about your business to personalise AI responses (business name, industry, target audience, etc.)
• Usage data: messages sent, agents used, features accessed, and session activity
• Payment information: your billing details are collected and processed by Paddle, the merchant of record for every purchase. They are never sent to us and we never store your card details
• Connected accounts: if you connect a Facebook Page, an Instagram business account, a LinkedIn profile or company page, or a Google Ads account, we store that account's identity on the platform (such as its name and ID) and a long-lived access token that lets MARKA act on your behalf. That token is a credential, and it is the most sensitive thing we hold about you
• Content and performance data from those accounts: the posts you publish to them through MARKA, and the figures the platform returns about those posts, such as reach, impressions, likes, comments, saves and follower counts
• Files you upload: the documents you add to your Business Brain, such as a brand guide or a filled-in template, and the images you add to posts. We store them so the agents can read your brief and so your posts can publish with their images
• Leads you add: the names and email addresses of your own contacts, and the notes and status you record against them. MARKA stores these for you and does not contact them
• Tasks and team: the tasks you create and, if you use a team, its members and invitations. Tasks are visible to the members of the team they belong to
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device type, and cookies for session management

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Provide, operate, and improve the MARKA platform
• Personalise AI agent responses based on your business profile
• Process payments and manage your subscription
• Send transactional emails (account confirmation, password resets, billing notifications)
• Publish posts you have written and approved to the accounts you have connected, at the time you scheduled them
• Show you your own performance figures from those accounts
• Respond to support requests
• Monitor and analyse usage to improve the Service
• Comply with legal obligations under South African law

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. AI Processing and Anthropic

MARKA is powered by Claude AI, developed by Anthropic. When you send messages through the platform, your input, including the business information in your Business Brain, is processed by Anthropic's API to generate responses.

Your performance figures are sent to Anthropic as well. When you ask an agent how your content is doing, it retrieves your post count, total and average likes, follower count and top posts and sends them with your question. The same figures, together with your platform breakdown, are sent when your monthly report is written, so that the summary describes your actual numbers.

Anthropic processes this data in accordance with their own privacy policy and data processing agreements. We recommend reviewing Anthropic's privacy policy at anthropic.com/privacy.

We do not intentionally send sensitive personal information (such as ID numbers, financial records, or health data) to the AI. Please avoid including such information in your messages.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on Supabase infrastructure, on servers in Frankfurt, Germany, in the European Union. Supabase is a GDPR-compliant platform.

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Encrypted passwords using bcrypt hashing
• Row-level security on all database tables
• Access controls limiting who can access user data

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We will notify you in the event of a data breach that affects your personal information as required by POPIA.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law (for example, financial records which must be kept for 5 years under South African tax law).

We keep a one-way code made from your email address, not the address itself, so each address gets one free month. It cannot be turned back into your email address, and it stays after you delete your account.

Deleting your account removes the access tokens for every connected account immediately, as the first step of the deletion, not within 30 days. Once they are gone MARKA can no longer reach your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Google Ads account. Deleting the token is not the same as withdrawing the permission you granted on the platform itself, which you can do at any time in that platform's own app or security settings.

Chat history is retained to provide the history feature on paid plans. You may delete individual chats at any time from your dashboard.

For step-by-step instructions on deleting your account and everything in it, including what to do if you can no longer sign in, see How to delete your data.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate MARKA:

• Supabase: database and authentication
• Anthropic: AI model (Claude)
• Paddle: merchant of record, payment processing and invoicing
• Resend: transactional email
• Vercel: hosting and deployment
• Google OAuth: optional sign-in via Google
• Meta (Facebook and Instagram): if you connect an account, we exchange your Page and Instagram account identity, the posts you publish through MARKA, and the performance figures Meta returns for them
• LinkedIn: if you connect an account, we exchange your profile or company page identity and the posts you publish through MARKA. LinkedIn returns performance figures for company pages only, not for personal profiles
• Google Ads: if you connect an account, we read your campaign, keyword and spend figures so that Marcus can advise on them. MARKA does not create, change or pause campaigns and does not spend your budget

Each of these providers has their own privacy policies and data processing terms.

8. Cookies

MARKA uses cookies and similar technologies for session management and authentication. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can disable cookies in your browser settings but this may affect your ability to log in and use the Service.

9. Your Rights under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Object to the processing of your personal information
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@akiradigital.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

To delete your data yourself, follow How to delete your data.

10. Information Regulator

If you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with POPIA, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:

Website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

11. Children's Privacy

MARKA is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you by email before material changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version.

13. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact our Information Officer:

info@akiradigital.co.za
Akira Digital, Johannesburg, South Africa