GridWatch

Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026 · Powered by Lets Make Progress (Pty) Ltd

1. Who We Are

GridWatch is a community infrastructure reporting platform developed and operated by Lets Make Progress (Pty) Ltd (Reg. 2020/828797/07), based in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. For any privacy enquiries, contact us at lebo@letsmakeprogress.com.

2. What Information We Collect

Account information: Your name, email address, and optional phone number when you register.
Location data: The street address or GPS coordinates you provide when submitting a report. This is stored with a small random offset to protect your exact location.
Report content: Issue type, description, and any photo you choose to upload.
Authentication data: Managed securely by Google Firebase Authentication. We do not store your password in plain text.
Usage data: Basic analytics via Google Firebase Analytics (page visits, feature usage) to help us improve the platform.

3. Why We Collect It

We collect this information solely to operate GridWatch — to allow you to submit reports, view community reports on the map, and receive alerts for your area. We do not sell your data to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising.

4. How We Store It

All data is stored on Google Firebase (Firestore database and Firebase Storage), which is hosted on Google's cloud infrastructure. Firebase complies with GDPR, POPIA, and industry-standard security practices. Photos are stored in Firebase Storage with restricted access rules.

5. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a South African data subject, you have the right to:

Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Request correction of inaccurate information.
Request deletion of your account and associated data.
Object to the processing of your personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at lebo@letsmakeprogress.com and we will respond within 21 business days.

6. Data Retention

Community reports are automatically hidden after 24 hours of inactivity. Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. You may request full deletion at any time by contacting us.

7. Third-Party Services

GridWatch uses the following third-party services, each governed by their own privacy policies:

Google Firebase — authentication, database, storage, and analytics.
Google Maps Platform — map display and address lookup.
Google Sign-In / Facebook Login — optional social authentication.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by updating the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of GridWatch constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.