The short version
- We only collect what we need to make BantSmart work for you.
- Photos you scan are analysed to give you a verdict and saved in your scan history.
- We never sell your personal information.
- You can delete your account and your data at any time, right in the app.
1. Who we are
BantSmart ("we", "us", "our") is a South African mobile app that helps people see where foods sit on the Banting lists. We are the responsible party for your personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
You can reach us at bantsmartapp@gmail.com.
2. What we collect
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Account details: your email address, and your name and profile picture if you sign in with Google | To create your account, sign you in and help you reset your password |
| Photos you take in the app: food labels and plates | To analyse the food, give you a verdict, and show it in your scan history |
| Your activity: scan history, foods you log and your Banting phase progress | So you can look back at past results and track your journey |
| Subscription status: whether you have premium and how many free scans you've used | To unlock the right features for you |
| Notification ID: a code for your device, if you allow notifications | To send the notifications you've agreed to |
| App usage and crash reports: which screens and features get used, your device type and app version, and what went wrong if the app crashes | To fix bugs and understand which features help people most |
| Tester applications: if you apply to test the beta, the answers you give on the form, like your first name, Gmail address, phone model, town and province, banting experience and shopping habits | To choose testers, add them to the test and contact them about the beta |
| Messages and feature requests you send us, in the app or by email | To answer your questions, and to decide what to build next |
We don't see or store your card or banking details. Payments are handled entirely by Google Play.
Usage and crash information is collected through trusted analytics and crash reporting tools. We use it to improve the app, never to sell or to show you ads.
3. Information about your eating and health
Things like the foods you log and your Banting phase can say something about your health and eating habits. We treat this as sensitive information. We only process it with your consent, which you give when you sign up, and we use it only to show it back to you inside the app.
4. How your photos are analysed
When you scan a label or a plate, the photo is sent securely to our servers and then to a trusted AI service provider, which reads the image and helps us work out the verdict. The provider processes the image only on our behalf and isn't allowed to use it for its own purposes.
Your photos are saved with your scan history so you can look back at past results. They're stored securely with our cloud provider and kept until you delete your account, after which they're deleted along with the rest of your data.
5. Who we share information with
We never sell your information. We only share it with trusted service providers who help us run the app:
- Cloud and hosting providers for sign in, storing your data and photos, and running our servers
- An AI service provider for analysing the photos you scan
- Analytics and crash reporting tools for understanding how the app is used and fixing bugs
- Google Play for handling subscriptions and payments
We may also share information if the law requires us to.
6. Notifications and emails
In the app
BantSmart may send you notifications, like a daily tip, a reminder to scan, or news about new features. Your phone will ask your permission first, and you can switch them off at any time in your phone's settings or in the app. To send them, we keep a notification ID for your device, which isn't linked to anything outside BantSmart.
By email
We'll only email you about your account when we need to, for example to reset your password, confirm a request, or tell you about an important change to this policy.
Updates, newsletters and community news are different. We only send those if you've said yes, and every one of them has an unsubscribe link. Saying no never affects how the app works for you.
7. Where your information is stored
Some of our service providers store or process information outside South Africa, including in the United States. When this happens, we make sure the provider is bound by data protection rules that give your information a similar level of protection to POPIA.
8. How long we keep it
We keep your account information and activity for as long as you have an account. When you delete your account, we delete your personal information within 30 days, unless we need to keep something by law. This includes your saved scan photos.
If you apply to be a beta tester, we keep your application in a private list that only we can open, and we delete it after launch, unless you've asked to hear from us. We also email you a link to confirm your address. If you never confirm, we delete your application once we have chosen our testers.
9. Keeping it safe
Your information is sent over encrypted connections and stored with industry standard security controls. Only BantSmart and the service providers listed above have access to your data, and they may only use it to help run the app. No system is perfect, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information, and we'll let you and the Information Regulator know if there's ever a breach that affects you.
10. Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- Ask what personal information we hold about you
- Ask us to correct or update it
- Ask us to delete it
- Object to how we're using it
- Withdraw your consent at any time. Because BantSmart can't work without this information, withdrawing consent means deleting your account (see below)
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za
To use any of these rights, email us at bantsmartapp@gmail.com.
11. Deleting your account
You can delete your BantSmart account and all the data linked to it at any time, right inside the app. Just open the app, go to your account settings and tap Delete account.
Can't get into the app? Email bantsmartapp@gmail.com from the email address on your account with the subject "Delete my BantSmart account", and we'll do it for you and confirm once it's done.
Either way, your personal information, including your saved scan photos, is deleted within 30 days.
Deleting your account doesn't cancel a Google Play subscription. Please cancel that in the Google Play Store first.
12. Children
BantSmart is meant for adults aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect information from children. If you think a child has given us their information, let us know and we'll delete it.
13. Not medical advice
BantSmart gives general food information only. It isn't medical or nutritional advice. Please chat to a healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, especially if you have a health condition.
14. Changes to this policy
If we make important changes, we'll update the date at the top and let you know in the app.