AutoTrader Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to our privacy policy. We respect your privacy and take the protection of personal information very seriously. We understand that your trust is our most important asset.

AutoTrader is owned and operated by Homefind24 (Pty) Ltd.

• Company registration number: 2008/019235/07
• Registered address: Great Westerford, 240 Main Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7725

To provide you with our full range of AutoTrader products and services we need to collect and process certain information about you.

The purpose of this policy is to describe the way that we collect, store, use, and protect information that can be associated with you or another specific natural or juristic person and can be used to identify you or that person (personal information).

This privacy policy must be read in conjunction with our Terms & Conditions

2. Audience

This policy applies to you if you are:

• a visitor to our website, mobile site, applications ("apps") or
• a customer who has ordered a product or requested a service that we provide or
• a trade dealership making use of our services or
• anyone contacting us by phone, SMS, email, in letters and other correspondence, and in person.

3. Personal information

Personal information includes:

• certain information that we collect automatically when you visit our website;
• certain information collected on registration (see below);
• certain information collected on submission; and
• optional information that you provide to us voluntarily (see below);

but excludes:

• information that has been made anonymous so that it does not identify a specific person;
• permanently de-identified information that does not relate or cannot be traced back to you specifically;
• non-personal statistical information collected and compiled by us; and
• information that you have provided voluntarily in an open, public environment or forum including any blog, chat room, community, classifieds, or discussion board (because the information has been disclosed in a public forum, it is no longer confidential and does not constitute personal information subject to protection under this policy).

3.1 Common examples

Common examples of the types of personal information which we may collect and process include:

• identifying information – such as your first name and last name;
• contact information – such as your phone number and email address;

4. Acceptance

4.1 Acceptance required

You acknowledge and accept all the terms of this policy when accessing the website to order a product or request our services.

If you do not agree with anything in this policy, then you may not access the website and order a product or request our services.

4.2 Legal capacity

You may not access our website or order a product or request our services if you are younger than 18 years old or do not have legal capacity to conclude legally binding contracts.

4.3 Deemed acceptance

By accepting this policy, you are deemed to have read, understood, accepted, and agreed to be bound by all of its terms.

4.4 Your obligations

You may only send us your own personal information or the information of another data subject where you have their permission to do so.

5. Changes

We reserve the right to change the terms of this policy at any time. All changes to this policy will be posted on the website. Unless otherwise stated, the current version shall supersede and replace all previous versions of this policy.

If you do not agree with the changes, then you must stop using the website and our products or services. If you continue to use the website or our products or services following notification of a change to the terms, the changed terms will apply to you and you will be deemed to have accepted those updated terms.

6. Collection

6.1 Purposes for collection

We may use or process any product or services information, or optional information that you provide to us for the purposes indicated in this privacy policy. Processing includes gathering your personal information, disclosing it, and combining it with other personal information. We generally collect and process your personal information for various purposes, including

• products or services purposes – such as collecting orders or requests for and providing our products or services;
• marketing purposes – such as pursuing lawful related marketing activities;
• business purposes – such as business intelligence and analytics, product improvement, internal audit, accounting, business planning, and joint ventures, disposals of business, or other proposed and actual transactions; and
• legal purposes – such as handling claims, complying with regulations, or pursuing good governance.

6.2 On registration

Once you register on our website to create an account, you will no longer be anonymous to us. You will need to provide certain personal information when you register on our website.

This personal information will include:

• your first name and surname;
• your email address;
• your telephone number;
• your province, city and suburb;
• your password.

If you register using your Google account, Facebook account, or Apple ID, we may collect certain information subject to your privacy settings. Please refer to the relevant provider's privacy policy for further information.

We will use this personal information to fulfill your account, provide additional services and information to you as we reasonably think appropriate as well as gather feedback on our services. Examples of additional services and information include newsletters and email alerts. If you wish to opt out of our newsletters or email alerts you can do so by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.

We use your province, city and suburb information to provide the location of the vehicle you list within our database; this allows potential buyers to locate vehicles for sale within a set radius of their chosen location.

If you are a trade dealership you will need to provide us with the following personal information:

• the name of your dealership
• the contact telephone number of your dealership
• the contact email address of your dealership
• the physical address of your dealership
• the first name and surname of all users of your dealership account;
• the email addresses of all such users;
• the telephone numbers of such users;
• password.

We will use this information to fulfill your dealership account, enable you to manage your listings and enable sales leads to be sent to you.

6.3 On product order or service request

When you order a product or request a service from us, you will be asked to provide us with additional personal information on a voluntary basis (product or services information).

- Placing a listing

To place a listing you will need to provide the following personal information:

• your vehicle registration number;
• your vehicle VIN number.

Vehicle registration numbers and VIN numbers are required to place a listing on the website to ensure that your listing is linked to the correct verified vehicle specification which is displayed on the listing page.

We use third party payment providers to manage online card and EFT payment transactions to place listings or buy additional services. Payment information is collected over a secure online payment gateway provided by:

Paygate - processed in accordance with their privacy policy.

All payment transactions processed are encrypted. Your payment card information is used solely to process payment for your listing. We retain no record of your payment card details.

To protect the privacy of our customers when they are communicating with potential buyers via phone, each customer may request a unique call tracking number be allocated to them. The call tracking number enables customers to keep their telephone numbers private by providing them with a substitute telephone number to use in their listings. All calls made to this unique call tracking number are recorded.

- Vehicle enquiry service (Contact Dealer or Seller)

We also provide a service allowing potential buyers to contact the seller about a certain listing via email, phone or messaging service such as WhatsApp. You will need to provide certain personal information such as;

• your first name and surname;
• your email address;
• your telephone number;

This will enable the dealership or third party to make contact with you in order to provide you with further information related to the vehicle you inquired about.

Please refer to WhatsApp's privacy policy for further information on how your personal information is protected.

In certain circumstances, dealers and relevant third parties may subsequently transfer, process and store your personal information for their business and administration purposes in accordance with their own privacy policies. If you have queries or require more information on how these dealers or third parties use your personal information, please read their privacy policies or contact them directly.

We may use this personal information to provide additional services and information to you as we reasonably think appropriate as well as gather feedback on our services. Examples of additional services and information include newsletters and email alerts. If you wish to opt out of our newsletters or email alerts you can do so by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.

- Vehicle check service

To use this service you will need to provide a Vehicle Registration Number or VIN Number of the vehicle in order to obtain a vehicle check report. We will collect your email address to email you the vehicle check report.

You will also be required to supply payment via credit/debit card or EFT(Electronic Payment Transfer) for a vehicle check report. We use third party payment providers to manage online card and EFT payment transactions. Payment information is collected over a secure online payment gateway provided by:

Paygate - processed in accordance with their privacy policy.

All payment transactions processed are encrypted. Your payment card information is used solely to process payment for your listing. We retain no record of your payment card details.

- Valuation service

To obtain a valuation you will need to provide certain details regarding your vehicle including the following:

• Vehicle VIN number;
• Vehicle registration year;
• Vehicle mileage.

A VIN number is required to identify the correct specification of the vehicle.

- Instant Offer Service

We offer a service where you can receive an instant offer from our dealer network to purchase your vehicle.

As a seller you will need to provide the following personal information to use this service:

• Vehicle VIN number;
• Vehicle registration year;
• Vehicle mileage;
• Vehicle licence number;
• Vehicle registration number;
• Vehicle engine number;
• Your physical address;
• Your name and surname;
• Your phone number;
• Your email.

Your vehicle VIN number is required to identify the correct specification of your vehicle and for operational purposes by the dealer. We use vehicle registration year and vehicle mileage to provide you with a valuation of your vehicle and the dealer uses this information for operational purposes. Vehicle licence number, vehicle registration number and vehicle engine number are used for operational purposes by the dealer. To set up a viewing appointment we require your physical address. We use your name, surname, phone number and email to contact you and for operational purposes.

We also work with Screan South Africa (Pty) Ltd to provide vehicle inspection, assessment and reporting. We may share the above information with them for operational purposes

As a buyer you will need to provide the following personal information to use this service:

• Registered dealership name;
• Dealership manager and representative(s) full names;
• Dealership manager and representative(s) email addresses;
• Dealership manager and representative(s) contact numbers;
• Dealership representative(s) location.

We use the above information for operational purposes.

- Vehicle search functionality

You will need to supply your province, city or suburb in order to use our vehicle search functionality. Alternatively you may choose to detect your location through your browser in which case we will use your IP address.

We will use this information to present listings matching your search criteria with the distance from your selected location.

- Find a dealer search functionality

You will need to supply your province, city or suburb in order to use our dealer search functionality. Alternatively you may choose to detect your location through your browser in which case we will use your IP address.

We will use this information to present dealers matching your search criteria with the distance from your selected location.

- Dealership rating & feedback

By accepting this policy, you give us permission to share your dealership rating and feedback with the dealership concerned for the purpose of improving their services and for AutoTrader to facilitate further communication between the parties relating to the feedback you submitted, if required.

- Ask AutoTrader

If you wish to make use of the Ask AutoTrader services you will need to provide the following personal information:

• your user name;
• your email address;
• your password.

We use this personal information to fulfil your account and provide you with additional services.

- K53 Help Guides

As part of our social economic development initiative in South Africa we offer learner drivers the ability to download free K53 help guides. To download these guides we require the following personal information:

• your first name and surname;
• your email address;
• your telephone number;
• your date of birth;
• your race;
• your gender;
• your address - province;
• confirmation of your South African citizenship.

We require the above personal information for verification purposes to comply with our B-BBEE and Socio-Economic Development obligations.

- Insurance

You may apply to receive an obligation free insurance quote from our insurance partners. To use this service you will need to provide the following personal information:

• your first name and surname
• your cellphone number
• your email address

We share this information with our insurance partners so they can contact you.

We will only share your personal information with our insurance partners with your explicit consent. Should you wish to withdraw your consent once you have submitted your details, please contact the relevant insurance provider(s) directly.

For further information please refer to our insurance partners’ privacy policies:

• King Price Privacy Policy

6.4 Communicating with us

When you communicate with us through our customer service channel, you may be requested to provide personal information to us such as your name, email address and contact details. We will use this in order to help resolve your query or complaint. All telephone calls to our customer service are recorded.

6.5 Messages and updates

We may send administrative messages and email updates to you about the website. We may wish to provide you with information about new products or services in which we think you may be interested. This means that in some cases, we may also send you primarily promotional messages. We may send you one message to ask you for your opt-in to receive promotional messages. We will not send you promotional messages unless you have chosen to opt-into them.

6.6 Use of web analytics

To enhance your user experience and improve our website functionality, we deploy technologies such as heatmaps, screen recordings and other forms of web analytics. These tools help us understand how users interact with our website and identify areas for improvement. Please be assured that we process all data collected through these methods in a de-identified and anonymised manner. We take steps to ensure that no personal data is recorded, maintaining the privacy and security of your information.

6.7 From browser

We automatically receive and record Internet usage information on our server logs from your browser, such as your Internet Protocol address (IP address), browsing activities, click patterns, version of software installed, system type, screen resolutions, colour capabilities, plug-ins, language settings, cookie preferences, search engine keywords, JavaScript enablement, the content and pages that you access on the website, and the dates and times that you visit the website, paths taken, and time spent on sites and pages within the website (usage information). Please note that other websites visited before entering our website might place personal information within your URL during a visit to it, and we have no control over such websites.

6.8 Cookies

We may place small text files called ‘cookies’ on your device when you visit our website. Cookies are used to enhance your experience on websites by remembering your preferences etc. For more information please refer to our cookie policy.

6.9 Optional details

You may also provide additional information to us on a voluntary basis (optional information). This includes content or products that you decide to upload or download from our website or when you enter competitions, take advantage of promotions, respond to surveys, order additional products or services, or otherwise use the optional features and functionality of our website.

Prospective employees may apply for positions advertised on our careers page. Applicants will need to provide their name, phone number, email address and curriculum vitae in order to apply for these positions. We respect your privacy and take the protection of your personal information very seriously.

6.10 Recording calls

We may monitor and record any telephone calls that you make to us, unless you specifically request us not to.

6.11 Consent to collection

We will request your consent to use your personal information to send you certain information including:

• Email alerts
• Newsletters
• Industry Reports

Where you have given consent to process your personal information you may withdraw consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in an email alert or newsletter.

7. Disclosure

7.1 Sharing

We may share your personal information with:

• other divisions or companies within the group of companies to which we belong so as to provide joint content and services like registration, for transactions and customer support, to help detect and prevent potentially illegal acts and violations of our policies, and to guide decisions about our products, services, and communications (they will only use this information to send you marketing communications if you have requested their products or services);
• an affiliate, in which case we will seek to require the affiliates to honour this privacy policy;
• our products or services providers under contract who help provide certain products or services or help with parts of our business operations, including fraud prevention, bill collection, payment services, credit checks, marketing, technology services (our contracts dictate that these product or services providers only use your information in connection with the products or services they supply or services they perform for us and not for their own benefit);

7.1.1 Sharing with dealerships

We may share your personal information with dealerships when you submit a rating or review of their services or vehicles. The information shared includes your name, phone number, and email address and is used to facilitate communication between you and the dealership. Truncated versions of user names and email addresses will be displayed on public dealership pages to maintain user privacy.

7.2 Regulators

We may disclose your personal information as required by law or governmental audit. This will include public authorities, insurance companies, finance companies, automotive advertising companies and/or other agencies. Information shared in this way will not be used for marketing purpose

7.3 Law enforcement

For the purposes of the prevention or detection of offences, and/or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, we may share any information obtained or collected by us with the Police, other public or private sector agencies or representative bodies in accordance with the relevant legislation.

We may disclose personal information if required:

• by a subpoena or court order;
• to comply with any law;
• to protect the safety of any individual or the general public; and
• to prevent violation of our customer relationship terms.

7.4 Marketing purposes

We may disclose aggregate statistics (information about the customer population in general terms) about the personal information to advertisers or business partners.

7.5 Employees

We may need to disclose personal information to our employees that require the personal information to do their jobs. These include our responsible management, human resources, accounting, audit, compliance, information technology, or other personnel.

7.6 Change of ownership

If we undergo a change in ownership, or a merger with, acquisition by, or sale of assets to another entity, we may assign our rights to the personal information we process to a successor, purchaser, or separate entity. We will disclose the transfer on the website. If you are concerned about your personal information migrating to a new owner, you may request us to delete your personal information.

7.7 Data Processing Agreement

As required by relevant data protection laws, we make use of Data Processing Agreements to manage data processing relationships between Responsible Parties and Operators or Operators and Sub-operators (as the case may be). Please refer to our standard Data Processing Agreement.

8. Security

All the information we receive about you is stored on secure servers and we have implemented technical and organisational measures that are suitable and necessary to protect your personal data. We continually evaluates the security of our network and adequacy of our internal information security program which is designed to (a) help secure your data against accidental or unlawful loss, access or disclosure, (b) identify reasonably foreseeable risks to the security of our network, and (c) minimize security risks, including through risk assessment and regular testing.

Please note, despite the measures we have implemented to protect your data, the transfer of data through the Internet or other open networks is never completely secure and there is a risk that your personal data may be accessed by unauthorised third parties.

9. Accurate and up to date

We will try to keep the personal information we collect as accurate, complete and up to date as is necessary for the purposes defined in this policy. From time to time we may request you to update your personal information on the website. You are able to review or update any personal information that we hold on you by accessing your account online, emailing us, or phoning us. Please note that in order to better protect you and safeguard your personal information, we take steps to verify your identity before granting you access to your account or making any corrections to your personal information.

10. Retention

We will only retain your personal information for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes explicitly set out in this policy, unless:

• retention of the record is required or authorised by law; or
• you have consented to the retention of the record.

During the period of retention, we will continue to abide by our non-disclosure obligations and will not share or sell your personal information.

We may retain your personal information in physical or electronic records at our discretion.

We will retain your reviews and associated personal data for as long as necessary to facilitate interactions between you and the dealership and to operate our services. You may request the deletion of your reviews or personal data at any time by contacting us. We will comply with such requests in accordance with applicable laws.

11. Transfer to another country

We may transmit or transfer personal information outside of the country in which it was collected to a foreign country and process it in that country. Personal information may be stored on servers located outside the country in which it was collected in a foreign country whose laws protecting personal information may not be as stringent as the laws in the country in which it was collected. You consent to us processing your personal information in a foreign country whose laws regarding processing of personal information may be less stringent.

12. Removing

You may choose to remove the personal information you have submitted to us, by clicking the profile menu under your user account on our website or contacting us.

We will request proof of identity before removing your information.

13. Limitation

We are not responsible for, give no warranties, nor make any representations in respect of the privacy policies or practices of linked or any third party websites.

14. Enquiries

If you have any questions or concerns arising from this privacy policy or the way in which we handle personal information, please email the Information Officer.

This policy was last updated in September 2024.