Last updated: July 21, 2026
KerneLinks (Pty) Ltd, trading as Kernections ("we", "our", or "us"), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our networking platform (the "Services"), including our web app at kernections.com and our installable app at /app.
We are a South African company and comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). If you access our Services from outside South Africa, other data protection laws (such as the GDPR) may also apply to you. By accessing or using our Services, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use our Services.
We use your WhatsApp number to sign you in - we send a one-time login link over WhatsApp rather than using a password. Once signed in, you can add profile information such as your name, occupation, industry, cities, a short bio, topics you're interested in, and links to other profiles. You can also add a real contact email in your profile settings, which is shown to people who save your contact card.
We use your occupation, industry, bio, and cities to recommend relevant people and events to you and to you to others. This processing is automated. You can object to it by removing the underlying profile fields, or by contacting us to have your account deleted.
Your profile page can be shared via a QR code. Anyone who scans it can view your public profile fields, download a contact card, or submit their own name and contact details to you through an "Exchange Contact" form - including people who don't have a Kernections account. If you submitted your details to someone else this way, that information is visible to them under our Privacy Policy notice shown on that form, and you can request its deletion by emailing us at info@kernelinks.com.
Chat messages and private notes are encrypted before they reach our servers. This protects your data from anyone reading our database directly, but it is not a zero-knowledge system - as the operator of the Services, we retain a technical means of decrypting this data (for example, to investigate abuse reports or comply with a legal request), so we don't describe this as end-to-end encryption without qualification.
We automatically collect certain information when you use our Services, including:
Our app uses only the cookies necessary to keep you signed in. We do not load third-party advertising or analytics scripts on the app. You can control cookies through your browser settings.
We use the information we collect to:
We do not sell your personal information. We share it with:
Our database and application servers are infrastructure we operate and control ourselves, rather than a third-party managed hosting service - so they are not listed as a service provider below.
| Provider | What we share | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Meta / WhatsApp Business Platform | Your phone number, one-time login codes | Delivering your WhatsApp login link |
| AI matching service provider | Your occupation, industry, bio, and cities | Generating recommendations for people and events based on your profile |
| Web push services (your browser or device vendor) | A push notification address for your device | Delivering notifications |
Some of these providers are based outside South Africa. Where that's the case, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place before your information is transferred to them.
| Data | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Profile data (name, occupation, industry, bio, cities, topics, links) | Until you delete your account, then kept in a restricted, archived form for 30 days as a record that the deletion happened, before being permanently erased |
| Chat messages | Until the conversation expires (around 30 days), or account deletion, whichever is sooner |
| QR scan analytics (who viewed or connected with your profile) | Until you delete your account |
| Contact details someone shared with you via QR exchange | Until you delete your account, since this is your own contact list |
| Login requests (one-time WhatsApp codes) | Deleted immediately after use, or automatically once expired if never used |
We implement technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including encryption of sensitive data, access controls, and regular review of our systems. No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
As a data subject, you have the right to:
To exercise these rights, contact us at info@kernelinks.com. We will respond within 30 days. You can also delete your account and all associated data at any time from Settings in the app, without contacting us first.
Our Information Officer can be reached at info@kernelinks.com for any privacy questions or requests. If you're not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
Our Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children, and rely on self-certification rather than age verification at signup. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
Some of the service providers listed in Section 4 process information outside South Africa. Where we transfer your information internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it remains protected in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable law.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Email: info@kernelinks.com
By using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.