Messaging and support privacy notice

Version: 16 October 2026 — C95

Who is responsible

KuhnChi is responsible for the personal information it handles through KuhnChi Command Center, the support Hub and its customer-support channels. Our business address is 5 Linie Street, Tasbet Park X3, Witbank, Mpumalanga 1040, South Africa. Contact info@kuhnchi.com for privacy enquiries, access, correction, objections or deletion requests. This is not a returns address unless we confirm it in writing.

Where this notice applies

This notice applies to KuhnChi’s messaging and support activities associated with www.kuhnchi.com and za.kuhnchi.com. It covers Facebook and Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, TikTok, Pinterest, email, website chat and chatbots where KuhnChi uses those services. A channel being named here does not mean it is connected to the Hub or that its provider offers a messaging integration. This notice supplements the relevant website privacy and shopping policies, which remain applicable to browsing, purchases, payments, delivery and returns. Platform providers also have their own privacy notices.

Information and sources

We receive information you provide directly and information supplied by the service through which you contact us. Depending on the channel and permissions actually enabled, this can include your name or profile name, account identifier, email address or phone number; message or comment text; attachments, media references and captions; conversation and message identifiers; dates, delivery events and technical service records; and order details or other information you choose to include. We use only information needed for the relevant enquiry or service. Do not send passwords, one-time codes, full payment-card details or unnecessary sensitive information. We do not need access to your unrelated private conversations.

Purposes and basis

We use support information to understand and answer enquiries, assist with existing orders, handle complaints and privacy requests, maintain conversation context, prevent duplicate handling, protect the service and keep necessary records. The applicable basis depends on the activity: responding to your requested service or contract, meeting a legal obligation, a justified business interest balanced against your rights, or consent where required. Providing information is generally voluntary, but we may be unable to locate an order or resolve a request without relevant details. Contacting support does not by itself subscribe you to marketing. Any direct marketing must have an appropriate lawful basis and an accessible opt-out.

Automation, chatbots and historical messages

KuhnChi uses automated customer-service assistants for eligible new messages on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram when the relevant channel is enabled. Historical and quarantined messages must not trigger automatic replies or workflows, even if a platform delivers them late or again. Each channel has a separate activation point; after a restart, messages received before the new start point are excluded from automatic replies. The assistant identifies itself. Send STOP to pause automatic replies, START to resume, or HUMAN to save a request for a person; you may also contact info@kuhnchi.com. A saved handoff does not mean a person has already answered. The current local Hub needs the PC and its connection to be running; it cannot send an automatic reply while offline. Any new AI provider or materially different use of message data requires an updated notice and any necessary permission before use. This notice does not authorise unrestricted training or unrelated reuse of conversations.

Access, providers and international processing

Access within KuhnChi is limited to people authorised to handle the relevant service. The platform you use processes communications under its own arrangements. The current WhatsApp connection uses Meta’s services and ngrok to carry incoming notifications to a KuhnChi-controlled computer in South Africa; outgoing WhatsApp replies use Meta’s services. Earlier test connections used Cloudflare. The Hub receives new Facebook Messenger and Instagram messages and sends eligible customer-service replies through Meta’s APIs. Shopify hosts the websites; email and other channel providers handle information when their services are used. Necessary information may be disclosed to service providers, advisers or authorities for the stated purposes or where legally required. Some providers process data outside South Africa. Applicable transfer requirements and provider safeguards must be assessed for the service concerned; naming a provider in this notice is not a claim that every future integration has been approved.

Retention

We keep identifiable support information for the enquiry and other applicable record-keeping purposes, rather than indefinitely by default. Our proposed operating schedule is a manual review of ordinary support conversations 12 months after resolution, to decide whether deletion or de-identification is appropriate. It is not a promise of automatic deletion on that date. Unresolved complaints, legal obligations or disputes may justify longer retention with a recorded reason and further review. Recovery copies and quarantined records are currently preserved while the Hub is restored; they are not replayed into automation. Privacy requests also require review of relevant exports, recovery copies and restricted records.

Your rights and requests

Email info@kuhnchi.com to ask about access, correction, deletion, restriction, an objection or withdrawal of consent where consent is the basis. Include the channel and identifier you used, plus enough context to locate the information. We may request proportionate identity verification without asking for your password or one-time code. We will explain the outcome and any lawful reason for retaining information. Changing or deleting data with KuhnChi does not necessarily remove copies held independently by a platform or another conversation participant. You may complain to South Africa’s Information Regulator at Information Regulator. Other rights may apply under the law relevant to you.

Security, availability and changes

We use access restrictions and validation of incoming service notifications to help protect Hub records. No system provides absolute security. Messages may be delayed during outages. The current local Hub depends on the computer, program and internet connection being available; it has no separate automatic offline-reply service. The websites may remain under construction while the business continues to operate. We will date changes to this notice and keep it accessible from the construction pages and the completed sites. A new channel used for equivalent support purposes may fall within this notice, but materially different purposes, data or providers require review and an updated notice where necessary.