Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026

This policy applies to careerbridge.co.za and any associated services operated by LEVERWARE (Pty) Ltd under the CareerBridge ZA brand.

1. Who we are

CareerBridge ZA is a product of LEVERWARE (Pty) Ltd, a South African company. We built CareerBridge ZA to help South Africans build professional CVs, assess job fit, tailor applications, and find employment. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). By using CareerBridge ZA you confirm that you have read and understood this policy. Information Officer: For all data-related enquiries, contact us at privacy@careerbridge.co.za.

2. What personal information we collect

We collect only the personal information needed to provide our services. This includes: Account information - Email address — when you create an account or join the waitlist - Full name — when you create an account or enter it in the CV builder - Password — stored as a one-way hash by Supabase; we cannot read it CV and application data (only when you use these features) - Contact details: phone number, city, and province - Employment history: job titles, company names, dates, and duties - Education history: qualifications, institutions, and years - Skills, languages, and competency information - Reference contact details: names, phone numbers, and email addresses - Professional summary and career objective text Cover letters - The text of any cover letter you generate and save - The company name and job title associated with each letter Vacancy checker results - The URL of any job listing you check (if you used the URL input) - Your match score and verdict for each check - The full analysis result including strengths, gaps, and keyword matches Government job applications (Z83) — only if you use this feature - South African ID number — required by the official Z83 form. It is encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) and only decrypted to populate your Z83 document. - Your digital signature — drawn by you for the Z83, also encrypted at rest. - Z83 form fields you enter: personal details, qualifications, employment history, and references. Usage data - We use privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics (Vercel Analytics) and our own first-party event counts (such as which features are used) to understand and improve the product. These contain no CV content, job text, names, or ID numbers. We also log server-side errors for debugging. We do not collect banking or financial details. We collect your South African ID number and digital signature only if you choose to use the Z83 government-application feature; both are encrypted at rest and we never sell or share them.

3. Why we collect your information (lawful basis)

We process your personal information only for the following lawful purposes under POPIA: Contractual necessity — to provide you with the services you request: - Generating, saving, and downloading your CV - Checking job vacancies and producing match results - Generating and saving cover letters - Providing your personal dashboard Legitimate interest — to improve and operate CareerBridge ZA: - Diagnosing technical errors - Understanding which features are used Consent — where you have explicitly agreed: - Sending you product updates if you joined the waitlist - Processing your CV and cover letter content through our AI provider (Groq) to generate results We will never sell your personal information. We will never use your information for targeted advertising. We will not use it for any purpose not listed here without your explicit consent.

4. How we store and protect your information

All data is stored in Supabase (PostgreSQL), hosted on servers within the United States (see section 8 on international transfers). Supabase encrypts data at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher. We apply the following additional safeguards: - Row-Level Security (RLS): your data is only accessible to your authenticated account; no other user can query your CVs, cover letters, or check results - Input validation and sanitisation on all API endpoints - Rate limiting to prevent abuse - Bearer token authentication for all write operations - No plaintext storage of passwords - Additional application-level encryption (AES-256-GCM) for your SA ID number and signature, on top of Supabase's encryption at rest If you use the CV builder, upload-cv, or vacancy checker without creating an account, your session data is processed in real time and not stored on our servers after your session ends. If you are logged in, your CVs, cover letters, and vacancy check results are stored in your account and remain accessible until you delete them or delete your account.

5. AI processing and automated decision-making

CareerBridge ZA uses AI to generate and improve CV content, produce cover letters, analyse job vacancy fit, and tailor CVs to specific roles. These features are powered by a third-party AI inference provider (see section 8 for the current provider). When you use any AI feature, the relevant text (your CV content, job description, or cover letter request) is sent to our AI provider for processing. The provider may retain submitted data for a limited period in accordance with their own data retention policy. We may change AI providers to ensure reliability and will keep section 8 current. Important: the AI produces recommendations and suggestions only. All decisions about your job applications remain entirely your own. We do not use automated processing to make any legally significant decisions about you. We instruct our AI explicitly never to invent qualifications, certifications, or employment history that you did not provide. The output is always based on the information you supply.

6. How long we keep your information

Waitlist email addresses: kept until you request deletion, until you create an account, or until we close the waitlist. Account data (CVs, cover letters, vacancy checks): kept for as long as your account is active. You may delete individual items at any time from your dashboard. You may delete your entire account at any time from the dashboard settings — this permanently removes all your data. Server logs (error logs only): automatically purged after 30 days. AI provider processing logs: subject to our AI provider's own retention policy, which we do not control. See section 8 for the current provider. We do not retain any data beyond these periods. We do not archive or back up deleted user data after deletion is confirmed.

7. International data transfers

CareerBridge ZA uses third-party service providers whose servers are located outside South Africa, primarily in the United States. When you use our service, your personal information may be transferred to and processed in the United States. These transfers are necessary to provide the service. By using CareerBridge ZA, you consent to this transfer. We only transfer data to providers that maintain industry-standard security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001 where applicable). See section 8 for the full list of providers involved in your data processing.

8. Third-party service providers

We share your data with the following service providers only to the extent necessary to operate CareerBridge ZA: Supabase (supabase.com) — database, authentication, and row-level security. Stores your account data, CVs, cover letters, and vacancy check results. Privacy policy: supabase.com/privacy Vercel (vercel.com) — application hosting and deployment. Processes web requests; does not store your personal data beyond standard server logs. Privacy policy: vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy Cerebras (cerebras.ai) — AI inference for CV generation, improvement, tailoring, vacancy analysis, and cover letter generation. Receives your CV text and job description text when you use AI features. Privacy policy: cerebras.ai. We may use alternative AI inference providers (such as Groq) to ensure reliability; this section is kept current. We do not share your personal information with any other third parties. We do not use Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, or any behavioural tracking tools.

9. Cookies and browser storage

CareerBridge ZA does not use tracking cookies or third-party analytics cookies. We use the following browser storage mechanisms: Session storage (sessionStorage): used temporarily to carry a job description between pages — for example from the vacancy checker to the cover letter page, or from a job card to the Tailored Application Pack. It is cleared immediately after it is read and exists only for that navigation. Authentication cookies: Supabase sets a session cookie to keep you logged in. This cookie contains an encrypted session token and no personal data. It expires when you sign out or after 7 days of inactivity. We do not use persistent tracking cookies. We do not use cookies for advertising.

10. Children's data

CareerBridge ZA is intended for job seekers aged 16 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child under 16 has submitted personal information to our service, please contact us at privacy@careerbridge.co.za and we will delete it promptly.

11. Your rights under POPIA

As a South African data subject, you have the following rights: Right to access: you may request a copy of all personal information we hold about you. Right to correction: you may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information. Right to deletion: you may delete your account and all associated data directly from your dashboard at any time, or contact us to request deletion. Right to object: you may object to the processing of your personal information for specific purposes. Right to data portability: your saved CVs and cover letters can be downloaded as PDF at any time from your dashboard. Right to lodge a complaint: if you believe your POPIA rights have been violated, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforeg.org.za or call 010 023 5200. To exercise any right, contact us at privacy@careerbridge.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify registered users by email and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of CareerBridge ZA after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. For questions about this policy or our data practices, contact us at privacy@careerbridge.co.za.

Information Regulator of South Africa
If you believe your POPIA rights have been violated, you may lodge a complaint at inforeg.org.za or call 010 023 5200.

Contact our Information Officer
For all data-related enquiries, correction requests, deletion requests, or complaints, email us at privacy@careerbridge.co.za or message us on WhatsApp (+27 69 526 3636). We will respond within 30 days.