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Privacy Policy

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Last updated: 5 March 2026

Qala ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit www.qala.work, interact with our WhatsApp screening bot, apply for opportunities, or complete screening through Qala. We process personal information in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).

For the purposes of POPIA, Qala is the responsible party in respect of the personal information we collect and process. Our Information Officer can be contacted at info@qala.work.

 

What information we collect​
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When you engage with Qala, whether through our website or our WhatsApp screening bot, we may collect the following personal information:

  • Identity and contact information: your name, surname, WhatsApp phone number, WhatsApp profile name and photo, email address, and any other contact details you provide.

  • Demographic information: age, location, gender, and language preference, where voluntarily provided.

  • Education and employment information: qualifications, skills, work experience, and career interests.

  • Screening responses: text-based answers to screening questions delivered via WhatsApp or other channels.

  • Video and audio submissions: video and/or audio recordings submitted as part of assessments, along with transcripts generated from those recordings.

  • Technical information: device and browser data, IP address, usage logs, message timestamps, interaction patterns, and metadata generated through the WhatsApp Business API or our website.

  • Any other information you voluntarily share during the screening or application process.

We do not access your private WhatsApp messages, contacts, media, or any information outside of your direct interactions with the Qala WhatsApp bot.

 

How we use your information
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We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To operate our website and services.

  • To screen and assess your suitability for job opportunities on behalf of our employer clients.

  • To generate additional AI powered insights from your screening responses and video/audio assessments (see "AI and automated processing" below).

  • To create and maintain your candidate profile in our platform, enabling us to match you with relevant current and future opportunities.

  • To communicate with you about job opportunities, application status, and platform updates.

  • To improve our screening processes, AI models, platform functionality, and candidate experience.

  • To produce anonymised and aggregated analytics for reporting and research purposes.

  • To comply with applicable laws and regulations, and to protect our systems against misuse or security risks.

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AI and automated processing
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Qala uses artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) to process your personal information as part of our screening services. We believe in being transparent about how AI is used and what safeguards are in place.

What AI does with your data:

  • Your text responses and video/audio assessment transcripts are processed and analysed by AI systems to generate additional candidate insights.

What AI does NOT do:

  • AI does not make final hiring decisions. All AI-generated insights are provided to Qala's team and/or the hiring employer as decision-support tools. Employment decisions are made by people, not algorithms.

  • AI does not perform facial recognition, emotion detection, or biometric analysis on video or audio submissions.

  • AI does not assess candidates based on race, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

Safeguards:​

  • You may object to the automated processing of your personal information at any time by contacting us at privacy@qala.work.

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Legal basis for processing
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We process your personal information on the following legal grounds under POPIA:

  • Consent (Section 11(1)(a)): By engaging with our WhatsApp bot and submitting your information, you provide voluntary, informed, and specific consent for the processing described in this policy.

  • Legitimate interest (Section 11(1)(f)): Processing is necessary for Qala's legitimate interest in providing recruitment screening services, provided this does not prejudice your rights and freedoms.

  • Contractual necessity (Section 11(1)(b)): Processing is necessary to deliver the screening and job-matching services you have engaged with.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at privacy@qala.work. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

 

Who we share information with
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We may share your personal information with the following parties:

  • Employer clients: If you apply for a role or complete screening, we share your candidate profile, screening responses, AI-generated insights, and suitability scores with the employer(s).

  • Technology service providers: Third-party platforms that support our operations and other communications, analytics, and security providers. These providers process data on our behalf and under our instructions, and are required to safeguard your information.

  • Professional advisors: Legal, accounting, or compliance advisors where necessary.

  • Legal obligations: We may disclose information where required by law or to protect Qala, our users, and the public.

We will never sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

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Cross-border processing
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Some of our service providers store or process personal information outside of South Africa. Where your information is transferred cross-border, we take steps to ensure it is protected in a manner consistent with POPIA (Section 72), including ensuring that:

  • The recipient is subject to a law, binding agreement, or corporate rules that provide an adequate level of data protection.

  • You have consented to the transfer (which you do by accepting this policy).

  • The transfer is necessary to perform the screening services you have engaged with.

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Security and retention

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information, including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, and regular security reviews.

We retain your personal information as follows:

  • Active candidate profiles are retained for up to 24 months from the date of your last interaction with Qala, to enable us to match you with future opportunities.

  • Screening data and AI-generated insights are retained for as long as the associated candidate profile is active.

  • Anonymised and aggregated data (which cannot be linked back to you) may be retained indefinitely for research, analytics, and platform improvement.

You may request earlier deletion of your personal information at any time (see "Your rights" below). Where a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, we will retain information accordingly.

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Your rights

Under POPIA, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

  • Right to access: You may request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of that information.

  • Right to correction: You may request that we correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

  • Right to deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations that require us to retain it.

  • Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal information.

  • Right to withdraw consent: You may withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal information at any time.

  • Right to opt out of direct marketing: You may opt out of direct marketing communications at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at info@qala.work. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time and in any event within 30 days.

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WhatsApp-specific terms

Our screening service is delivered via the WhatsApp Business API provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. By interacting with Qala on WhatsApp, you also agree to WhatsApp's own Terms of Service (https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/terms-of-service) and Privacy Policy (https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy).

Please note:

  • Messages exchanged between you and Qala via WhatsApp are encrypted in transit by WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption protocol.

  • Once your messages are received by Qala through the WhatsApp Business API, they are stored and processed on Qala's own infrastructure in accordance with this policy.

  • Meta may process certain metadata (such as delivery confirmations and timestamps) in accordance with its own privacy policy.

 

Changes to this policy
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We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where reasonably practicable, notify you via WhatsApp. Your continued use of our services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

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Contact
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If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or how we use AI in our screening process, please contact us:

Qala Information Officer: Phiwe Phekana Email: info@qala.work 

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