The short version
- We ask for as little as possible: a reference number, and a serial number only if you choose to add one.
- We never ask for your ID number.
- Accounts and saved applications are stored in our database, and each account can reach only its own.
- We don't sell your data.
Who we are
Firearm Tracker is an independent service that checks the public SAPS firearm enquiry page and explains the result. We are not part of, or endorsed by, the South African Police Service (SAPS). In this policy, "we" means Firearm Tracker.
You can reach us at the email address on our contact page: [contact email to be added].
What we collect and why
| Information | Why we need it | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Your SAPS reference number | To ask the SAPS enquiry page for your status. | Sent to the SAPS enquiry page for each check. Kept in our database if you save it to your account. |
| Your firearm's serial number (optional) | SAPS accepts it with a reference number for licence checks. | As above. Leave it blank if you prefer. |
| The status SAPS returns | To show you where your application is and explain it. | Shown to you. Kept in our database if you save the application. |
| Your name and email address (accounts only) | To create your account, sign you in, and send account emails such as a password reset. | Kept in our database. |
| Your password (accounts only) | To sign you in. | Kept in our database as a one-way scrambled code (a hash), never as you typed it. |
We don't ask for your ID number, address, phone number or any detail about your firearm beyond an optional serial number.
The help assistant and site search answer from our guides inside your browser. In this version, what you type into them is not sent to us.
Where your account is kept
Accounts and saved applications are kept in our database, run for us by Supabase in its Paris data centre. That means:
- you can sign in on any phone or computer and see the same applications;
- each account can reach only its own applications;
- your browser also keeps a working copy so pages load quickly, and signing out removes it from that device.
Who else receives information
- SAPS. Each check sends your reference number, and serial number if given, to the public SAPS firearm enquiry page. SAPS's own privacy terms apply to what it receives.
- Our hosting provider. Like most websites, our hosting provider may record basic technical information, such as your IP address and the pages requested, to run and secure the service. [Provider and retention period to be confirmed.]
- Supabase. Our database provider stores your account and saved applications for us, and sends account emails such as sign-up confirmations and password resets.
- Google sign-in. If you choose Continue with Google, Google confirms who you are and shares your name and email address with us. We don't get your Google password or anything else in your Google account.
- Google Fonts. Our pages load their typefaces from Google Fonts, which receives your device's IP address when it serves them.
We don't sell personal information, and we don't share it for advertising. This version uses no advertising or analytics cookies.
How long we keep it
Our lookup service passes your details to SAPS and returns the answer. It isn't built to keep your reference number afterwards. Saved applications stay in our database until you remove them from your dashboard. To delete your whole account, write to us at the address below. Technical logs kept by our hosting provider are kept for the period it sets. [Retention period to be confirmed.]
Your rights under POPIA
The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) gives you rights over your personal information. You can:
- ask whether we hold personal information about you, and what it is;
- ask us to correct or delete it;
- object to us processing it;
- complain to the Information Regulator if you think we have mishandled it.
You can see and delete your saved applications yourself from your dashboard. To delete your account, or for anything else, write to the email address on our contact page: [contact email to be added].
Keeping it safe
Checks travel over an encrypted connection. Passwords are stored as a hash, never as typed. Use a password you don't use anywhere else.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when the way we handle information changes, and show the date of the latest version here. Last updated: [date to be added at launch].
See also our terms and how a lookup works.