Last updated 19 October 2026
This policy explains how Bulk SMS Direct collects, uses and protects personal information, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). It covers this website, your account, and the contact lists and messages you send through us.
Contact us about privacy on WhatsApp at 012 824 4299 or by email at info@bulksmsdirect.co.za. Our Information Officer is Jacques Bezuidenhout.
Information we collect
- Account details: your name, business name, cellphone number, email address, and billing and payment details.
- Your contact lists and messages: the numbers, names and other fields you upload, and the messages you send.
- Sending records: delivery reports, replies and opt-outs linked to your messages.
- Conversations with us: WhatsApp messages and emails you send us.
- Website visits: our hosting provider keeps standard server logs, like IP addresses and browser types, for security. Our pages load fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser also connects to Google, which receives your IP address. We don't use advertising or tracking cookies.
How we use it
- To open and run your account, and to send the messages you ask us to send.
- To bill you and keep financial records.
- To answer your questions and give support.
- To prevent spam, fraud and misuse of our service.
- To meet our legal obligations.
We don't sell personal information, and we don't use your contact lists for our own marketing.
Your contact lists
When you upload a contact list, you are the responsible party for that information under POPIA, and we process it on your behalf as an operator. We use it only to send your messages and to give you delivery reports, replies and opt-outs. You are responsible for having a lawful reason to message the people on your list, including consent for marketing where POPIA requires it.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only as far as we need to deliver our service:
- our SMS delivery partner and the mobile networks, to deliver your messages;
- our website and email hosting provider, and Google Fonts when you load our pages;
- our bank, to process payments; and
- authorities, when the law requires it.
Some of these providers may store information outside South Africa. When they do, we use providers bound by laws or agreements that give protection similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires.
How we protect it
We use password-protected accounts, encrypted connections and limited access to keep personal information safe. If a security breach affects your information, we'll tell you and the Information Regulator, as POPIA requires.
How long we keep it
We keep account and billing records for at least five years, as tax law requires. We keep contact lists, messages and delivery reports for as long as your account is open, unless you delete them sooner or the law requires us to keep them longer.
Your rights
Under POPIA you may:
- ask what personal information we hold about you, and get a copy;
- ask us to correct or delete it;
- object to us using it, including for direct marketing; and
- complain to the Information Regulator.
To use these rights, contact us on WhatsApp or by email. If you received an SMS from a business that uses our service, reply STOP to opt out of that business's marketing, or contact the business named in the message.
The Information Regulator's website is inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed.