Privacy notice

Last updated: September 2026

Who is responsible

Through the Courts is operated by Wendy Joy Cerutti, a sole individual based in South Africa, who is the data controller for personal information handled through this site. You can reach us using the contact details on the About page.

What stays on your own device

The case tracker, your dates and your notes are stored in your own browser's local storage. They are not sent to us, not stored on our servers, and we cannot read them. Clearing your browser data deletes them.

What we collect

• Account details — your email address and, if you sign in with Google, your name. Used to create and secure your account and to link it to your subscription. Legal basis: performance of our contract with you.
• Subscription status — the plan you hold, its status and renewal dates, received from our payment provider. Used to give you access to paid features. Legal basis: performance of our contract.
• Support messages — anything you send us by email. Used only to answer you. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
• Technical data — IP address, device and browser information recorded by our hosting provider for security and to keep the site working. Legal basis: legitimate interests.

We do not ask for and do not want details of your case, your health, or anyone's identity as a victim of crime. Please do not send those to us.

Payments

Payments are handled by Paddle.com, which acts as the Merchant of Record. Paddle collects your billing details directly and is responsible for that information, including payment processing, tax compliance, invoicing and billing support. We never see or store your card details.

Who we share information with

• Our hosting, database and authentication providers, who process data on our behalf.
• Paddle, as Merchant of Record, for the sale, subscription management, payments, tax and invoicing.
• Professional advisers, such as accountants, where reasonably needed.
• Authorities, where we are required to by law.

We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for advertising.

How long we keep it

Account and subscription records are kept for as long as your account is open, and for up to five years after it closes where we need them for tax and accounting. After that they are deleted or anonymised. Support emails are kept for up to two years.

Your rights

Under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act you may ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, object to certain processing, and complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa. Where the GDPR applies to you, you also have rights of restriction and portability, may withdraw consent at any time, and may complain to your local supervisory authority. We respond within one month.

International transfers

Our providers may store data outside South Africa, including in the European Union and the United States. Where that happens we rely on providers offering appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures, including encryption in transit, access controls and row-level database rules so that one account cannot read another's data. No system is perfectly secure, but we keep the amount of personal information we hold deliberately small.

Cookies and local storage

We use only essential storage: a sign-in session cookie and browser storage for your own tracker, dates and your choice of whether you are the victim, witness or a supporter. There are no analytics or marketing cookies. You can clear this at any time in your browser settings, which will sign you out and remove your saved notes.