TierMap complies fully with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013. We are committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently.
01
Who We Are
TierMap is a South African career platform operated at tiermap.co.za. We connect job seekers, students, and employers through job listings, bursary discovery, career pathways, and related services.
TierMap is the responsible party for your personal information as defined under POPIA. For any privacy-related queries, contact us at privacy@tiermap.co.za.
02
Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly and information generated through your use of the platform:
- Account information: your name or username, email address, and password (stored as a secure hash — we never see your password in plain text).
- Profile information: employment history, skills, years of experience, salary expectations, availability, and location — only what you choose to enter.
- CV and documents: files you upload (PDF or Word documents) stored securely in Firebase Storage.
- Education details: qualifications, institutions, and study fields you provide.
- Activity data: jobs, bursaries, and universities you view or save, and searches you perform — used to power your Career Ready Progress dashboard.
- Technical data: browser type, approximate location (country/city level), and session data collected automatically for platform security and performance.
We do not collect South African ID numbers, bank account details, or any sensitive personal information as defined by POPIA beyond what is necessary to provide the service.
03
How We Use Your Information
Your information is used only for the following purposes:
- Creating and managing your TierMap account.
- Displaying your Career Ready Progress and personalised dashboard.
- Enabling employers to review CV profiles you have made visible to them.
- Sending transactional emails — account confirmation and password reset only. We do not send marketing emails without your explicit consent.
- Improving platform security, preventing fraud, and debugging technical issues.
- Generating anonymous, aggregated usage analytics to improve the platform.
We will never use your personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects without your knowledge and consent.
04
How We Store & Protect Your Data
All data is stored on Google Firebase (Firestore and Firebase Storage), which is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type II compliant. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit using TLS.
- Authentication is handled by Firebase Authentication — passwords are never stored in plain text.
- Password reset tokens are generated server-side using cryptographically secure random bytes and expire after 24 hours.
- Access to your data is enforced by Firestore Security Rules — only you and authorised TierMap administrators can access your personal records.
- CV files and documents are stored in Firebase Storage with access controlled per user.
While we take all reasonable precautions, no system is completely immune to breach. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA within the prescribed timeframe.
05
Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal information to any third party.
Limited sharing occurs only in the following circumstances:
- Employers: If you are a job seeker, your CV profile (name, skills, experience, availability) may be reviewed by employers on TierMap as part of our talent matching service. You are notified of this when you submit your CV profile.
- Service providers: We use Google Firebase (data storage), EmailJS (transactional emails), and Microsoft Clarity (anonymous analytics). Each is bound by their own privacy policies and applicable data protection laws.
- Legal obligation: We may disclose information if required to do so by a South African court order or applicable law.
06
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction: Request that inaccurate or incomplete information be corrected.
- Deletion: Request that your personal information be deleted from our systems. We will action deletion requests within 30 days unless we are legally required to retain the data.
- Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for specific purposes.
- Withdrawal of consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
- Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at www.justice.gov.za/inforeg if you believe your rights have been violated.
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@tiermap.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.
07
Cookies & Tracking
TierMap uses the following tracking technologies:
- Session storage (localStorage): Used to track your guest browse timer and dark mode preference. No personal information is stored here.
- Microsoft Clarity: An anonymous behavioural analytics tool that records aggregated heatmaps and session replays. Clarity does not identify you personally. You can opt out via Microsoft's privacy settings.
- Firebase Authentication cookies: Used to keep you signed in securely. These are strictly necessary for the platform to function.
We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies for marketing purposes.
08
Children's Privacy
TierMap is designed for users aged 16 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 without the consent of a competent person (parent or guardian) as required by POPIA.
If you believe a child under 16 has registered without appropriate consent, please contact us at privacy@tiermap.co.za and we will delete the account promptly.
09
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify registered users by email.
Continued use of TierMap after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
10
Contact Us
For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints, please reach out to our Information Officer: