wattsON ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it. It applies to all users of the wattsON AI coaching service, accessed via Telegram (@wattsON_coaching_bot) and our website at wattsoncoaching.com.
This policy is written to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA), South Africa's primary data protection legislation, and with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR where applicable to users in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom.
Who We Are
wattsON is an AI-powered cycling coaching service operated by Ken Walton, based in South Africa. We act as the Responsible Party for your personal information under POPIA.
Contact: admin@wattsoncoaching.com
Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly and information obtained through connected third-party services:
Information you provide
- Name and email address
- Functional Threshold Power (FTP) in watts
- Cycling goals and target events
- Your Telegram chat ID (assigned automatically when you message our bot)
Information from Strava (with your consent)
- Activity data: ride date, distance, duration, elevation, average and weighted power, average heart rate, kilojoules
- Strava access and refresh tokens (stored securely to maintain the connection)
Information from Garmin Connect (with your consent, when available)
- Daily health metrics: sleep duration and score, HRV, resting heart rate, body battery, stress score
Coaching interaction data
- Messages exchanged with the wattsON coaching bot (last 6 messages retained for conversation context)
- Training plans saved via the
!saveplancommand - Flagged responses submitted via
!flag
Technical data
- Telegram chat ID and message timestamps
- App usage logs (for error monitoring and service improvement)
How We Use Your Information
We process your personal information for the following purposes:
- To deliver the coaching service — personalising training advice, load analysis, taper planning, route recommendations and post-ride analysis based on your data
- To manage your account — onboarding, plan activation, billing via Paystack
- To improve the service — identifying coaching gaps and technical issues
- To communicate with you — sending coaching messages, plan confirmations, and service updates via Telegram
- To comply with legal obligations — where required by law
We rely on contractual necessity (to fulfil our service to you) and your consent (for Strava and Garmin data) as the lawful grounds for processing under POPIA.
Third Parties We Share Data With
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the following service providers, strictly to operate the service:
- Supabase — cloud database hosting your profile, activities, health data, and conversation history
- Railway — cloud infrastructure hosting our API
- Telegram — messaging platform through which coaching interactions occur. Telegram's own privacy policy applies to messages on their platform
- Strava — activity data retrieved via Strava's API with your explicit authorisation
- Garmin — health data retrieved via Garmin's API with your explicit authorisation
- Paystack — payment processing. Paystack handles payment card data directly and we do not receive or store card details
- Google (Gemini API) — used to generate text embeddings for our knowledge base search. We do not send personally identifiable information in embedding requests
- Anthropic (Claude API) — our AI coaching responses are generated by Claude. Anonymised conversation context is sent to generate responses. Anthropic's privacy policy applies
Some of these providers are located outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is protected to a standard comparable to POPIA.
How We Use Strava Data
wattsON integrates with the Strava API under the Strava API Agreement. The following commitments apply to all use of Strava data within our service:
Attribution
Where activity data or insights derived from Strava are presented, wattsON displays clear attribution: Powered by Strava. This applies to coaching responses, activity analyses, and any dashboards showing Strava-sourced data.
Athlete-Specific Analysis Only
Strava data is used exclusively to provide coaching insights to the individual athlete who connected their account. We do not aggregate, benchmark, or compare data across multiple athletes. Every analysis is personal to you.
No AI Model Training
Your Strava data — including activity history, metrics, and any derived insights — is never used to train, fine-tune, or improve AI or machine learning models. Analysis occurs only at the time of your coaching interaction and solely for your benefit.
Data Deletion on Disconnect
If you revoke wattsON's access to your Strava account, or if Strava notifies us of a deauthorisation event via webhook, your Strava activity data will be deleted from our systems within 48 hours. Activity deletions and privacy changes made on Strava are synced to our records without delay. We implement Strava's webhook API to receive real-time deauthorisation notifications.
Activity Data Storage
Strava activity data is stored in your athlete profile to enable longitudinal coaching insights (e.g. fitness progression, load tracking). This storage is solely for your benefit as a subscriber. Data is not cached for any purpose unrelated to your coaching service and is deleted upon disconnection or account cancellation as described in Section 5.
No Redistribution
We do not sell, license, or redistribute your Strava data to any third party. Data obtained via the Strava API is used solely to operate the wattsON coaching service for you.
Strava Usage Data
Please note that Strava collects usage data about developer applications, including wattsON's use of the Strava API. This collection is governed by Strava's Privacy Policy.
Transparency Statement
wattsON analyzes your Strava data to provide personalized training insights. Your data is never sold or shared and is not used to train AI models. All analysis occurs only for the athlete who connects their account.
Data Retention
- While your subscription is active — all data is retained to provide the coaching service
- After cancellation — we retain your data for 30 days to allow reactivation, after which personal data is deleted or anonymised
- Conversation history — only the last 6 messages are retained in active context; older messages are stored for service continuity
- Activity and health data — retained for the duration of your subscription and deleted 30 days after cancellation
- Strava data on disconnect — if you revoke Strava access via your Strava account settings, your Strava activity data is deleted from our systems within 48 hours, regardless of subscription status
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the right to:
- 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 (subject to legal retention requirements)
- Objection — object to the processing of your personal information
- Withdraw consent — revoke your consent for Strava or Garmin data access at any time via those platforms
- Complain — lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforeg.org.za
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@wattsoncoaching.com. We will respond within 30 days.
Security
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including encrypted database connections, secure API key storage, and access controls. However, no system is completely secure. You use our service and transmit data at your own risk. We will notify you of any material data breach as required by law.
Children
Our service is intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Where changes are material, we will notify you via Telegram. Continued use of the service after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints:
- Email: admin@wattsoncoaching.com
- Website: wattsoncoaching.com
For complaints that remain unresolved, you may contact the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforeg.org.za.