Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Model Search ("we", "us") is operated by ROF Labs (the software and technology subsidiary of ROF Holdings), and runs a marketplace that connects South African models with brands, agencies, photographers, and production houses looking to book paid work. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how it is handled in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

What we collect

Depending on your account type, we collect:

• Profile details such as your name or stage name, gender, measurements, categories, location area, and day rate band.
• Photos you upload to your portfolio.
• A booking contact email and, optionally, an Instagram handle.
• Your date of birth at registration, used only to confirm you are 18 or older — it is never shown on your public profile.
• Your account email and password (stored as a secure hash, never in plain text).
• If you're a brand, casting call listings you post (shoot details, payout, location) and any messages exchanged with models once contact is unlocked.
• If you're a model, your expressions of interest in casting calls, and any messages exchanged once a brand has unlocked your profile.

We do not use cookies. Your login session is kept in your browser's local storage rather than a cookie, and is removed when you sign out.

Why we collect it

We use this information to operate the marketplace: to display your portfolio on the board, to let brands search and filter for suitable talent, to let brands post casting calls and models express interest in them, and to enable a brand that spends a credit to contact you directly about paid work.

Who we share it with

Your contact details (booking email and Instagram handle) are private by default. They are only released to a specific brand once that brand spends a credit to unlock your profile — either directly, or by accepting your expression of interest in one of their casting calls — there is no blanket public listing of contact information. Your portfolio photos, category, area, and rate band are shown publicly on the board so brands can decide whether to unlock you. If you express interest in a casting call, teaser details from your profile (but never your contact details) are visible to that brand while they review interested models.

Your control over your content

You can edit your profile details, photos, and albums yourself at any time from your account — you never need to contact us to make a change. You can also permanently delete your account and data yourself from your account settings, without contacting us.

How long we keep it

We retain your information for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, we remove your photos, albums, and profile details, and de-identify your login. A few things are kept regardless, for legal and safety reasons:

• Records of credit purchases and contact unlocks, which we retain as financial and accounting records for as long as legally required.
• Any reports made about your account, which we retain for trust and safety review purposes.
• Messages you sent are replaced with a removal notice, but messages sent to you by the other person in a conversation are left as they were on that person's side, since it's their record too.

Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, to ask us to correct it, or to request that it be deleted, subject to any legal retention obligations described above. To make such a request, contact us at privacy@modelsearch.co.za. For the formal procedure to request access to records we hold, see our PAIA Manual.