Digital South respects the privacy and protection of personal information.

This POPIA Compliance Notice explains how Digital South collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), where applicable.

Digital South is committed to handling personal information responsibly and taking reasonable steps to protect the personal information entrusted to us.

1. What is POPIA?

The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, commonly known as POPIA, is South African legislation designed to protect personal information and regulate how organisations collect, process, store, and share personal information.

POPIA gives individuals certain rights regarding their personal information and places responsibilities on organisations that process personal information.

2. Information We May Collect

Depending on how you interact with Digital South, we may collect personal information such as:

• Name and surname
• Business name
• Email address
• Telephone or mobile number
• Business address
• Website address
• Information provided through contact forms
• Service requirements
• Information included in enquiries
• Billing and payment information
• Information required to provide our services

We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes.

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect personal information when you:

• Visit our website
• Submit a contact form
• Request a quotation
• Contact us by email or phone
• Purchase our services
• Become a client
• Provide information for a project
• Communicate with us regarding our services

We may also collect limited technical information automatically when you use our website, such as information about your browser, device, IP address, and website activity.

4. Why We Process Personal Information

Digital South may process personal information for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries
• Providing quotations
• Providing requested services
• Managing client relationships
• Processing payments
• Communicating with clients
• Providing customer support
• Managing website hosting and technical services
• Providing website design and development services
• Providing SEO services
• Providing social media marketing and content creation services
• Improving our website and services
• Maintaining business records
• Protecting our systems and services
• Complying with legal obligations

5. Lawful Processing of Personal Information

Digital South aims to process personal information lawfully and responsibly.

Personal information may be processed where:

• You have provided consent
• Processing is necessary to provide a service you requested
• Processing is necessary to fulfil a contract
• Processing is required by law
• Processing is necessary to protect legitimate business interests
• Another lawful basis permits the processing of the information

Where consent is required, you may have the right to withdraw your consent, subject to legal or contractual limitations.

6. Responsible Party

For the purposes of POPIA, Digital South may act as the responsible party when determining the purpose and means of processing personal information collected through our business and website.

Business Name: Digital South
Email: [Insert Business Email]
Website: [Insert Website Address]
Location: South Africa

7. Sharing Personal Information

Digital South does not sell personal information.

Personal information may be shared with trusted third-party service providers where reasonably necessary to operate our business or provide requested services.

These may include:

• Website hosting providers
• Email service providers
• Payment processors
• Software and technology providers
• Domain registration providers
• Website and security service providers
• Professional service providers
• Government authorities where required by law

We aim to ensure that personal information is handled responsibly by service providers who process information on our behalf.

8. Security Safeguards

Digital South takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

• Unauthorised access
• Unauthorised disclosure
• Loss
• Damage
• Misuse
• Unauthorised alteration
• Destruction

Security measures may include access controls, secure systems, passwords, authentication methods, and other reasonable safeguards appropriate to the information being processed.

However, no electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

9. Retention of Personal Information

Digital South will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Personal information may be retained for longer where necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations
• Maintain financial and business records
• Provide ongoing services
• Resolve disputes
• Enforce agreements
• Protect legitimate business interests

When information is no longer required, reasonable steps may be taken to delete, destroy, or securely dispose of it.

10. Your Rights Under POPIA

Subject to applicable legal limitations, you may have the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of personal information where legally permitted
• Object to the processing of personal information in certain circumstances
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Request information about how your personal information is processed
• Lodge a complaint regarding the processing of your personal information

Requests should be sent to our official contact details.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.

11. Direct Marketing

Digital South may send marketing communications where permitted by law.

You may request to stop receiving marketing communications at any time.

If you no longer wish to receive marketing communications, you may contact us or use the unsubscribe option provided in the communication, where available.

12. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Improve website functionality
• Remember preferences
• Analyse website usage
• Improve website performance
• Understand how visitors use our website

You may be able to manage cookies through your browser settings.

Some cookies may be necessary for certain website features to function properly.

13. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites and third-party services.

Digital South is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of external websites.

We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of third-party websites before providing personal information to them.

14. Personal Information Provided by Clients

Clients may provide Digital South with personal information belonging to their customers, employees, users, or other individuals when requesting certain services.

Where Digital South processes personal information on behalf of a client, the client may remain responsible for determining the lawful purpose and method of collecting that personal information.

Clients are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary authority, permissions, or lawful basis to provide personal information to Digital South for processing.

Digital South will process such information only as reasonably necessary to provide the agreed services, subject to applicable agreements and legal requirements.

15. Data Breaches and Security Incidents

If Digital South becomes aware of a security compromise involving personal information, we will take reasonable steps to investigate and respond to the incident.

Where required by applicable law, affected individuals and relevant authorities may be notified.

16. Information Officer

Where applicable, Digital South will designate or appoint an Information Officer in accordance with applicable POPIA requirements.

Information Officer details may be provided on this page once formally appointed.

Information Officer: [Insert Name]
Email: [Insert Email Address]

17. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled, we encourage you to contact Digital South first so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve the matter.

You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator.

18. Changes to This POPIA Notice

Digital South may update this POPIA Compliance Notice from time to time.

Any updates will be published on this page, together with an updated “Last Updated” date.

19. Contact Us

For questions, requests, or concerns relating to personal information and POPIA, please contact:

Business Name: Digital South
Email: [Insert Business Email]
Website: [Insert Website Address]
Location: South Africa

Digital South is committed to respecting privacy and handling personal information responsibly.