Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Tapnet (Pty) Ltd ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African legislation. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We collect the following personal information that you voluntarily provide:

• Name and surname
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Company name (if applicable)
• Project requirements and messages
• IP address and device information

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring website addresses
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

2.3 Google Analytics Data

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects information such as:

• Pages you visit on our site
• Time spent on each page
• General geographic location (city/country level, with IP anonymization enabled)
• Device type, browser, and screen resolution
• How you arrived at our site (referral source)
• User interactions and navigation patterns

2.4 AI Chatbot Conversations

Conversations with our AI assistant are processed and may be stored to improve service quality. We do not use this data for marketing without your explicit consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information for the following lawful purposes under POPIA:

• Contract Performance: To provide services you've requested and fulfill contractual obligations
• Legitimate Interests: To improve our services, website functionality, and customer support
• Consent: To send marketing communications and enable analytics tracking (only with your explicit consent)
• Legal Compliance: To comply with South African laws and regulations
• Communication: To respond to inquiries and provide customer support
• Analytics: To analyze website usage patterns, understand visitor behavior, and improve user experience through Google Analytics
• Website Optimization: To identify technical issues, improve site performance, and enhance content based on visitor interests

4. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)

Under POPIA, we process your information based on:

• Consent: You have given clear consent for us to process your personal information for specific purposes (including analytics tracking)
• Contract: Processing is necessary to fulfill a contract with you
• Legal Obligation: We need to comply with South African law
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights are not overridden

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

5.1 Service Providers

• Hosting providers (servers located in South Africa or with adequate data protection)
• Email service providers
• Google Analytics: Google processes analytics data on our behalf. Google's use of this data is governed by the Google Analytics Terms of Service and Google Privacy Policy
• Payment processors (if applicable)

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by South African law, court order, or government authority, including compliance with POPIA provisions.

5.3 Cross-Border Transfers

If we transfer data outside South Africa (such as to Google for analytics processing), we ensure adequate protection through approved mechanisms under POPIA, such as:

• Standard contractual clauses
• Ensuring the recipient country has adequate data protection laws
• Obtaining your explicit consent where required

Google Analytics: Google may process and store data on servers located outside of South Africa. Google is certified under various international data protection frameworks and implements appropriate safeguards.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for data transmission
• Secure servers with regular security updates
• Access controls and authentication
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Employee training on data protection
• Incident response procedures for data breaches
• IP anonymization for analytics data

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: Request confirmation of what personal information we hold about you
• Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal requirements)
• Right to Object: Object to processing of your information for direct marketing or analytics
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent), including opting out of Google Analytics tracking
• Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at wynand@tapnet.co.za. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

8.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality (these do not require consent)
• Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics): To understand how visitors use our site, measure performance, and identify areas for improvement. These cookies are only activated after you provide consent
• Functional Cookies: To remember your preferences and cookie consent choices

8.2 Google Analytics Cookies

Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymous information about your visit. The main cookies used are:

• _ga: Used to distinguish users (expires after 2 years)
• _ga_*: Used to persist session state (expires after 2 years)
• _gid: Used to distinguish users (expires after 24 hours)

8.3 Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have full control over cookies:

• Cookie Banner: Accept or decline analytics cookies when you first visit our site
• Browser Settings: Configure your browser to block or delete cookies
• Opt-Out: Use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Withdraw Consent: Contact us to withdraw your consent for analytics tracking

Note: Disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality. Disabling analytics cookies will not impact your ability to use our website.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by South African law. Specific retention periods:

• Contact inquiries: Up to 2 years after last contact
• Client contracts: 5 years after contract completion (as per tax laws)
• Marketing consent: Until consent is withdrawn
• Analytics data (Google Analytics): 26 months, after which it is automatically deleted
• Cookie consent records: Stored locally in your browser until cleared or consent is withdrawn

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that their child has provided us with information without consent, please contact us immediately.

11. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Google Analytics: For more information on how Google collects and processes data, please visit Google's Privacy Policy and How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice on our website or sending an email. The "Last Updated" date at the top indicates when changes were last made.

13. Contact Information

14. Complaints to the Information Regulator

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator: