POPIA Compliance
African Waters Daily is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA), South Africa’s primary data protection law. This page explains how we comply with POPIA and how you can exercise your rights as a data subject.
Scope and Applicability
POPIA applies to the processing of personal information by responsible parties operating in South Africa. While African Waters Daily does not require user registration or maintain a database of personal information, we may collect limited personal data through automated means such as web analytics, server logs, and cookies to improve site functionality and user experience. This data is processed solely for legitimate operational purposes and in full compliance with POPIA.
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject, you have the following rights under POPIA:
- Right to access your personal information held by us
- Right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
- Right to request deletion of your personal information
- Right to object to processing of your personal information
- Right to data portability where technically feasible
- Right to be informed about how your data is processed
How We Comply
African Waters Daily complies with POPIA by:
- Minimizing data collection to only what is necessary for site operation
- Using secure, encrypted analytics tools with anonymized data where possible
- Not storing personal information in identifiable databases
- Implementing reasonable technical and organizational security measures
- Providing clear and transparent information about data processing
Data We Process
Any personal information we process is limited to:
- IP addresses (anonymized where possible)
- Browser type and device information
- General location data (country-level only)
- Clickstream and page visit data (aggregated and anonymized)
This data is not linked to your identity and is not retained longer than necessary for analytical purposes.
Legal Basis for Processing
Our processing of personal information is based on legitimate interest under POPIA, specifically to:
- Ensure the technical functionality and security of our website
- Improve user experience and content delivery
- Understand general audience trends to serve African readers better
We do not process sensitive personal information as defined under POPIA.
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of your rights under POPIA, please contact us via email at [email protected] with the subject line: POPIA Request. Include:
- Your full name
- Proof of identity (e.g., copy of ID or passport)
- Specific request (access, correction, deletion, etc.)
- Any relevant details about the data in question
We will respond to your request without undue delay.
Response Timeframes
Under POPIA, we are required to respond to your request within 30 days. If we require additional time, we will notify you in writing with the reason for the delay and the new response date.
No Discrimination Policy
African Waters Daily will not discriminate against you in any way for exercising your rights under POPIA. You will continue to have full access to all content and services on our website regardless of your data rights choices.
Updates and Changes
We will update this page whenever our data processing practices change or when POPIA regulations are amended. Any material changes will be communicated via a notice on our homepage and the effective date will be clearly indicated.
Contact Information
If you have questions about this compliance page or wish to lodge a complaint, please contact:
Caspian Yardley
University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
Email: [email protected]
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa, the supervisory authority responsible for enforcing POPIA.