POPIA Compliance

At Autism Resources South Africa (ARSA), we are committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. We collect, use, store, and process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable laws.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you interact with our website, services, marketplace, events, and communications.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal information:

Information You Provide Directly

Full name
Email address
Telephone number
Delivery and billing addresses
Organisation or business details
Marketplace seller information
Information submitted through forms, enquiries, bookings, or purchases

Website Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

IP address
Browser type and device information
Pages visited
Website activity and usage patterns
Cookies and similar tracking technologies

This information helps us improve our website, services, and customer experience.

2. How We Use Your Information

We only use your personal information for legitimate business purposes and for the purposes for which it was collected.

These purposes may include:

Processing orders and payments
Delivering products and services
Responding to enquiries and support requests
Managing marketplace seller accounts
Communicating important updates and service information
Improving our website and customer experience
Maintaining business records
Detecting and preventing fraud or unlawful activity
Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
Conducting internal reporting and analysis

Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before using your information for marketing purposes.

3. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information.

However, we may share your information with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, including:

Courier and delivery providers
Payment processing providers
Website and technology service providers
Marketplace sellers involved in fulfilling your order
Professional advisors and auditors
Government authorities where legally required

All third parties who process personal information on our behalf are required to maintain appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

4. Cookies & Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, analyse website traffic, and enhance your browsing experience.

Cookies may be used to:

Remember your preferences
Improve website performance
Monitor website usage
Provide a more personalised experience

You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some website features may not function correctly.

5. Information Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

Our security measures include:

Secure website and hosting environments
Access controls and password protection
Secure communication practices
Data backup procedures
Staff confidentiality obligations
Ongoing monitoring and security reviews

While we take every reasonable precaution, no online system can guarantee absolute security.

6. Retention of Information

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to:

Provide services to you
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
Resolve disputes
Enforce our agreements
Maintain business records

Once information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, destroyed, or anonymised where appropriate.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to:

Access Your Information

Request details of the personal information we hold about you.

Correct Your Information

Request that inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information be updated or corrected.

Request Deletion

Request that we delete personal information where legally permissible.

Object to Processing

Object to certain forms of processing where permitted by law.

Withdraw Consent

Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent.

Please note that certain legal obligations may require us to retain specific information despite a deletion request.

8. Verification of Identity

To protect your privacy and security, we may request proof of identity before processing requests relating to your personal information.

This may include a copy of an identity document or other reasonable verification measures.

9. Data Breaches

If a security breach occurs that may compromise your personal information, we will take appropriate steps to investigate the incident and notify affected individuals and relevant authorities where required by law.

10. Definition of Personal Information

For the purposes of this Privacy Notice, "Personal Information" has the meaning assigned to it in the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and generally refers to information relating to an identifiable living natural person or an identifiable existing juristic person.

11. Updates to This Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or privacy practices.

The latest version will always be available on our website.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, wish to access or update your personal information, withdraw consent, or exercise any of your rights under POPIA, please contact us: