Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY Effective Date: January 1, 2024 Africa Trade Monitor ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") operates the africatrademonitor.com website (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, including all related features, services, and content. INFORMATION WE COLLECT We collect information in several ways: Information You Provide Directly: When you register for an account, subscribe to our newsletter, submit comments, or contact us through our website, we collect personal information such as your name, email address, phone number, company affiliation, job title, and any other information you voluntarily provide. Automatically Collected Information: When you access our Service, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time spent on pages, and clickstream data. This information is collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies. Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies (both session-based and persistent), local storage, and similar technologies to enhance your experience, remember your preferences, and analyze website traffic. These include essential cookies necessary for site functionality, analytical cookies that help us understand user behavior, and marketing cookies that enable personalized advertising. Third-Party Information: We may receive information about you from third-party sources, including business partners, analytics providers, and data brokers, which we combine with other information we hold about you. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION We use the collected information for the following purposes: To provide, maintain, and improve our Service and develop new features and functionality. To send you newsletters, updates, promotional materials, and other communications you have opted to receive. To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support. To monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities related to our Service. To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and fraudulent activity. To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service. To personalize your experience and deliver targeted content based on your interests. To conduct market research and gather feedback to improve our publications and services. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING (GDPR) For users in the European Union and other jurisdictions with similar privacy laws, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds: Consent: We process data with your explicit consent for marketing communications and non-essential cookies. Performance of a Contract: Processing is necessary to provide our services and fulfill our obligations to you. Legitimate Interests: We process data to improve our services, prevent fraud, and conduct analytics, where such interests are not overridden by your rights. Legal Obligation: We process data as required by applicable laws and regulations. SHARING OF INFORMATION We do not sell your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information in the following circumstances: With Service Providers: We engage third-party vendors to perform functions on our behalf, including hosting providers, email service providers, analytics platforms (Google Analytics), and payment processors. These vendors are contractually obligated to use your information only as necessary to provide services to us. With Business Partners: We may share aggregated or anonymized information with content partners and advertisers. With Legal Authorities: We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or government request, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others. In Business Transfers: If we are acquired, merged, or sell substantially all of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. COOKIES AND TRACKING Our website uses the following types of cookies: Essential Cookies: Required for basic website functionality. Analytical Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site (Google Analytics). Marketing Cookies: Enable personalized advertising across platforms. Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences. You can control cookies through your browser settings and opt out of tracking through industry tools such as the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) opt-out tool or the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI). DATA RETENTION We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Generally, we retain user account information for the duration of your account plus one year after termination. Newsletter subscribers' information is retained until unsubscribe. Analytical data is typically retained for 26 months. YOUR RIGHTS Under GDPR and similar privacy laws, you have the following rights: Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information. Right to Erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions. Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data. Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a portable format. Right to Object: You may object to our processing of your data for marketing or legitimate interest purposes. Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent for processing at any time. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below. We will respond to legitimate requests within 30 days. SECURITY We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include SSL encryption, secure server infrastructure, access controls, and regular security assessments. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. THIRD-PARTY LINKS Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS If you are located outside South Africa, your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in South Africa or other countries where we operate. By using our Service, you consent to such transfers, which may be to jurisdictions with different privacy protections than your home country. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY Our Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on our website and updating the effective date. Your continued use of the Service following the posting of revised Privacy Policy means you accept and agree to the changes. CONTACT US If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or have concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us at: Africa Trade Monitor Email: [email protected] Mailing Address: Johannesburg, South Africa Data Protection Officer: [email protected] We are committed to working with you to resolve any privacy concerns.