Your data.
Your choice.

The responsible party is [[FULL REGISTERED COMPANY NAME]], registration number [[COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER]], trading as “Aqua Rush”.

Our physical address is [[PHYSICAL ADDRESS]].

Our Information Officer or privacy contact is [[INFORMATION OFFICER NAME OR TITLE]] and may be contacted at [[PRIVACY EMAIL]].

This notice applies when you visit the Aqua Rush website, submit a story, contact us, opt into marketing, interact with our website forms, or accept a discretionary thank-you gift.

It should be read with the Story Submission Terms where you send us a story or media.

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• your name, email address, telephone number and other contact details;
• information entered into website forms and correspondence sent to us;
• your story, story category, photographs, videos, audio and other submitted media;
• your checkbox selections, publication permission and marketing preference;
• your preferred name or attribution where a story is published;
• a delivery or collection address only if you accept a thank-you gift;
• technical information such as IP address, browser, device, date and time, requested pages and server logs; and
• records of requests, complaints, consent withdrawals and opt-outs.

Mandatory fields are marked on the relevant form. If you do not provide them, we may be unable to receive the submission, respond to your request or arrange delivery of an accepted gift. Optional fields may be left blank.

We ordinarily collect information directly from you. We may also receive information from a social-media platform when you interact with an Aqua Rush account, according to your settings and that platform’s own privacy terms.

When you submit a story, Aqua Rush may receive, store and review it and contact you about verification, editing, possible publication or a possible thank-you gift.

We publish a story, name or submitted media only where you selected the publication permission box or later gave us separate permission.

Publication permission covers the Aqua Rush website, Aqua Rush’s own organic social-media pages, posts introducing or linking to the story, and an archive of featured stories.

Aqua Rush may make limited editorial changes such as correcting spelling, shortening text, adding captions or cropping media. Material changes to the meaning of a story require further approval.

Our website and hosting systems may automatically create technical logs needed to deliver pages, maintain security, diagnose faults and prevent abuse.

The site may use cookies or similar storage that is necessary for security, form operation, preferences or other requested functionality. Embedded third-party content may also be governed by the third party’s own cookie and privacy practices.

Optional analytics or advertising tools, if used, must be accurately listed here: [[LIST ANALYTICS, PIXELS OR ADVERTISING TOOLS — OR WRITE “NONE”]].

Where appropriate, optional cookies or tracking will be controlled through a cookie notice or consent mechanism. Blocking some cookies may affect website functionality.

We process personal information to:

• operate, secure, maintain and improve the website;
• receive, review, moderate and manage story submissions;
• contact contributors about verification, editing and publication;
• publish selected stories where permission has been given;
• respond to enquiries, correction requests, objections, withdrawals and complaints;
• prevent fraud, abuse, unlawful content and security incidents;
• offer and deliver a discretionary thank-you gift where Aqua Rush chooses to do so;
• send marketing only where permitted and honour unsubscribe requests;
• maintain records needed to establish, exercise or defend legal rights; and
• comply with legal and regulatory duties.

Depending on the activity, Aqua Rush processes information where:

• you have consented, including publication or optional marketing consent;
• processing is needed to take steps you requested or to perform an agreement with you;
• processing is required by law;
• processing protects your legitimate interests;
• processing is necessary for Aqua Rush’s legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your privacy rights are not unjustifiably affected; or
• another ground permitted by POPIA applies.

You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not invalidate processing that was lawful before withdrawal and does not prevent processing supported by another lawful ground.

We may share personal information only where reasonably necessary with:

• authorised Aqua Rush personnel who need it for their work;
• website, hosting, form, email, cloud-storage and security service providers;
• design, editorial or social-media service providers acting for Aqua Rush;
• social-media platforms where you permitted publication;
• couriers, collection points or gift suppliers after you accept a gift;
• professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants and auditors;
• regulators, law-enforcement bodies, courts or other authorities where required or permitted by law; and
• a buyer or successor if the relevant business is sold or reorganised, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Service providers acting on our behalf may use information only for the agreed service, under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.

Aqua Rush does not sell personal information.

Some website, cloud, email or social-media service providers may store or process information outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, Aqua Rush will use a method permitted by POPIA, such as an adequate legal framework, binding contractual protection, consent where appropriate, or another permitted ground.

Social-media publication may make approved content accessible globally.

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law.

When information is no longer authorised or required, we will delete, destroy or de-identify it as soon as reasonably practicable, subject to technical backup cycles and lawful retention needs.

Aqua Rush takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction, unlawful access and unlawful processing.

Measures may include access controls, secure configuration, encrypted connections, backups, software updates, service-provider safeguards and internal confidentiality requirements.

No internet service can guarantee absolute security. If a security compromise requiring notification occurs, Aqua Rush will notify the Information Regulator and affected people as required by POPIA.

Subject to applicable law, you may:

• ask whether Aqua Rush holds personal information about you;
• request access to that information;
• ask for inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, outdated, incomplete or misleading information to be corrected;
• request deletion or destruction where Aqua Rush is no longer authorised to retain the information;
• object to processing on reasonable grounds where POPIA gives you that right;
• withdraw consent where processing depends on consent;
• object to direct marketing or unsubscribe at any time; and
• complain to the Information Regulator.

Send requests to [[PRIVACY EMAIL]]. We may request reasonable proof of identity before giving access or changing a record. This protects information from being disclosed to the wrong person.

An objection or correction/deletion request may be submitted using the forms or substantially similar methods made available by the Information Regulator.

You may lodge a complaint through the Information Regulator’s official complaints service at inforegulator.org.za/complaints.

Story submission and contact about a story are separate from general marketing. The marketing checkbox is optional.

Where you consent, Aqua Rush may send news, promotions or offers using the channel described when consent is requested.

Every electronic marketing message will provide a reasonable way to unsubscribe. You may also opt out by contacting [[PRIVACY EMAIL]].

Opting out of marketing does not prevent operational messages relating to a story submission, privacy request, accepted gift or other transaction you initiated.

Stories can sometimes reveal sensitive or “special personal information”, such as health, religious beliefs, political views, race or ethnic origin, sex life, biometric information or criminal allegations.

Submit only sensitive information about yourself that is relevant and that you are comfortable asking us to review. Do not include another person’s sensitive information without the legally required permission or another lawful basis. Aqua Rush may redact or reject information that creates an unreasonable legal, privacy or safety risk.

The story submission form is limited to people aged 18 or older. Aqua Rush does not knowingly invite children to submit stories or media through that form. Contact us if you believe a child’s information has been submitted without appropriate authority.

The Aqua Rush website may link to retailers, social-media platforms and other third-party websites. Those organisations are responsible for their own privacy notices and processing.

This notice does not control information that you provide directly to a third party after leaving the Aqua Rush website.

We may update this notice when our website, service providers, processing activities or legal obligations change. The latest version will be posted here with an updated date.

Material changes affecting an existing consent or materially expanding the use of previously collected information will be handled with an appropriate legal basis and, where required, additional notice or permission.

Privacy questions, requests and complaints may be sent to:

Information Officer / Privacy Contact: [[INFORMATION OFFICER NAME OR TITLE]]
Email: [[PRIVACY EMAIL]]
Address: [[PHYSICAL ADDRESS]]