Privacy Policy

Who we are

Our website address is: https://www.bloubergawards.org/

The Blouberg Awards is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is collected and used properly, lawfully, and transparently in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

Information We Collect

We may collect the following personal information:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Voting activity and preferences
• Payment-related information (processed via secure third-party providers)
• IP address and browser data

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.

An anonymized string (hash) created from your email address may be shared with the Gravatar service. After approval, your profile picture may be visible publicly alongside your comment.

Media

If you upload images to the website, avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors may download and extract location data from images on the site.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.

• Comment cookies may store your name, email, and website for one year
• Login cookies store session and preference data
• Temporary cookies check browser compatibility
• Editing cookies store post-related information

You can disable cookies through your browser settings.

Voting & Fair Use Policy

To ensure fairness and integrity in the Blouberg Awards:

• We may track IP addresses, device data, and voting patterns
• Duplicate, fraudulent, or automated votes may be removed
• We reserve the right to disqualify votes or participants suspected of manipulation or abuse

This data is used strictly to maintain a fair and transparent voting process.

Payments & Third-Party Services

All payments (including voting-related payments, if applicable) are processed securely through trusted third-party providers such as PayFast.

• We do not store your banking or card details
• Payment providers may collect and process your data in accordance with their own privacy policies
• We only receive confirmation of payment status

Embedded Content from Other Websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). These behave as if you visited the external site directly.

These websites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction with their content.

Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell or rent your personal information.

We may share data with:

• Trusted service providers (e.g., hosting, email, payment gateways)
• Legal authorities where required by law
• Security and fraud prevention systems

How Long We Retain Your Data

• Comments and metadata are retained indefinitely
• User profile data is stored until the user deletes it or requests removal
• Voting and transaction records may be retained for auditing and legal purposes

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against:

• Unauthorized access
• Loss, misuse, or alteration

Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection services.

Data may also be processed by third-party systems located outside South Africa, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

Contact Us

For any privacy-related queries or requests:

Email: info@bloubergawards.org
Website: https://www.bloubergawards.org/