Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Free Me South Africa (Pty) Ltd ("FMSA," "we," "our," "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information when you engage with us, use our services, or visit our website.

This policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identifying information: name, role, employer, business address, email, phone number
• Engagement information: the services you enquire about or use, communication history, meeting notes
• Aggregate workforce data (RiskAnalytix™): anonymous, aggregate-only responses with k-anonymity enforcement — never linked to individual employees
• Candidate data (PRI™): only with explicit, informed, written consent from the candidate
• Website information: IP address, browser type, pages viewed, session data (see Cookies Policy)

3. How We Use Your Information

• To deliver the services you have engaged us for
• To respond to your enquiries and provide quotations
• To comply with our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations
• To produce aggregate workforce risk intelligence for the engaging employer
• To improve our services, methodologies, and platforms
• To send service-related communications (you may opt out at any time)

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal information on one or more of the following lawful bases under POPIA: consent, contract performance, legal obligation, or legitimate interest balanced against your rights.

5. Disclosure of Information

We may share information with: (a) authorised FMSA personnel and contractors bound by confidentiality; (b) our service providers (hosting, email, analytics) under data processing agreements; (c) regulatory authorities where required by law; (d) successor entities in the event of a corporate restructure.

We do not sell your personal information.

6. Cross-Border Transfers

Some service providers may process data outside South Africa. Where this occurs, we ensure adequate protection equivalent to POPIA through contractual or regulatory safeguards.

7. Data Security

We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk — encryption in transit and at rest, access control, audit logging, and incident response procedures. We require the same of our processors.

8. Retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purpose collected, subject to statutory minimum retention periods, and dispose of it securely thereafter.

9. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to: access, correct, or delete your personal information; object to processing; withdraw consent; and lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator. To exercise these rights, contact our Information Officer at compliance@freemesouthafrica.co.za.

10. Children

We do not knowingly collect personal information of children under 18 without parental or guardian consent.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will always be posted on our website with the "Last updated" date.

12. Contact

For privacy matters, contact our Information Officer: compliance@freemesouthafrica.co.za