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Privacy Statement

Effective Date: 1 January 2026 · Last Updated: 6 September 2026

Elevate Digital ("we", "us", "our") is a social media marketing agency registered and operating in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape, South Africa. We are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and all applicable South African data protection laws.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following personal information when you interact with us:

• Contact details: Name, email address, phone number, WhatsApp number
• Business information: Business name, industry, social media page URLs
• Communication records: Messages you send us via WhatsApp, email, social media, or this website
• Website usage data: Pages visited, time on site, browser type, device type (collected via cookies and analytics tools)
• Social media data: Public comments, messages, and engagement data on pages we manage on your behalf

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide our social media management and marketing services
• To communicate with you about our services, enquiries and proposals
• To manage and respond to comments and messages on social media pages under our management
• To run advertising campaigns on your behalf via Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and other platforms
• To improve our website, services, and customer experience
• To comply with legal obligations

3. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)

We process your personal information on one or more of the following grounds:

• Consent: You have given us permission (e.g. by contacting us via WhatsApp or submitting an enquiry)
• Contract: Processing is necessary to fulfil our service agreement with you
• Legitimate interest: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided it does not override your rights
• Legal obligation: Processing is required by law

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services in the course of our business. Each has its own privacy policy:

• Meta (Facebook & Instagram): For social media management, advertising, and messaging
• WhatsApp (Meta): For client communication
• Netlify: For website hosting
• Railway: For application hosting
• Anthropic (Claude AI): For generating social media responses and content assistance

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We only share information with third parties as necessary to deliver our services or as required by law.

5. AI-Assisted Responses

We use artificial intelligence tools to assist in generating responses to social media comments and messages on pages we manage. All AI-generated responses are subject to review. By engaging with social media pages managed by Elevate Digital, you acknowledge that responses may be AI-assisted.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. When information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

• Client data: Retained for the duration of our service agreement and 12 months thereafter
• Enquiry data: Retained for 6 months if no service agreement is entered into

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• The right to be informed about how your data is used
• The right to access your personal information we hold
• The right to request correction of inaccurate information
• The right to request deletion of your personal information
• The right to object to processing of your personal information
• The right to withdraw consent at any time
• The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site
• Marketing cookies: Used by Meta Pixel to measure advertising effectiveness

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at persons 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 it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of our website or services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated statement.

12. Information Officer & Contact

For any privacy-related queries, requests, or complaints, contact our Information Officer:

• Name: Joshua Wootton
• Business: Elevate Digital
• Phone: 066 293 3175
• WhatsApp: 066 293 3175
• Email: elevatedigital.joshua@gmail.com

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa):

• Website: inforegulator.org.za
• Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za