Privacy Policy

Welcome to the Privacy Policy of Trusted Sources. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This policy explains what personal data is collected when you use the website located at trustedsources.co.za (the “Website”) and the services and products provided through it (together with the Website, the “Service”).

By using our Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, or if you are under 18 years of age (or your parent or guardian has not agreed to this Privacy Policy on your behalf), please do not use our Service. You must contact us to request the deletion of your data, leave the Website, and cancel any active email subscriptions.

“CCPA“ means the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018.

“GDPR“ means the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.

“EEA“ includes all current member states to the European Union and the European Free Trade Association. For the purpose of this policy EEA shall include the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“Process“, in respect of personal data, includes to collect, store, and disclose to others.

1. Data Controller

Trusted Sources, a news company based in South Africa, will act as the controller of your personal data. You can contact us regarding your personal data and privacy concerns at [email protected].

2. Categories of Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process personal data in two ways:

  • Data You Provide Voluntarily: This includes information you provide directly to us, such as your email address when subscribing to our newsletter or registering on our Website.
  • Data Collected Automatically: This includes information collected automatically from your device, such as:
    • Referring URL
    • Cookies
    • Language settings
    • IP address
    • Time zone
    • Type and model of the device
    • Device settings
    • Operating system
    • Internet service provider
    • Mobile carrier
    • Hardware ID
    • Unique identifiers such as IDFA and AAID

3. Data Protection Principles

At Trusted Sources, we are committed to ensuring that your personal data is:

  • Collected and processed for specific, legitimate, and lawful purposes that you have consented to.
  • Handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
  • Accurate and kept up to date.
  • Stored only for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it is collected.
  • Secured against foreseeable hazards such as data breaches, theft, cyberattacks, and unauthorized access.

4. Purposes of Processing Personal Data

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To Provide Our Service: To enable you to use the Service seamlessly, and to prevent or address any errors or technical issues.
  • To Customize Your Experience: To adjust the content on our Website to better suit your preferences.
  • To Provide Customer Support: To respond to your requests, whether they are technical support inquiries, questions about our Service, or any other communications you initiate.
  • To Communicate with You: To send you information about our Service, such as updates, changes, or promotional content. You may opt out of receiving such communications by following the unsubscribe link in any of our emails or by contacting us directly.
  • To Research and Analyze: To better understand how users interact with our Website, which helps us improve our operations, content, and user experience.
  • To Send Marketing Communications: We may use your personal data for our marketing campaigns. You may opt out of receiving marketing communications by following the instructions in the emails or by contacting our support team at [email protected].
  • To Personalize Ads: We may use your data to show you targeted advertisements based on your interests.

5. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

We rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

  • Consent: Where you have provided your consent for us to process your data.
  • Legitimate Interests: When it is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
  • Contractual Necessity: When processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you.
  • Legal Obligation: When we are required to comply with a legal obligation.

6. With Whom We Share Your Personal Data

We share your data with various third parties:

  • Service Providers: We share data with entities providing services like cloud storage (Amazon), data analytics (Facebook, Google), communication services (Sendios), and marketing (Facebook, Google, Mailfire).
  • Law Enforcement and Public Authorities: We may disclose data to enforce our Terms, protect rights, or comply with legal requests.
  • Business Transactions: In case of mergers, acquisitions, or sales, your data may be transferred as part of the business assets.

7. How You Can Exercise Your Rights

You have several rights concerning your personal data:

  • Access, Review, Update, and Correct: You can review and modify your data.
  • Deletion: You can request data erasure, although we may retain some data for legal obligations.
  • Object or Restrict Processing: You can request to limit or stop the use of your data.
  • Complaint: You can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you’re dissatisfied with our handling of your data.
  • Data Portability: You can request your data in a machine-readable format.

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected].

8. Available Remedies

In case of a data breach, we will notify the supervisory authority and affected individuals if the risk is high. If concerns remain unresolved, you have the right to seek redress through a competent court or supervisory authority.

9. No Limitation Clause

We cannot limit our liability for breaches of the principles set out in Section 3.

10. Age Limitation

We do not process data from individuals under 16. If we become aware of such data, we will take appropriate actions.

11. International Data Transfers

We may transfer personal data to countries other than the country in which the data was originally collected in order to provide the Service set forth in the Terms and Conditions of Use and for purposes indicated in this Privacy Policy. If these countries do not have the same data protection laws as the country in which you initially provided the information, we deploy special safeguards. In particular, if we transfer personal data originating from the EEA to countries with not adequate level of data protection, we use one of the following legal bases: (i) Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission (details available here), or (ii) the European Commission adequacy decisions about certain countries (details available here).

12. Changes To This Privacy Policy

We may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we decide to make material changes to this Privacy Policy, you will be notified by available means such as email and will have an opportunity to review the revised Privacy Policy. By continuing to access or use the Service after those changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy.

13. for california residents

This section of the Privacy Policy is provided in compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and applies only to California residents. Under the CCPA, California residents have specific rights regarding their personal information, which include the following:

  • Right to Know: You have the right to request details about the personal information we have collected about you over the past 12 months, including the categories of personal information, the sources, the business purpose for collecting or selling it, and the categories of third parties with whom we have shared your information.
  • Right to Delete: You may request the deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (such as compliance with legal obligations or other lawful purposes).
  • Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information as defined under the CCPA. However, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information if we change this practice. You can exercise this right by visiting the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link on our website.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights under the CCPA. This means we will not deny you services, charge you different prices, or provide you with a lower quality of service for exercising your privacy rights.

Categories of Personal Information Collected and Shared

Over the past 12 months, we have collected and shared the following categories of personal information, as described in Section 2 of this Privacy Policy:

  • Identifiers (e.g., name, email address)
  • Internet or network activity (e.g., browsing history)
  • Geolocation data
  • Inferences drawn from personal information (e.g., preferences)

We share this information with third-party service providers as outlined in Section 6 of this Privacy Policy, solely for business purposes.

How to Exercise Your CCPA Rights

You or your authorized agent may submit requests to exercise your rights under the CCPA by:

  • Emailing us at [email protected] with “California Privacy Rights” in the subject line.
  • Completing the privacy request form on our website.

We will verify your identity before processing your request by asking for certain information that matches our records.

California’s Shine the Light Law

California residents also have the right to request information about how we share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes, under the “Shine the Light” law. To make such a request, please contact us at [email protected] with “Shine the Light Request” in the subject line.

14. for virginia residents

This section of the Privacy Policy applies specifically to residents of Virginia and addresses how we comply with the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). Virginia residents have specific rights regarding their personal data, which are outlined below.

Your Rights Under VCDPA

If you are a resident of Virginia, you have the following rights concerning your personal data:

  • Right to Access: You have the right to request confirmation of whether or not we are processing your personal data, and to access such data.
  • Right to Correct: You can request that we correct inaccuracies in your personal data, taking into account the nature of the data and the purpose of processing it.
  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data provided to us.
  • Right to Data Portability: You may request to receive a copy of the personal data you provided to us in a portable and readily usable format, where the processing is carried out by automated means.
  • Right to Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising: You may opt-out of the processing of your personal data for purposes of targeted advertising. You can do this by clicking on the “Do Not Sell/Share My Information” link available on our website. While the terminology used may differ, this will opt you out of targeted advertising as defined by the VCDPA.
  • Right to Appeal: If we decline to take action on your request, you have the right to appeal our decision. To do so, please email us at [email protected] with “Appeal of Privacy Rights Request” in the subject line. We will review your appeal and respond within 60 days. If your appeal is denied, you can contact the Virginia Attorney General’s Office for further assistance.

How We Process Your Data

We collect and use certain personal data, as outlined in Sections 2 and 4 of this Privacy Policy, to provide our services and improve your experience. If you are a Virginia resident and would like more detailed information about the personal data we collect or the purposes for which we collect it, please refer to those sections.

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of your privacy rights as a Virginia resident, please contact us by:

  • Emailing us at [email protected] with “Virginia Privacy Rights” in the subject line, or
  • Using the privacy request form on our website.

We will take steps to verify your identity before processing your request, which may include asking for information that matches what we have on file.

14.2 Data Rights

At Trusted Sources, we are committed to ensuring that you have control over your personal data and can exercise your rights under applicable data protection laws. The rights outlined below are provided to ensure transparency and control over how your data is handled.

1. Right to Access

You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you. This includes the categories of data we process, the purposes for which we process it, and the third parties with whom your data may be shared.

2. Right to Rectification

If you believe that any personal data we hold about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request a correction. We will update the data accordingly to ensure its accuracy.

3. Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”)

You can request that we delete the personal data we have collected from you, subject to certain legal obligations we may have (e.g., if we are required by law to retain certain data for a set period).

4. Right to Restrict Processing

You have the right to request the restriction of processing your personal data if:

  • You contest the accuracy of the data.
  • You believe the processing is unlawful but do not want the data erased.
  • You need the data for legal claims after we no longer need it for processing purposes.
  • You have objected to our processing, pending the verification of our legitimate grounds for doing so.

5. Right to Data Portability

You have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and you have the right to transmit that data to another controller without hindrance.

6. Right to Object to Processing

You may object to the processing of your personal data at any time for direct marketing purposes or for reasons related to your particular situation. If you object, we will stop processing your data unless there are compelling legitimate grounds to continue.

7. Right to Withdraw Consent

Where our processing of your personal data is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdrew your consent.

8. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you are unsatisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. We encourage you to contact us first to resolve any concerns.

How to Exercise Your Data Rights

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us via:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Mail: Trusted Sources, Central Office Park,257 Jean Avenue, Centurion, Gauteng, 0157, South Africa

We will verify your identity before processing your request and may ask for additional information to ensure the security of your data. We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within one month, but it may take longer if your request is complex or if you have made multiple requests.

15. Data Retention

At Trusted Sources, we retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, as described in this Privacy Policy. This includes maintaining data to:

  • Provide you with our services.
  • Comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements.
  • Resolve disputes.
  • Prevent fraud and abuse.
  • Enforce our agreements, including our Terms and Conditions.

Retention Periods

The specific length of time we retain personal data varies depending on the nature of the information and the legal or operational requirements. In determining the appropriate retention period, we consider:

  • The amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data.
  • The potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure.
  • The purposes for which the data was collected and whether those purposes can be achieved through other means.
  • Any applicable legal or regulatory requirements.

End of Retention Period

Once the data is no longer required for the purposes outlined above, we will securely delete, anonymize, or dispose of the personal data. In cases where data is anonymized, it may be retained for analytical, statistical, or business purposes without further notice to you.

16. How “do not track” Requests Are Handled

Various browsers (including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari) offer a DNT option that relies on a technology known as a DNT header that sends a signal to websites visited by the browser user about the user’s DNT preference. You can usually access your browser’s DNT option in your browser’s preferences.

We do not currently support “Do Not Track” requests due to the absence of a standardized DNT protocol. Third parties may still collect data as outlined in their privacy policies.

Our third-party services may collect information about your and your online activities over time and across our Services and other online properties. These third parties may not change their tracking practices in response to DNT settings in your web browser and we do not obligate these parties to honor DNT settings. To determine whether any of the third-party services it uses honor the “Do Not Track” requests, please read their privacy policies.

17. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or to contact our Data Protection Officer, email us at [email protected].

Effective as of: 01/01/2024