Privacy Policy

This policy explains how VigiNote ZA ("VigiNote", "we", "us") handles personal information, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). Last updated 27 October 2026.

Who is responsible

VigiNote ZA is operated by Chad Frankal, who is also our Information Officer. You can reach us at info@viginote.co.za.

What we collect

• Reading the site. You do not need an account or to give us your name to read VigiNote. Our hosting providers (Netlify for this website, Render for the news app) automatically record technical information such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested. This is used to keep the service running, secure and fast.
• Your province. If you choose a province on the news app, your choice is saved only in your own browser so it is remembered next time. It is not sent to us.
• Messages you send us. If you email us or message us on Instagram (for example to report a mistake), we receive your name or handle, your contact details and what you tell us. We use it only to reply and to correct our reporting.
• Instagram. If you follow or interact with @viginote, Instagram (Meta) collects and processes that information under its own privacy policy. We do not control it.

We do not run advertising, we do not sell personal information, and we do not use tracking or profiling cookies.

Why we use it, and our lawful basis

We use information to run and secure the service, to respond to you, to correct and improve our reporting, and to meet legal obligations. We rely on your consent when you contact us, on our legitimate interest in running a secure service, and on legal obligations where they apply.

Who we share it with

Only with the service providers that run VigiNote (Netlify, Render, our email provider and Instagram/Meta), and where the law requires. These providers may process information outside South Africa. We choose providers that protect information to a standard comparable to POPIA.

How long we keep it

Hosting logs are kept for the shorter period set by the provider. Emails and messages are kept for as long as needed to deal with your matter and for our corrections record, then deleted.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), restricted access to our admin tools and password protection. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your information we will notify you and the Information Regulator as the law requires.

Your rights

You can ask us to confirm what personal information we hold about you, to correct or delete it, to stop using it, or to object to how we use it. Email info@viginote.co.za and we will respond within a reasonable time. If you are unhappy, you may complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforegulator.org.za).

Children

VigiNote is a general news and information service. It is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date above. Material changes will be noted on this page.