📅 Last updated: January 2026 | POPIA compliant
🔒
POPIA Compliant — Protection of Personal Information Act (Act 4 of 2013)
Brand Forge SA™ handles all personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with South Africa's POPIA legislation.
🛡️ The Short Version: We only collect what we need to deliver your services. We never sell your data. We never share it for marketing without consent. You can request your data be deleted at any time. Your leads collected via our AI tools are handled with full POPIA compliance.
01 Who We Are
Brand Forge SA™ is a South African digital marketing and design service provider operating nationwide. For the purposes of POPIA, Brand Forge SA™ is the Responsible Party — we determine the purpose and means of processing your personal information.
- Business Name: Brand Forge SA™
- WhatsApp: 073 379 7836
- Phone: +27 73 164 1114
- Email: info@brandforgesa.co.za
- Facebook: Brand Forge SA™ on Facebook
- Service Area: All 9 provinces of South Africa
02 What Information We Collect
We apply the POPIA principle of minimality — we never collect more information than is necessary to deliver your services.
| Type | Examples | Why We Need It |
|---|
| Contact Information | Name, phone, WhatsApp number, email | To communicate about your project |
| Business Information | Business name, address, hours, services | To create accurate designs and profiles |
| Payment Information | Bank transfer confirmation, payment references | To confirm payment and issue receipts |
| Project Assets | Photos, logos, brand guidelines you share | To incorporate into your deliverables |
| AI Tool Lead Data | Name and WhatsApp number from AI tool lead gate | To follow up with relevant offers and deliver AI results |
| Website Usage Data | Pages visited, time on site (via cookies) | To improve our website experience |
✅ We do NOT collect: SA ID numbers, financial account details, health information, biometric data, political opinions, religious beliefs, or any other special personal information as defined by POPIA.
03 Why We Use Your Information
- Service delivery: To design logos, build websites, set up Google Business profiles, and deliver all agreed services.
- Communication: To send project previews, updates, revision requests, and delivery notifications via WhatsApp and email.
- Payment processing: To confirm payment, issue receipts, and maintain financial records as required by law.
- Lead follow-up: Contact information submitted via our AI tool lead gate may be used to follow up with relevant Brand Forge SA™ offers. You can opt out at any time by replying "STOP" on WhatsApp.
- Legal compliance: To comply with South African tax laws, POPIA requirements, and other applicable legislation.
- Service improvement: To analyse website usage patterns using anonymised, aggregated data only.
- Marketing (with consent): To send promotional messages about new services or special offers — only if you have explicitly opted in or submitted your details via our AI tools lead gate.
04 Sharing Your Information
We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for their commercial use.
We may share your information only in these specific circumstances:
- Google LLC: When setting up your Google Business Profile, your business information is entered directly into Google's platform — this is the core purpose of that service and you consent to this when ordering.
- Meta (WhatsApp/Facebook): Communication between us and you occurs via WhatsApp and optionally via Facebook Messenger, subject to Meta's privacy policy.
- OpenAI: When you use our AI tools, your input prompts are sent to OpenAI's API to generate results. OpenAI's privacy policy applies to this data processing.
- Google Forms: Lead information submitted via our AI tool lead gate is collected via Google Forms (forms.gle) and stored in Google Sheets accessible only to Brand Forge SA™.
- File sharing services: We may use Google Drive or WeTransfer to share deliverable files with you.
- Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by South African law or court order.
✅ We NEVER share your information with: advertising networks, data brokers, marketing companies, or any unrelated third parties for their own purposes.
05 AI Tools & Lead Data
When you use our free AI business tools (Business Name Generator, Logo Idea Generator, Ad Copy Generator, SEO Checker), you may be asked to provide your name and WhatsApp number before viewing results. By submitting this information you consent to:
- Receiving your AI-generated results via the tool interface.
- Brand Forge SA™ following up via WhatsApp with relevant offers related to the service you were researching (e.g., professional logo design after using the Logo Idea Generator).
- Your name and WhatsApp number being stored in our Google Forms lead database, accessible only to Brand Forge SA™ personnel.
You can opt out of follow-up messages at any time by replying "STOP" on WhatsApp. Your data will be removed from our active marketing list within 5 business days.
✅ AI tool input prompts (your business descriptions) are sent to OpenAI's API to generate results. OpenAI does not use API data to train their models by default. Visit openai.com/privacy for OpenAI's full privacy policy.
06 Data Storage & Security
- Project files and client assets are stored in encrypted cloud storage (Google Drive) with restricted access.
- AI tool lead data is stored in Google Forms/Sheets accessible only to authorised Brand Forge SA™ personnel.
- Access to client data is restricted to authorised Brand Forge SA™ personnel only.
- We use strong passwords and two-factor authentication on all business accounts.
- We do not store your banking details beyond what appears on payment notifications.
- In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by POPIA within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.
07 Data Retention
- Project files and client assets: Retained for 12 months after project completion, then securely deleted (or longer at your request).
- Payment records: Retained for 5 years as required by South African tax law (SARS requirements).
- Communication records: Retained for 2 years for dispute resolution purposes, then deleted.
- AI tool lead data: Retained for 12 months from collection date, then deleted unless you become an active client.
- Website analytics data: Aggregated and anonymised — retained indefinitely in non-personal form.
08 Your Rights Under POPIA
- Right to access: Request a copy of all personal information we hold about you.
- Right to correction: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Right to deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Right to object: Object to the processing of your personal information for marketing purposes at any time — reply "STOP" on WhatsApp or email us.
- Right to lodge a complaint: Lodge a complaint with South Africa's Information Regulator if you believe your rights under POPIA have been violated.
📞 To exercise your rights: Contact us via WhatsApp at 073 379 7836 or email info@brandforgesa.co.za. We respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.
Information Regulator (SA): www.inforegulator.org.za | inforeg@justice.gov.za | 012 406 4818
09 Cookies & Analytics
- Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly — session management, form functionality. Cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website using aggregated, anonymised data only. No personal identifiers are stored.
- PWA/Service Worker cache: Our website uses a service worker to cache pages for offline functionality. This stores page content locally on your device — no personal data is cached.
We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or allow third-party advertisers to place cookies on our website. You can control cookie settings through your browser settings — disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality.