Privacy Policy Statement Overview
Bay Debt Counsellors is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its officers, employees, suppliers, business partners, members and their clients. We value the trust of the public and those we deal with, and recognise that maintaining this trust requires transparency and accountability in how we treat personal information that is shared with us. This Privacy Policy Statement (“Policy”) has been adopted to guide how we collect, use and disclose the personal information acquired in the course of conducting our business and fulfilling our professional responsibilities.
We adhere to the requirements of the law and our professional standards, and as we conduct our business operations we frequently gather and use personal information. We seek consent to use this information when it is collected and recognise your expectation that it will be carefully protected. Our privacy practices require that we only use personal information outside of the original purpose for which it is collected after obtaining appropriate consent.
Personal information is defined as any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual, including information about age, income, opinions or beliefs, home location and family. However, business contact and other information about individuals that is available in the public domain, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers published in directories, are not considered personal information. Public information is not subject to privacy legislation and therefore is excluded from this policy and is not subject to the same protections as is the case with personal information. However, we do not disclose personal information about our officers, employees, suppliers, business partners, members and their clients without consent.
We follow these policies when collecting, maintaining and using personal information:
Consent
Your consent is required for the collection and proposed use of personal information when information is collected. Consent can be either explicit or implied and can be provided directly to us by you or your authorised representative. We require your explicit consent in writing or electronically for the use of your personal information.
Children
Bay Debt Counsellors understands the importance of protecting children’s privacy, especially in an online environment. Our sites are not intentionally designed for, or directed at, children under the age of 18, and our policy is never to knowingly collect or maintain children’s information except where required as part of an engagement to provide professional services.
Sharing and Transfer of Personal Information
In some instances, Bay Debt Counsellors may share your personal information with outside companies, service providers or vendors. This may include the transfer of this information on our behalf to help fulfill your requests. Bay Debt Counsellors generally stores personal information in South Africa but may also store personal information in other legal jurisdictions. By providing personal information online to us, you are consenting to the transfer and/or storage of your personal information in this manner. Bay Debt Counsellors does not sell personal information to any third parties, nor will Bay Debt Counsellors transfer your personal information to any third parties for their own direct marketing use.
Compliance with Laws and Regulations
Bay Debt Counsellors may be required to disclose personal information in response to requests of government or law enforcement agencies or where disclosure is required by applicable laws, court orders, or government regulations. These disclosures may also be needed for data privacy or security audits and/or to investigate or respond to a complaint or security threat.
Choices
You are not required to submit any personal information to Bay Debt Counsellors online, but certain personal information may be required in order for you to receive additional information about our services. Bay Debt Counsellors may also ask for your permission for certain uses of your personal information, and you can agree to or decline those uses. If you opt-in for particular services or to receive communications from us, you will be able to unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions included in each communication. Where you unsubscribe from a service or communication, we will try to remove your information promptly, but may require additional information to process your request.
Information Security
Bay Debt Counsellors has reasonable security policies and procedures in place to protect personal information from unauthorised loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction. Appropriate physical and electronic measures are also used to help ensure that personal information is secure. To the best of our ability, access to your personal information is limited to those who require the information to fulfil their job responsibilities. Those individuals who have access to the data are required to maintain the confidentiality of such information. However, despite our best efforts, security cannot be absolutely guaranteed against all threats.
Retention of personal information
Personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it has been collected, except with your consent or as required by applicable law. We do not share personal information with unaffiliated third parties, except where necessary for legitimate professional and business needs, to carry out your requests, and/or as required and permitted by applicable law or professional standards. We also make reasonable efforts only to retain personal information as long as it is necessary to comply with your request and to delete personal information if you ask us to do so.
Changes to this policy
Bay Debt Counsellors may modify this Policy from time to time. When changes are made to this Policy, the date of the update will be provided on this page, so we encourage you to review our site periodically for changes.
Policy questions and enforcement
Bay Debt Counsellors is committed to protecting the online privacy of your personal information. If you have questions or comments about our administration of your personally identifiable information, please contact us by email at info@baydebt.co.za.
Updated: July 2021