Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for The Gold Guys

At The Gold Guys, accessible from https://thegoldguys.co.za, we are dedicated to protecting your privacy and providing transparency about how we collect, use, and secure your personal information. This policy outlines our practices in compliance with South African privacy regulations.

Who We Are

The Gold Guys is a South African business committed to providing exceptional service and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal data. Our website address is https://thegoldguys.co.za.

Collection of Personal Information

We collect personal data to improve your experience on our website and to provide relevant services. This includes information such as your name, contact details, and any other details you may provide directly through forms, comments, or during your interactions with our site.

How We Use Your Information

Your information helps us:

Respond to queries, requests, and comments
Enhance our website’s functionality and user experience
Safeguard against spam and abuse

We do not sell or share your information with third parties, except where necessary to deliver a requested service or as required by law.

Comments and Interaction

When visitors leave comments, we collect data provided in the comment form along with the visitor’s IP address and browser details. This information is used for spam detection and improving site security.

We may use a verification service to check your email, and after approval, your profile picture (if available) will appear next to your comment on our site.

Media Uploads

If you upload images to our website, please ensure they do not contain location data (EXIF GPS) to protect your privacy. Visitors to our website can view and download any images publicly shared on the site, but we take steps to safeguard user-uploaded content.

Cookies and Tracking

To enhance your browsing experience, we use cookies:

Comments Cookies: If you leave a comment, you may choose to save your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience. These will last up to one year.
Login Cookies: When logging in, we set cookies to remember your login and display settings. These last for two days unless you choose “Remember Me,” which extends it to two weeks. Logging out removes these cookies.
Session Cookies: A temporary cookie determines if your browser supports cookies when visiting our login page. This is automatically deleted upon closing your browser.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may limit certain features on our site.

Embedded Content from Other Websites

Our articles may include embedded media from other trusted sources (e.g., videos, articles). This content behaves as if you visited the external site directly, which may collect data, use cookies, and monitor your interaction with their embedded content if you are logged into their site.

Information Sharing

We do not share your personal data except in cases necessary to deliver a service, such as secure third-party providers who assist with functionality on our site, or as legally required. If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email for security.

Data Retention

Comments: Comments and related metadata are stored indefinitely to support continuity and quality of interaction on our site.
User Accounts: For registered users, we store personal data provided in user profiles. Users may view, update, or delete this information at any time, except for usernames. Administrators can access and manage user information as needed.

Your Rights Over Your Data

In accordance with South African privacy laws, you may request access to, correction, or deletion of any personal data we hold about you. If you have an account with us or have left comments, you may request an export of your data or deletion of your account and associated data. Certain data may be retained as required by law or for security purposes.

Data Protection and Security

We employ robust security measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service to maintain the integrity of our platform.

Contact Us

For any inquiries about this policy or your personal data rights, please contact us at privacy@thegoldguys.co.za.