Contact and identity
Name, organisation or school, role, email address, telephone number and information included in an enquiry.
Privacy policy · POPIA
Your information.Handled with care.
How SIFTCON Academy collects, uses, protects and manages personal information for visitors, learners, parents, schools and clients.
Our commitment
Privacy is part of trusted learning.
SIFTCON Forensic Services ("SIFTCON", "we", "us" or "our") is the responsible party for personal information collected through SIFTCON Academy unless another notice or agreement says otherwise.
We work to process personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), other applicable law and our professional confidentiality duties. This policy is a plain-English summary. A course, school, employer or client agreement may provide more specific terms.
What we handle
Only what learning and support need.
We collect only the information reasonably needed for the course, account, service or legal duty concerned.
Learner account
Email verification, sign-in information and records used to protect access to the Study Portal.
Course records
Course requests, administrator approval, payment status, progress, answers, results, certificates and transcripts.
Website information
Essential device, browser and preference information, plus optional analytics when you consent.
Protect your account
Do not share passwords, payment-card details or sensitive evidence through the assistant, enquiry form or course workspace.
POPIA framework
Eight conditions guide our approach.
POPIA sets eight conditions for lawful processing. We use them to shape our policies, controls and day-to-day decisions.
Accountability
We assign responsibility for privacy and review how learner and visitor information is handled.
Processing limitation
We collect information lawfully, fairly and only when it is relevant to a clear need.
Purpose specification
We explain why information is needed and keep it only for as long as the purpose or law requires.
Further processing limitation
We do not reuse information in a way that is incompatible with the original purpose.
Information quality
We take reasonable steps to keep account and learning information accurate and current.
Openness
We provide clear notices about our collection and use of personal information.
Security safeguards
We use organisational and technical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity and risk.
Data subject participation
We provide routes to access, correct, delete or object to processing where the law allows.
How we use personal information
We use personal information to respond to enquiries; create and protect accounts; confirm email addresses; assess course registrations and payment status; provide learning; save progress and results; issue certificates and transcripts; support learners; maintain security; meet legal, regulatory, accounting and contractual duties; and improve the Academy when optional analytics is accepted.
Our lawful basis may be consent, a contract, a legal duty, protection of a legitimate interest, or another basis permitted by POPIA. You may withdraw consent where processing depends on consent, but this does not affect earlier lawful processing.
Sharing and cross-border transfers
We do not sell personal information. We may share only what is necessary with authorised SIFTCON personnel, course facilitators, carefully selected technology or professional service providers, payment providers, a school or employer that arranged the learning, advisers, or a regulator or authority where the law requires or permits it.
Where information is processed outside South Africa, we take reasonable steps to use a recipient, agreement or other protection that meets POPIA's cross-border requirements.
Security, incidents and retention
We use reasonable administrative, physical and technical measures designed to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. No system can be guaranteed completely secure.
We keep information only for as long as needed for learning, certification, a contract, dispute management or law. We then securely delete, destroy or de-identify it where reasonably practicable. If a security compromise creates a notification duty, we will follow the applicable POPIA process.
Your POPIA rights
Subject to POPIA and other applicable law, you may ask whether we hold your information; request access; ask us to correct, update, delete or destroy information; object to certain processing; withdraw consent; and opt out of direct marketing.
We may need to verify your identity. Some requests may be limited where course or financial records must be kept by law, protect another person or are needed to establish or defend a legal right.
Children and young learners
Some Academy programmes are designed for children. Where POPIA requires it, we obtain authorisation from a competent person, school or authorised adult and limit collection to what is needed for enrolment, safeguarding, learning and certification. Parents, guardians and schools should not submit more information than required.
Cookies, marketing and decisions
Essential storage supports secure access and remembers privacy choices. Optional analytics stays off unless you accept it. You can reopen the Cookies tab at any time. Marketing messages include an opt-out route. Course access is reviewed by an Academy administrator and is not decided only by an automated system.
Privacy requests and complaints
Email forensics@siftcon.africa with the subject "POPIA privacy request", or write to SIFTCON Forensic Services, Northgate Office Park, 14 Aureole Avenue, Gauteng, South Africa. You may also call +27 10 979 0010.
If we cannot resolve your concern, you may lodge a complaint with South Africa's Information Regulator through its official complaints process.
Policy updates
We may update this policy when our courses, systems or legal duties change. The effective date at the top shows the current published version. Material changes will be highlighted where reasonably possible.
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