PRIVACY POLICY

Protection of Personal Information

EXTERNAL PRIVACY POLICY

How to Contact Us
For any questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or if a Data Subject would like to exercise his rights including contacting the Information Officer, please use the following contact information of the Information Officer:
Information Officer: Schalk Louw
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone: +27 (0) 21 914 9777

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please do not submit any Personal Information to Yardstick if you do not agree to any of the provisions of this Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to the provisions of this Privacy Policy, or parts of the Privacy Policy, Yardstick may not be able to communicate with you or provide its products and/or services to you.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. The Yardstick group of companies provide a comprehensive range of management consulting products and services, including to the marketing and communication industry. These may include products and services listed on Yardstick’s website from time to time

1.2. Our products and services are designed to improve the effectiveness of our clients’ marketing and communications programmes, to assist in saving costs and to reinforce governance and assurance within our clients’ organisations.

1.3. As part of managing our business and creating value for our various stakeholders, Yardstick is required, in certain instances, to process Personal Information. Accordingly, Yardstick is required to protect such Personal Information as set out in the Protection of Personal Information Act.

1.4. Yardstick declares its commitment to comply with the Act. 

1.5. Yardstick shall ensure that Personal Information is processed within the parameters of the law.

1.6. This Privacy Policy sets out how Personal Information of a Data Subject will be used by Yardstick and applies to any information, including Personal and Special Personal Information, the Data Subject gives to Yardstick or which Yardstick may collect from third parties.

1.7. It is important that the Data Subject reads this Privacy Policy carefully before submitting any Personal Information to Yardstick because by accessing Yardstick’s website, interacting with Yardstick’s agency database and/or submitting any Personal Information to Yardstick, the Data Subject consents to the Processing of the Data Subject’s Personal Information as set out in this Privacy Policy and this includes Processing of Personal Information which was in Yardstick possession prior to the commencement of the Act.

1.8. The provisions of this Privacy Policy are subject to mandatory, unalterable provisions of the Act and must be read in conjunction with the Act and its regulations, where applicable.

2. OBJECTIVE

2.1. The objective of this Privacy Policy is to give effect to the Act and to explain the following:

  • 2.1.1. The way in which Yardstick uses and protects the Personal Information of a Data Subject;
  • 2.1.2. The period for which Yardstick keeps the Personal Information of a Data Subject;
  • 2.1.3. The rights of a Data Subject regarding his/hers/its Personal Information; and
  • 2.1.4. The action a Data Subject should take if he/she/it does not want to provide Yardstick with his/her/its Personal Information.

3. INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS

In this Privacy Policy:

3.1. Clause headings are for convenience and reference purposes only and shall not be used in the interpretation thereof;

3.2. Any gender includes all other genders and a natural person includes a juristic person and vice versa;

3.3. All the annexures (if any) hereto are incorporated herein and shall have the same force and effect as if they were set out in the body of this Privacy Policy;

3.4. The following words and/or expressions shall, unless the context indicates otherwise, bear the meaning assigned to them below and in the Act:

  • 3.4.1.“the Act” means the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act 4 of 2013, and any regulations thereto, as amended from time to time;
  • 3.4.2. “Cookie/s” (also called web cookie, internet cookie, browser cookie, or simply cookie) is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user’s computer by the user’s web browser while the user is browsing to inter alia remember stateful information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store) or to record the user’s browsing activity;
  • 3.4.3. “Data Subject” means the Person to whom Personal Information relates;
  • 3.4.4. “Employee” means a permanent, fixed-term or temporary employee of Yardstick;
  • 3.4.5. “Operator” means a third party that processes Personal Information in terms of a mandate or contract with Yardstick, without coming under the direct authority of Yardstick;
  • 3.4.6. “Information Officer” means the person appointed by Yardstick, from time to time, who is responsible for the monitoring of compliance, by Yardstick, with the conditions for the lawful Processing of Personal Information; dealing with requests made to Yardstick in terms of the Act; working with the Regulator in relation to investigations conducted in relation to prior authorisation by the Data Subject and ensuring compliance by Yardstick with the provisions of the Act;
  • 3.4.7. “Person” means any person, company, close corporation, trust, partnership or other entity;
  • 3.4.8. “Personal Information” means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where it is applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person, including, but not limited to:
    • 3.4.8.1. information relating to the race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, national, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental health, well-being, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth of the Person;
    • 3.4.8.2. information relating to the educational, medical, financial, criminal or employment history of the Person;
    • 3.4.8.3. any identifying number, symbol, e-mail address, physical address, telephone number, location information, online identifier or other particular assignment to the Person;
    • 3.4.8.4. the biometric information of the Person;
    • 3.4.8.5. the personal opinions, views or preferences of the Person;
    • 3.4.8.6. correspondence sent by the person that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature or further correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence;
    • 3.4.8.7. the views or opinions of another individual about the person; and
    • 3.4.8.8. the name of the person if it appears with other Personal Information relating to the person or if the disclosure of the name itself would reveal information about the Person;
  • 3.4.9. “Privacy Policy” means this Privacy Policy as amended from time to time;
  • 3.4.10. “Processing” means any operation or activity or any set of operations, whether or not by automatic means, concerning Personal Information, including:
    • 3.4.10.1. the collection, receipt, recording, organisation, collation, storage, updating or modification, retrieval, alteration, consultation or use;
    • 3.4.10.2. dissemination by means of transmission, distribution or making available in any other form; or
    • 3.4.10.3. merging, linking, as well as restriction, degradation, erasure or destruction of information.
  • 3.4.11. “Special Personal Information” means religious or philosophical beliefs, race or ethnic origin, trade union membership, political persuasion, health or sex life or biometric information of a Data Subject or the criminal behaviour of the Person to the extent that such information relates to:
    • 3.4.11.1. the alleged commission by the Person of any offence; or
    • 3.4.11.2. any proceedings in respect of any offence allegedly committed by the Person or the disposal of such proceedings.
    • 3.4.12. “Yardstick” means Yardstick CC, all companies, close corporation or entities that form part of the group, including but not limited to holding companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, irrespective of the nature of the relationship between the members of the group.

4. PROCESSING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

4.1. Data Subject Personal Information collected by Yardstick and the basis thereof.
The Personal Information Yardstick collects in the ordinary course of business includes:

  • 4.1.1. only information that is adequate, necessary, and relevant to enable it to effectively supply a product or render a service or assist in any manner required, such as the Data Subject’s name, identity number (where applicable), registration number, Data Subject’s employees or its director’s Personal Information, contact information etc.;
  • 4.1.2. electronic communications sent to Yardstick by the Data Subject; 
  • 4.1.3. information submitted to Yardstick by the Data Subject or on behalf of the Data Subject, including Personal Information submitted by the Data Subject when interacting with Yardstick’s agency database; 
  • 4.1.4. technical information, for instance through the use of cookies (such as activity data) when the Data Subject completes a form on Yardstick website or agency database, subscribes to a newsletter, alerts or other services from Yardstick or taking part in a survey;
  • 4.1.5. information from the Data Subject’s visits to Yardstick website, including the type of browsers and operating system that the Data Subject uses, access times, pages viewed, URLs clicked on, the Data Subject’s IP address and the pages visited before and after navigating Yardstick website; 
  • 4.1.6. social media tracking pixels that allow platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to interact with Yardstick and its website and give feedback on the Data Subject’s actions;
  • 4.1.7. device information, including the unique device identifier, hardware model, operating system and version and mobile network information;
  • 4.1.8.  Personal Information that Yardstick collects when it monitors other websites and may include the Data Subject’s public Personal Information, for example when Yardstick monitors digital conversations on public platforms to understand what people are saying about it or Yardstick’s industry in general. Yardstick may combine information that it has about a Data Subject from various sources; 
  • 4.1.9. Yardstick website uses various technologies including “cookies” which allow the website to recognise and respond to the Data Subject as an individual. The Data Subject can elect to accept or decline cookies. If a Data Subject elects to decline cookies, not all elements of the website may function as intended, so the Data Subject’s website experience may be affected; and 
  • 4.1.10.  Personal Information that is provided to Yardstick by its clients in the conducting of Yardstick’s business.

4.2. Protection of Data Subject Personal Information

  • 4.2.1.  Yardstick uses a variety of security measures and technologies to help protect Personal information of a Data Subject from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration or destruction in line with applicable Personal Information protection and privacy laws. For example, when Yardstick shares the Personal Information of a Data Subject with external suppliers, it shall put in place a written agreement which commits the suppliers to keep the Data Subject’s Personal Information confidential and to put in place appropriate security measures to keep it secure.
  • 4.2.2.  The transmission to Yardstick of information via the internet or a mobile phone network connection may not be completely secure and any transmission is at the Data Subject’s risk. 
  • 4.2.3. From time to time Yardstick may provide links to websites or mobile applications that it does not own or control. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. If a Data Subject chooses to use those websites, he/she/it must check the legal and privacy policies or statements posted on each website or mobile application he/she/it accesses to understand their privacy practices. 
  • 4.2.4. Despite the security measures that Yardstick has in place to protect Personal Information of a Data Subject (firewalls, password access and encryption methods), the Data Subject acknowledges that it may be accessed by an unauthorised third party, e.g. as a result of an illegal activity.

4.3. How does Yardstick use the Personal Information of a Data Subject?
Yardstick may use the Personal Information of a Data Subject to provide the Data Subject with information and services including: 

  • 4.3.1. online events, such as webcast events; 
  • 4.3.2.  press releases;
  • 4.3.3.  tenders;
  • 4.3.4. job postings; 
  • 4.3.5. financial results;
  • 4.3.6. marketing communications about Yardstick products and services. Yardstick will obtain consent for marketing to the extent required by law;
  • 4.3.7. contact and interact with the Data Subject, including to:
    • 4.3.7.1. receive information from the Data Subject;
    • 4.3.7.2. request the Data Subject to update it information, including Personal Information on Yardstick website and agency database;
    • 4.3.7.3. respond to requests from the Data Subject (including in circumstances where a Data Subject applied for employment); and
    • 4.3.7.4. provide important notices and updates, such as changes to terms, standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies, security alerts and administrative messages.
  • 4.3.8. operate Yardstick’s business, including:
    • 4.3.8.1. screening visitors through CCV footage, conducting searches for dangerous weapons and completing the attendance register for security purposes to ensure that only authorised persons enter the premises of Yardstick.
    • 4.3.8.2. complying with applicable laws, regulations and guidance; and
    • 4.3.8.3. complying with applicable laws, regulations and guidance; and
    • 4.3.8.4. complying with demands or requests made by regulators, governments, courts and law enforcement authorities.
    • 4.3.8.5. to improve Yardstick products and services and communications to the Data Subject; and
    • 4.3.8.6. to ensure that Yardstick has up-to-date contact information for the Data Subject, where applicable.
  • 4.3.9. improve Yardstick’s day-to-day operations, including:
    • 4.3.9.1. for internal purposes such as auditing, data analysis and research to help Yardstick deliver and improve its digital platforms, content and services;
    • 4.3.9.2. complying with demands or requests made by regulators, governments, courts and law enforcement authorities;
    • 4.3.9.3. to monitor and analyse trends, usage and activities in connection with Yardstick products and services to understand which parts of Yardstick digital platforms and services are of the most interest and to improve the design and content of those platforms;

4.4. Retention period by Company of Personal information of a Data Subject
Yardstick will always keep the Personal Information of a Data Subject for the period required by law and where it needs to do so in connection with legal action or an investigation in which it is involved or to mitigate risks which Yardstick is exposed to in the normal course of its business. Otherwise, Yardstick will keep Personal Information of a Data Subject:

  • 4.4.1. for as long as needed to provide the Data Subject with access to products and services he/she/it has requested;
  • 4.4.2. where the Data Subject has contacted Yardstick with a question or request, for as long as necessary to allow Yardstick to respond to the question or request and as required by law.

4.5. Permitted sharing by Company of Personal Information of a Data Subject

  • 4.5.1. Yardstick may share Personal Information of a Data Subject with the following third parties and/or Operators:
    • 4.5.1.1. The entities in the Yardstick group and including but not limited to any holding company/ies or subsidiary/ies as defined in the Companies Act, Act 71 of 2008 or affiliates, irrespective of the legal nature of how the entities comprises the group;
    • 4.5.1.2. Yardstick directors, officials, Employees, agents, Operators and suppliers, including those who provide it with technology services such as data analytics, hosting and technical support;
    • 4.5.1.3. Yardstick’s professional advisors, auditors and business partners;
    • 4.5.1.4. regulators, governments and law enforcement authorities; and
    • 4.5.1.5. other third parties in connection with re-organising all or any part of Yardstick’s business.
  • 4.5.2. Personal Information of a Data Subject may be processed by Yardstick and/or Yardstick’s Operators outside of the Republic of South Africa. Personal Information laws in the countries to which the Personal Information of a Data Subject is transferred may not be equivalent to, or as protective as, the laws in the Republic of South Africa.
  • 4.5.3. Yardstick will implement appropriate and reasonable measures to ensure that the Personal Information of a Data Subject remains protected and secure when it is transferred outside of the Republic of South Africa, in accordance with applicable Personal Information protection and privacy laws. These measures include data transfer agreements implementing standard data protection clauses.

4.6. Data Subject’s rights regarding his Personal Information
The Data Subject is entitled, subject to Yardstick’s rights as set out in the Act, to:

  • 4.6.1. request Yardstick for access to Personal Information Yardstick holds about him/her/it;
  • 4.6.2. request a correction and/or deletion of his/her/its Personal Information;
  • 4.6.3. request the restriction of the Processing of his Personal Information, or object to that Processing; 
  • 4.6.4. withdraw his/her/its consent to the Processing of his/her/its Personal Information (where Yardstick is Processing his/her/its Personal Information based on his/her/its consent);
  • 4.6.5. withdraw his/her/its consent to receive marketing messages;
  • 4.6.6. request for the receipt or the transfer to another organisation, in a machine-readable form, of the Personal Information, that he/she/it has provided to Yardstick; and
  • 4.6.7. complain to his local data protection authority if his/her/its privacy rights are violated, or if he/she/it has suffered as a result of unlawful Processing of his Personal Information.

4.7. What the Data Subject should do if he/she/it does not want to provide Yardstick with his Personal Information?

  • 4.7.1. Where a Data Subject is given the option to share his/her/its Personal Information with Yardstick, he/she/it can always elect not to do so.
  • 4.7.2. If a Data Subject objects to the Processing of his/her/its Personal Information, or if he/she/it has provided his/her/its consent to Processing and he/she/it later chooses to withdraw it, Yardstick will comply with the request in accordance with its legal obligations. Yardstick’s legal obligations in respect of the withdrawn Personal Information shall therefore cease to exist.
  • 4.7.3. The rights of the Data Subject are subject to Yardstick’s rights as set out in the Act.

5. IMPORTANT NOTICE TO DATA SUBJECTS

5.1. By visiting Yardstick’s website, including Yardsticks’ agency database, and communicating electronically with Yardstick, the Data Subject consents to the Processing of his/hers/its Personal Information, including transfer of his/her/its Personal Information as set out in this Privacy Policy.

5.2. Yardstick is continually improving its methods of communication and adding new functionality and features to its website. Due to these ongoing changes, changes in the law and the changing nature of technology, Yardstick’s data protection practices will change from time to time as set out in clause 6 below. If and when its protection practices change, Yardstick will update this Privacy Policy to describe its new practices. The Data Subject is encouraged to check it regularly.

5.3. The Data Subject indemnifies and holds Yardstick, including all its directors, officials, members, Employees and agents harmless against any claim (including legal costs on an attorney-and-own client scale) which may be made against Yardstick pursuant to a Data Subject with Personal Information of a Person which has not been lawfully obtained and/or Processed by the Data Subject.

6. AMENDMENTS TO PRIVACY POLICY

6.1. Yardstick may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time for any of the following reasons:

  • 6.1.1. to provide for the introduction of new systems, methods of operation, services, products or facilities;
  • 6.1.2. to comply with changes to any legal or regulatory requirements;
  • 6.1.3. to ensure that this Privacy Policy is clearer;
  • 6.1.4. to rectify any mistake that may be discovered from time to time; and/or
  • 6.1.5. for any other reason which Yardstick, in its sole discretion, may deem reasonable or necessary.

6.2. Any such amendment will come into effect and become part of any agreement the Data Subject has with Yardstick when notice is given to the Data Subject of the change by publication of the amended Privacy Policy on Yardstick’s website.

7. COMPLAINTS

7.1.  Should the Data Subject believe that Yardstick has utilised Personal Information contrary to the Act, the Data Subject undertakes to first attempt to resolve any concerns with Yardstick.

7.2. If the Data Subject is not satisfied with such process, the Data Subject may have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator, using the contact details listed below:
Tel: 012 406 4818
Fax: 086 500 3351
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.