Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

i-LEAD Self Defense NPC ("i-LEAD", "we", "us", "our") is a registered non-profit company in South Africa (Registration No. 2017/507664/08, NPO No. 218-034). We operate the website at i-lead.org.za and deliver free and paid violence prevention and self-defense training to women and youth.

Our Information Officer is: Hemant Harie — reachable at io@i-lead.org.za.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Contact form submissions: name, email address, phone number (optional), and message content
• Workshop registration information: name, contact details, age group, and emergency contact where applicable
• Donation information: processed via PayFast — we receive confirmation of donations but not your full card details
• Correspondence: emails, WhatsApp messages, or social media messages sent to us

Information collected automatically

• Basic website analytics: pages visited, time on site, referring URL, device type
• IP address and approximate geographic location (country/city level)
• Browser type and operating system
• Cookies — see our Cookie Policy for full details

AI Advisor interactions

When you use our AI Safety Advisor, your questions are sent to Anthropic's API to generate responses. Please refer to Section 10 for full details. We do not store conversation transcripts on our servers.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Respond to enquiries and contact form submissions
• Register you for workshops and communicate relevant session details
• Process donations and issue Section 18A tax certificates where applicable
• Send programme updates and safety information (only where you have opted in)
• Improve our website and programmes through aggregated, anonymised analytics
• Comply with our legal obligations under South African law
• Protect the safety and wellbeing of our participants and staff

We do not use your information for unsolicited marketing, and we do not sell or rent your data to any third party.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under POPIA, we process personal information on the following grounds:

• Consent — for newsletter and programme update communications
• Legitimate interest — for responding to contact form enquiries and improving our services
• Contractual necessity — for processing donations and workshop registrations
• Legal obligation — where required by South African law

5. Sharing Your Information

We share personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• PayFast — our payment processor for donations. Subject to their own privacy policy.
• Anthropic, Inc. — your AI Advisor queries are processed via Anthropic's API. Anthropic processes this data in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
• Email service providers — used to send confirmations and communications
• Legal authorities — where we are required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of individuals

All third-party service providers are bound by their own privacy policies and applicable data protection law. We do not authorise them to use your data for their own marketing purposes.

6. Data Retention

• Contact form enquiries: 2 years from date of submission
• Workshop registration records: 5 years (for operational and legal purposes)
• Donation records: 7 years (to comply with financial record-keeping requirements)
• AI Advisor conversations: not stored by i-LEAD; subject to Anthropic's data retention policies

You may request deletion of your personal information at any time (subject to legal retention requirements) by contacting us at inforeg@justice.gov.za.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, you have the right to:

• Know whether we hold personal information about you
• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or outdated information
• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Object to the processing of your personal information
• Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

To exercise any of these rights, contact: inforeg@justice.gov.za. We will respond within 30 days.

Information Regulator of South Africa:
Website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

8. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. These include encrypted communications (HTTPS), restricted access to personal data, and secure third-party payment processing via PayFast.

No system is completely secure. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at inforeg@justice.gov.za.

9. Cookies

We use minimal cookies necessary for the website to function correctly. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. For full details, please see our Cookie Policy.

10. AI Advisor & Third-Party Services

10.1 Website AI Safety Advisor

Our web-based AI Safety Advisor (at i-lead.org.za/advisor.html) is powered by Anthropic's Claude API. When you interact with the web advisor:

• Your questions and messages are transmitted to Anthropic's servers in the United States to generate responses
• i-LEAD does not log or store individual web conversation histories — conversations exist in your browser memory only and are cleared when you close or refresh the page
• Anthropic processes your input in accordance with their Privacy Policy
• Do not share sensitive personal, financial, or medical information with the AI Advisor
• The AI Advisor is for general safety guidance only — it is not a substitute for emergency services. In an emergency, always call SAPS: 10111 or 112

10.2 WhatsApp AI Safety Advisor

i-LEAD operates an AI Safety Advisor accessible via WhatsApp at +27 65 910 9403. When you use the WhatsApp Advisor:

• Your phone number and conversation messages are temporarily stored on i-LEAD's South African web server (Afrihost, Johannesburg) for up to 24 hours to maintain conversation continuity
• Phone numbers are stored in hashed (anonymised) form — the raw number is never written to disk
• All session data is permanently and automatically deleted after 24 hours of inactivity
• Your messages are transmitted to Anthropic's Claude API (United States) to generate responses — see Section 11 for cross-border transfer details
• WhatsApp message delivery is handled by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited under Meta's Privacy Policy
• You may opt out at any time by sending "STOP" to the WhatsApp number — your session will be immediately deleted and you will receive no further messages

11. Cross-Border Transfers of Personal Information

i-LEAD uses certain third-party services that may involve the transfer of personal information outside the Republic of South Africa. In accordance with Section 72 of POPIA, we disclose the following cross-border transfers:

11.1 Anthropic, Inc. (United States)

When you use either the website or WhatsApp AI Advisor, your message content is transmitted to Anthropic's API servers located in the United States. Anthropic processes this data to generate AI responses and maintains industry-standard data protection practices — see anthropic.com/privacy. i-LEAD has satisfied itself that Anthropic provides an adequate level of protection for personal information as contemplated in POPIA.

11.2 Meta Platforms / WhatsApp (Ireland & United States)

WhatsApp message delivery infrastructure is operated by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (EU) and Meta Platforms, Inc. (United States). When you message the i-LEAD WhatsApp number, your message metadata and content pass through Meta's servers. This is governed by WhatsApp's Privacy Policy. i-LEAD does not control Meta's data processing.

11.3 Google LLC (United States) — Google Fonts

Our website loads fonts from Google Fonts CDN, operated by Google LLC in the United States. When your browser requests a font file, your IP address may be transmitted to Google's servers as a technical necessity of the request. i-LEAD does not receive or store this data. This transfer is limited to font delivery and does not involve personal content — see policies.google.com/privacy.

11.4 PayFast (South Africa)

Donation payments are processed by PayFast (Pty) Ltd, a South African payment processor. PayFast processing occurs within South Africa and is not a cross-border transfer — see payfast.co.za/privacy-policy.

12. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under 18. Workshop registrations for minors require parental or guardian consent. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verified parental consent.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately and we will delete it promptly.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised effective date. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns:

i-LEAD Self Defense NPC
Information Officer: Hemant Harie
Email: io@i-lead.org.za
NPO Registration: 218-034
Company Registration: 2017/507664/08

You may also lodge a complaint directly with the South African Information Regulator:
Website: inforegulator.org.za
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za