Privacy

This document describes how we handle data and information collected from you while visiting our website and using our services. By accessing and continuing to use sparrowhawk.cloud, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by our Site Terms.

sparrowhawk.cloud, trading as Sparrowhawk IT Services (Pty) Ltd, is committed to safeguarding the security and integrity of data in providing our services and conducting our business. We ensure that personal information is processed and protected lawfully in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa. This privacy policy, and its interpretation and enforcement, are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

When storing personally identifiable information and payment details, we encrypt sensitive data such as passwords. Our databases and backups are stored on encrypted servers and transported using secure protocols. Access to your data is strictly controlled and limited to authorized personnel, using encrypted communication methods.

In the event of a data breach resulting in the unlawful disclosure of your personal information, we will inform you promptly and provide guidance to protect your data. We comply with legal requirements for such notifications.

We will not disclose any personally identifiable information about you except in the following circumstances:

• When required to do so by law.
• To a person or company who acquires our business.
• Third parties performing services on our behalf that you have requested (such as payment processing and domain registrars), subject to compliance with applicable data protection standards.

When you provide personally identifying information via email or support tickets, it is used to assist us in addressing your requests. Information you submit may be viewed by relevant personnel at sparrowhawk.cloud to provide you with the service or information you require. Once received, the information is protected in accordance with applicable law.

When registering for and using our services, you must provide personally identifiable information. This information will be stored in our database.

Your Personal Data may include:

• Name and surname
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Company name, company registration number, and VAT number
• Postal or street address
• Username and password

We collect information about your visits to our website, including IP address, browser type, operating system, and pages visited. This information is collected based on our legitimate interest in monitoring website traffic and improving our services. We use this data to improve our site content and services but do not track identifiable individuals.

sparrowhawk.cloud provides payment options through third-party gateways such as PayFast and PayPal. Your payment details are securely handled by these providers, and we do not store your banking or card information.

Both PayFast and PayPal comply with applicable international standards, including PCI-DSS, ensuring secure handling of payment data in compliance with data protection regulations.

sparrowhawk.cloud's website may contain links to third-party sites that are unrelated to us. We are not liable for any personal information you disclose on third-party sites, and we recommend reviewing their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

sparrowhawk.cloud uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and maintain session data. You can disable cookies at the browser level; however, some features of our website may not function properly without them.

sparrowhawk.cloud uses two types of cookies:

• Session cookies – These expire when you close your browser and do not remain on your computer.
• Persistent cookies – These remain on your computer for a specified time.

sparrowhawk.cloud creates the following cookies when you use our website:

• Instance: Stores the unique session ID for each visitor and enables variables to pass between page loads. This is a session-only cookie and expires when you close your browser.
• Affiliate: Stores the affiliate ID if a customer is referred via an affiliate link, to credit the affiliate for the order. This is a persistent cookie lasting up to 90 days.
• User: Used for the "Remember Me" functionality when logging in. This cookie lasts for 365 days or until logout.

9. Live Chat Services (Tawk.to)
sparrowhawk.cloud uses a third-party service (Tawk.to) to provide live chat functionality on our website. Before you interact with the chat, essential session-based cookies are set to prepare the chat functionality. These session cookies do not contain personally identifiable information or initiate any tracking.

After you accept the live chat consent prompt:

• We use Tawk.to to process certain information, including your IP address, pages visited, browser details, and the messages you send via chat.
• This information is used solely to provide support and improve your experience. It is not sold or shared with third parties for marketing or profiling purposes.

All data collected through our live chat is handled in accordance with our own privacy policy and applicable data protection laws.

10. Google reCAPTCHA
sparrowhawk.cloud uses Google reCAPTCHA to check whether data entered on our website (e.g., in forms) has been submitted by a human. This service analyzes user behavior to detect bots, collecting information such as IP address and mouse movements. This analysis is performed automatically and in the background.

sparrowhawk.cloud uses Google Web Fonts for consistent and attractive display across devices. When a page is opened, fonts are loaded from Google servers. This may result in Google logging your IP address. The use of Google Web Fonts constitutes a legitimate interest in uniform website presentation.

Our services are not available to anyone under the age of 18. We do not intentionally collect information from minors.

We are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of linked third-party websites.

We cannot accept liability for any unauthorized or unlawful disclosure of your personal data by third parties outside of our control.

sparrowhawk.cloud reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy. In the event of substantial changes, such as modifications to how personal data is handled, customers will be informed via email.

As a user, you have the right to:

• Access your personal information.
• Correct or update your personal information.
• Delete your personal information.
• Object to the processing of your personal information.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

If you wish to exercise these rights, please contact us through the appropriate department by submitting a ticket.

If you have any questions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us through the appropriate department by submitting a ticket.