POPIA

POPIA / Protection of Personal Information Act Policy

Company Name: W3 Designs

Effective Date: 01 October 2026

Introduction

W3 Designs ("the Company") is dedicated to respecting and protecting the privacy of our clients, partners, and personnel. This policy sets out how we collect, handle, store, and safeguard personal information in full compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa.

Type of Personal Information Collected

To deliver our website design and digital solutions, we may collect and process information including:

• Contact & Identity Information: Full names, email addresses, phone numbers, and company details.
• Technical & Design Data: Client brand assets, domain ownership records, web hosting credentials, and project briefs.
• Financial Details: Billing addresses, banking information, and payment histories.
• Internal Records: Employee details, contractor agreements, and identification documentation.

Purpose of Processing Personal Information

Personal data is gathered solely for specific, defined, and legitimate operational reasons, including:

• Onboarding clients, drafting proposals, and delivering website design, development, and hosting services.
• Account management, invoicing, financial processing, and regulatory reporting.
• Technical support, service updates, and communication regarding ongoing digital projects.
• Recruitment, personnel administration, and managing sub-contractor engagements.

Conditions for Lawful Processing

W3 Designs strictly adheres to the 8 core conditions for lawful processing under POPIA:

• Accountability: Overall responsibility for adherence rests with our Information Officer.
• Processing Limitation: Data is processed lawfully, transparently, and only with appropriate consent or legitimate interest.
• Purpose Specification: Information is gathered exclusively to facilitate digital design, web development, and support activities.
• Further Processing Limitation: Any secondary data usage must directly correspond to the original purpose of collection.
• Information Quality: We take active steps to maintain accurate, updated, and complete records.
• Openness: We remain transparent regarding what personal information we hold and why it is retained.
• Security Safeguards: We implement robust technical and organizational protections against loss, damage, or unauthorized access.
• Data Subject Participation: Clients and individuals retain the right to request access to, updates for, or deletion of their personal records.

Security Safeguards

We safeguard personal information using layered administrative, technical, and physical measures. Digital records, code repositories, and administrative tools are stored on password-protected cloud platforms and servers, accessible only by authorized team members requiring access for project execution.

Contact Details

For any inquiries, data access requests, or information update requests under POPIA, please reach out to our designated Information Officer:

• Information Officer: Jacques Baars
• Email Address: jacques@w3designs.co.za
• Contact Number: 072 500 2400