Privacy Notice

Last updated: March 2025

1. Introduction

The Southern African Papillomavirus Society (SAPVS) is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African laws.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect your personal information when you visit our website (sapvs.org.za), register for membership, attend events, subscribe to newsletters, or interact with us in any other way.

2. Information we collect

• Identity information (name, title, HPCSA / professional registration number)
• Contact information (email, telephone, postal address, institution / practice)
• Professional information (specialty, qualifications, place of work)
• Event registration & attendance data
• Payment information (processed securely via third-party providers – we do not store card details)
• Technical data (IP address, browser type, pages visited, time & date of access)
• Any information you voluntarily provide (enquiries, feedback, abstracts)

3. How we use your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and administer membership services
• To organise and communicate about events, webinars and CPD activities
• To send newsletters, updates and educational material (you can unsubscribe at any time)
• To comply with legal obligations (including HPCSA CPD reporting where applicable)
• To improve our website and services
• To prevent fraud, abuse and unauthorised access

4. Sharing your information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it only:

• With service providers (venue organisers, payment gateways, email platforms) under strict confidentiality
• When required by law, court order or regulatory authority (HPCSA, SAHPRA, etc.)
• With your explicit consent (e.g. publishing speaker list with photo & bio)

5. International transfers

Some of our service providers (e.g. Mailchimp, Zoom, Google Workspace) are located outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred outside the Republic, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions or binding corporate rules) as required by POPIA.

6. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

• Access your personal information
• Request correction or deletion
• Object to processing
• Withdraw consent (where processing is based on consent)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (ZA)

To exercise any of these rights, email info@sapvs.org.za.

7. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

8. Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this notice, or as required by law (e.g. tax records, HPCSA audit trails).

9. Changes to this notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The date at the top will show when it was last revised.

10. Contact

Information Officer: info@sapvs.org.za
Postal: PO Box XXXX, Johannesburg, South Africa