Anker Studios
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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 5 June 2025

1. Introduction and Scope

Welcome to Anker Studios! This Privacy Policy explains how Anker Studios ("we," "us," "our"), owned by Pienaar Anker and operating from www.ankerstudios.co.za, collects, uses, discloses, and protects your Personal Information when you use our Niche Applications ("Niche Apps"), engage us for Custom Application Development Projects ("Custom Development Projects"), visit our website (www.ankerstudios.co.za – "Website"), or otherwise interact with us.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your Personal Information in an open and transparent manner, in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa, and international best practices.

By accessing our Website, using our Niche Apps, or engaging our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our services or provide us with your Personal Information.

This Privacy Policy should be read in conjunction with our Terms and Conditions, Cancellation Policy, and Refund Policy.

2. Who We Are and How to Contact Us

Responsible Party: Anker Studios (owned by Pienaar Anker)
Physical Address: 43 Van Niekerk Street, Oakdale, Bellville, 7530, South Africa
Website: www.ankerstudios.co.za
Information Officer: Pienaar Anker
Email for Privacy-Related Queries: ankerstudiosza@gmail.com

Anker Studios is currently operating as a sole proprietorship and is not formally registered with a company registration number. For any privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, please contact the Information Officer using the email address provided above.

3. What is Personal Information?

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, "Personal Information" means any information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where it is applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person, including, but not limited to:

  • 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;
  • Information relating to the education or the medical, financial, criminal or employment history of the person;
  • Any identifying number, symbol, e-mail address, physical address, telephone number, location information, online identifier or other particular assignment to the person;
  • The biometric information of the person;
  • The personal opinions, views or preferences of the person;
  • 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;
  • The views or opinions of another individual about the person; and
  • 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.

"Special Personal Information" includes, among other things, information concerning a data subject's religious or philosophical beliefs, race or ethnic origin, trade union membership, political persuasion, health or sex life, biometric information, or criminal behaviour. We do not knowingly collect Special Personal Information unless it is strictly necessary for a specific service and with your explicit consent or as permitted by law.

4. Information We Collect

We may collect Personal Information in various ways, depending on your interaction with us:

4.1. Information You Provide Directly to Us

This is information you voluntarily provide when you:

  • Register for an account for our Niche Apps.
  • Subscribe to our services (where applicable).
  • Contact us for support or inquiries (e.g., via email, contact forms).
  • Engage us for Custom Development Projects (e.g., during consultations, project discussions).
  • Participate in surveys, promotions, or feedback requests (if any).
  • Make a payment for our services or Niche Apps.
  • Make a donation.

The types of Personal Information you may provide include:

  • Identity Data: Full name, username or similar identifier.
  • Contact Data: Email address, telephone number(s) (if provided), physical address (for billing or project correspondence if necessary).
  • Account Data (for Niche Apps): Typically full name, email address, and password (hashed). We do not knowingly collect Special Personal Information for Niche App registration or general use.
  • Financial Data:
    • For online card payments, these are processed by third-party payment processors like Paystack. We do not directly collect, store, or have access to your full payment card details. We may receive transaction confirmations, partial card details (e.g., last four digits, card type) for verification and record-keeping, and customer identifiers from the payment processor.
    • If payments are made via direct bank transfer (EFT) as mutually agreed, we will have access to the payer's bank account name and potentially other details visible on the bank statement.
  • Project Data (for Custom Development): Information about your business, project requirements, specifications, existing systems, and any data you provide or make accessible to us for the purpose of the development project. This data may include Personal Information of your own employees, customers, or other third parties. In such instances, Anker Studios acts as an "Operator" (or "Processor") on your behalf, and we will process this data strictly in accordance with your instructions and the terms of our service agreement. You, as the client, are the "Responsible Party" (or "Controller") for such data and are responsible for ensuring you have the lawful basis to provide it to us.
  • Communication Data: Records of your correspondence with us, feedback, and survey responses.
  • Donation Data: Name, email address, donation amount (if applicable), and any correspondence related to the donation.
  • Marketing Preferences (Future): Should we introduce newsletters or marketing communications in the future, we will collect your name and email address for this purpose only with your explicit consent (opt-in), and you will always have the option to opt-out.

4.2. Information We Collect Automatically (Usage Data, Cookies & Similar Technologies)

When you access our Website or use our Niche Apps, we may automatically collect certain information about your device, browsing actions, usage patterns, and interactions. This information helps us understand how our services are being used, improve user experience, maintain security, and diagnose technical issues. This typically includes:

Log Data and Device Information:

  • Internet Protocol (IP) address (which may be used to infer your general location).
  • Browser type and version, operating system, and device type.
  • Date and time of access, pages visited on our Website, time spent on those pages.
  • Features used within Niche Apps, session duration, interaction patterns.
  • Referring/exit pages and URLs.
  • Crash reports and performance data (for Niche Apps).

Cookies and Similar Technologies:

  • Website Cookies: Our Website uses cookies. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser. We use cookies that are essential for the Website to function correctly, such as those that support user authentication (if you log into a client portal, for example) and maintain session information. We also use cookies for analytical purposes to understand how visitors use our Website, which helps us improve its content and functionality. We do not use cookies for targeted advertising purposes to track your browsing activity across other websites.
  • Niche App Identifiers/Local Storage: Our Niche Apps may use local storage mechanisms or similar technologies (which function like cookies) to store user preferences, session information, and support authentication. These are used for essential app functionality and to enhance your user experience.
  • Your Consent for Cookies: We are working to implement a cookie consent mechanism on our Website to provide you with more granular control over non-essential cookies. For essential cookies required for the site to operate, consent is typically not required, but we aim for full transparency. You can usually instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept essential cookies, some portions of our Website or Niche Apps may not function properly. (More details will be provided in our separate Cookie Policy).

Analytics Services:

  • Website Analytics: We use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics or similar platforms) to collect, monitor, and analyze the information described above to understand website traffic and usage patterns. These services may use cookies and other tracking technologies. The information generated by the analytics service about your use of the Website (including your IP address, which may be anonymized or truncated) is transmitted to and stored by the analytics provider. We use this information to compile reports on website activity and to improve our Website.
  • Niche App Analytics: Our Niche Apps may incorporate third-party analytics and crash reporting tools (such as Firebase Analytics, Sentry, or similar platforms). These tools help us understand how users interact with our apps, identify popular features, track performance, diagnose and fix crashes, and generally improve the app's stability and user experience. The data collected can include device type, operating system version, app version, usage patterns, feature engagement, and anonymized crash data.

The information collected automatically is generally used in an aggregated and/or de-identified form where possible, although some of it (like IP addresses or unique device identifiers if collected by analytics tools) can be considered Personal Information. We process this information based on our legitimate interest in maintaining and improving our services, ensuring security, and understanding user needs.

5. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use your Personal Information for the following purposes:

To Provide and Manage Our Services:

  • To create, maintain, and secure your account for Niche Apps.
  • To enable you to use the features and functionalities of our Niche Apps and Website.
  • To fulfill our contractual obligations for Custom Development Projects, including project planning, development, testing, deployment, and ongoing support as agreed.
  • To process transactions for subscriptions, app purchases, project payments, or donations.

To Communicate With You:

  • To respond to your inquiries, support requests, and feedback.
  • To send you important administrative information, such as updates to our terms, conditions, and policies, security alerts, or service availability notices.
  • To send you marketing communications (e.g., newsletters, information about new products or services, special offers) if you have opted-in to receive them. You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time.

For Business Administration and Operations:

  • For billing, invoicing, and payment collection.
  • For internal record-keeping, accounting, and financial reporting.
  • To manage our relationship with you.

To Improve and Develop Our Services:

  • To analyze usage trends and preferences to improve our Website, Niche Apps, and other services.
  • To understand how our services are performing, identify areas for enhancement, and develop new features, products, or services.
  • To monitor and analyze the effectiveness of any promotional campaigns.
  • For troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, and crash reporting.

For Legal, Security, and Compliance Purposes:

  • To comply with applicable South African laws and regulations (including POPIA, CPA, ECTA, and tax laws) and any other relevant legal obligations.
  • To protect the security and integrity of our Website, Niche Apps, data, and business operations.
  • To prevent, detect, and investigate potentially prohibited or illegal activities, including fraud and security breaches.
  • To enforce our legal rights, including our terms and conditions.
  • To manage and resolve disputes or legal claims.

We will only use your Personal Information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your Personal Information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.

6. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Information (under POPIA)

We will only process your Personal Information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your Personal Information in the following circumstances:

  • Consent (Section 11(1)(a) of POPIA): Where you have given us your explicit consent to process your Personal Information for one or more specific purposes (e.g., for sending marketing communications, or for processing Special Personal Information if ever required and applicable). You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Contract (Section 11(1)(b) of POPIA): Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract (e.g., to provide you with Niche App services you've subscribed to, or to carry out a Custom Development Project).
  • Legal Obligation (Section 11(1)(c) of POPIA): Where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject (e.g., for tax purposes, or to respond to lawful requests from authorities).
  • Legitimate Interests (Section 11(1)(d) of POPIA): Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes, for example, improving our services, ensuring security, preventing fraud, and for general business administration. We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your Personal Information for our legitimate interests.
  • Protection of a Legitimate Interest of the Data Subject (Section 11(1)(e) of POPIA): Where processing is necessary to protect your legitimate interests (unless you have withheld consent).
  • Performance of Public Law Duty (Section 11(1)(f) of POPIA): Where processing is necessary for the proper performance of a public law duty by a public body (less likely to be applicable to Anker Studios' general operations but included for completeness).

When we process Special Personal Information, we will generally rely on your explicit consent or another specific authorization under POPIA (e.g., if processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims).

If you have any questions about the specific legal basis we are relying on to process your Personal Information, please contact us.

7. Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We do not sell your Personal Information. We may share your Personal Information with the following categories of third parties, but only where necessary and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law:

Service Providers and Business Partners ("Operators"): We may share your Personal Information with third-party companies and individuals that perform services on our behalf or help us operate our business. These may include:

  • Payment processors (e.g., Paystack) to process your payments securely.
  • Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers (e.g., Vercel, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and potentially Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure in the future).
  • Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, Sentry, or similar) for website and app usage analysis and crash reporting.
  • Communication platforms for sending emails or other notifications (e.g., Firebase services like Firebase Cloud Messaging, Supabase services for notifications).
  • Customer support tools or platforms (Direct email communication is primarily used; no specific third-party helpdesk software is currently employed).
  • Accounting or financial software providers (Not currently used for direct client data processing that involves sharing personal information beyond standard invoicing practices).
  • Professional advisors, including lawyers, auditors, and insurers, where necessary for them to provide services to us.

We require all third-party service providers, by contract, to respect the security of your Personal Information and to treat it in accordance with the law. They are only permitted to process your Personal Information for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions. They are not permitted to use your Personal Information for their own purposes.

Clients (for Custom Development Projects): If we are developing a custom application for a client, and you are an end-user of that application, your Personal Information collected through that specific application may be shared with our client (the Responsible Party for that data) as per their instructions and our agreement with them.

Legal Authorities and Regulatory Bodies: We may disclose your Personal Information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court, government agency, or law enforcement) to meet national security or law enforcement requirements, or to comply with a legal obligation.

For Protection of Rights and Safety: We may disclose Personal Information if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of our users, employees, or others; to prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with our services; or to enforce our legal terms or policies.

Business Transfers or Restructuring: In the event that Anker Studios is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or other business transition, your Personal Information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control of your Personal Information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your Personal Information.

With Your Consent: We may disclose your Personal Information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

We will endeavor to ensure that any third party to whom we disclose your Personal Information is contractually bound to protect your information to standards at least as stringent as those set out in this Privacy Policy and as required by POPIA.

8. International Transfers of Personal Information

Your Personal Information may be processed in South Africa and, in some cases, may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside South Africa, for example, if we use service providers (such as cloud hosting, analytics, or communication platforms) whose servers are located in other countries.

If we transfer your Personal Information outside of South Africa, we will ensure that such transfers are lawful and that your Personal Information is protected to the same standards as it would be within South Africa. We will do this by:

  • Ensuring that the country to which the information is transferred has adequate data protection laws as recognized by the South African Information Regulator; or
  • Entering into appropriate data transfer agreements (such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by relevant authorities) with the recipient, which impose obligations on them to protect your Personal Information; or
  • Relying on other legal mechanisms or derogations permitted under POPIA, such as your explicit consent to the transfer.

Specifically, some of our third-party service providers (e.g., Google (for Cloud Platform, Analytics, and Firebase services), Vercel, Supabase) may process data in countries such as the United States, European Economic Area, and other locations where these providers operate servers. We take steps to ensure these providers have adequate safeguards in place that are recognized under POPIA or through contractual agreements.

9. Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect your Personal Information from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access. These measures include:

  • Utilizing built-in authentication and security functions from service providers like Firebase and Supabase, which typically include measures such as password hashing and secure protocols for data transmission.
  • Use of SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit between your device and our servers/service providers.
  • Access controls to limit internal access to Personal Information to only those personnel who require it for their job functions.
  • Regular review and updates to our software, systems, and security practices.
  • Secure coding practices are applied during the development of our Niche Apps and Custom Development Projects.
  • Data backup and recovery procedures to ensure business continuity.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by law.

10. Data Retention

We will only retain your Personal Information for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, or as otherwise permitted or required by law. We aim to adhere to general industry standards for data retention, which means:

  • Account Information (for Niche Apps): Retained for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter, typically 3-5 years after account closure, for record-keeping purposes, to allow for potential reactivation, or as required to comply with legal obligations, unless a shorter period is requested by you and permissible by law.
  • Project Data (Custom Development): Retained for the duration of the project and for a period thereafter, typically 5-7 years post-project completion, for warranty, support purposes, legal record-keeping, or as otherwise agreed with the client. Client-provided data processed as an Operator will be handled according to the client's instructions or agreement.
  • Transactional Data (Payments, Invoices): Retained for the period required by South African tax and company laws (typically 5-7 years).
  • Correspondence and Support Records: Retained for approximately 2-3 years after the last contact or resolution of the issue to ensure continuity and for reference.
  • Analytics Data: Raw analytics data containing identifiable information is typically retained for periods configured by the analytics provider or by us (e.g., Google Analytics data may be retained for up to 26 months, a common configurable default). Aggregated or de-identified analytics data may be kept for longer periods for trend analysis.

Once Personal Information is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or after the expiry of the applicable retention period, we will securely destroy or de-identify it in accordance with our data disposal procedures. If you request deletion of your Personal Information, we will comply subject to any overriding legal or legitimate operational requirements to retain it. These are general guidelines, and specific retention periods may vary based on the context and legal requirements.

11. Your Rights as a Data Subject under POPIA

As a data subject in South Africa, POPIA grants you certain rights regarding your Personal Information. Subject to certain limitations and conditions, these include the right to:

  • Right of Access (Section 23): Request access to the Personal Information we hold about you and receive a copy of it.
  • Right to Rectification (Section 24): Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Information we hold about you.
  • Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten) (Section 24): Request the deletion or removal of your Personal Information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it, or where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing.
  • Right to Object to Processing (Section 11(3)): Object to the processing of your Personal Information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) as our legal basis, and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object where we are processing your Personal Information for direct marketing purposes.
  • Right to Restrict Processing (Section 14): Request the restriction of processing of your Personal Information in certain circumstances, e.g., if you contest the accuracy of the data or have objected to our use of it.
  • Right to Data Portability (where applicable): Request the transfer of your Personal Information to you or to a third party in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (this right applies mainly to information you provided to us which was processed by automated means based on your consent or for the performance of a contract).
  • Right to Withdraw Consent (Section 11(2)(b)): Withdraw your consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your Personal Information. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you.
  • Right to Complain (Section 74): Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe that we have not complied with the requirements of POPIA regarding your Personal Information.

Contact details for the Information Regulator (South Africa):
Physical Address: Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191
Telephone: 010 023 5200
Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za (for general enquiries) or POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za (for POPIA specific complaints)
Website: https://inforegulator.org.za/

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Information Officer at ankerstudiosza@gmail.com. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your Personal Information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that Personal Information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We will respond to all legitimate requests within a reasonable timeframe, and in any event, within the time limits prescribed by law (typically one month).

12. Children's Privacy

Our Website and Niche Apps are generally not intended for use by children under the age of 18 ("Children"). We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from Children without verifiable parental consent.

If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your Child has provided us with Personal Information without your consent, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Information from Children without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

For certain Niche Apps that may be suitable for older children (e.g., teenagers above a certain age like 13, depending on the app's nature and app store rules), specific age limitations and consent mechanisms will be detailed within those apps if applicable. However, our default position is not to target or knowingly collect data from those under 18 without appropriate consent.

13. Links to Other Websites

Our Website or Niche Apps may contain links to other websites or services that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site or service. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

We may also endeavor to provide you with notice of material changes through email or a prominent notice on our Website or within our Niche Apps, prior to the change becoming effective.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page. Your continued use of our services after we post any modifications to the Privacy Policy on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the modified Privacy Policy.

15. Your Consent

By using our Website, Niche Apps, or engaging our services, you signify your acceptance of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our services. Where specific consent is required for certain processing activities (e.g., for marketing, or for Special Personal Information), we will seek your explicit consent separately.