Privacy Policy
Absolutely. Since In The Room is South African-based but intended for an international audience, I’d structure the policy primarily around POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013), while also accounting for the ECT Act and international visitors.
POPIA regulates the processing of personal information by South African private bodies and gives people rights regarding their personal information. (South African Government)
Below is a website-ready version. I’ve deliberately written it so it can cover a media/content website without claiming that In The Room collects information it may not actually collect.
PRIVACY POLICY
Effective Date: 7 October 2026
Last Updated: 7 October 2026
Welcome to In The Room (“In The Room”, “we”, “us” or “our”).
In The Room is a South African-based digital media and content platform intended for audiences in South Africa and internationally. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and disclose personal information when you visit or interact with our website, intheroom.co.za, and any related digital services, features, forms, communications or content.
This Privacy Policy is intended to comply with applicable South African privacy and electronic communications legislation, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and, where applicable, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act).
By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
1. WHO WE ARE
In The Room is a South African-based digital media platform.
For purposes of POPIA, the entity responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing personal information is referred to as the Responsible Party.
Contact details:
In The Room
Email: hello@intheroom.co.za
Telephone: 065 667 0951
Website: intheroom.co.za
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, you may contact us using the details above.
2. INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT
Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect certain personal information, including:
Your name and surname;
Email address;
Telephone or mobile number;
Information you provide when contacting us;
Information submitted through website forms;
Information provided when requesting information, submitting an enquiry or communicating with us;
Information relating to your interaction with our website;
Technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system and pages visited;
Cookie and similar technology information; and
Any other information that you voluntarily provide to us.
You are not generally required to provide personal information simply to browse and read publicly available content on our website.
3. HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may collect personal information:
Directly from you when you contact us;
When you complete or submit a form on our website;
When you subscribe to communications, where this functionality is available;
When you interact with our website;
Through cookies and similar technologies;
When you communicate with us by email, telephone or other permitted communication channels; or
From publicly available sources where permitted by law.
We will endeavour to collect personal information directly from you where reasonably practicable and appropriate.
4. WHY WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may process your personal information for purposes including:
Responding to enquiries and communications;
Providing information or services requested by you;
Managing website functionality;
Improving our website, content and user experience;
Understanding how visitors use our website;
Maintaining website security and preventing misuse;
Managing subscriptions or communications, where applicable;
Sending newsletters, updates or other communications where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent;
Managing professional, editorial or business enquiries;
Complying with legal and regulatory obligations;
Protecting our rights and legitimate interests; and
Other purposes that are compatible with the purpose for which the information was originally collected.
We will not collect or process more personal information than is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
5. LAWFUL PROCESSING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will process personal information in accordance with the conditions for lawful processing under POPIA.
Depending on the circumstances, our lawful basis for processing may include:
Your consent;
The performance or conclusion of a contract;
Compliance with a legal obligation;
Protecting a legitimate interest;
Protecting your legitimate interests; or
Where processing is otherwise permitted or required by law.
Where consent is required, you may withdraw your consent, subject to any legal or contractual limitations.
Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
6. CHILDREN’S PERSONAL INFORMATION
We recognise the importance of protecting children’s personal information.
We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children for purposes that are unlawful or inappropriate.
Where applicable, we will comply with the additional requirements under POPIA relating to the processing of children’s personal information.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us in circumstances where this was not appropriate or lawful, please contact us at hello@intheroom.co.za.
7. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, understand website usage and enhance the user experience.
Cookies may collect information such as:
Browser and device information;
Pages visited;
Website interaction information;
Session information; and
General usage and analytical information.
Some cookies may be placed by third-party service providers whose services are integrated into our website.
You can generally control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.
Where required by applicable law, we will provide appropriate information and obtain consent for non-essential cookies or similar technologies.
8. ANALYTICS AND WEBSITE USAGE INFORMATION
We may use analytics and similar technologies to understand how visitors interact with our website.
This may help us understand:
Which pages are visited;
How visitors navigate the website;
General audience trends;
Website performance; and
Areas where the website or content can be improved.
Where third-party analytics services are used, those providers may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies and contractual obligations.
9. SHARING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will not sell your personal information.
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with:
Website hosting and technical service providers;
Website developers and maintenance providers;
Analytics or technology service providers;
Email or communication service providers;
Professional advisers;
Service providers processing information on our behalf;
Law enforcement or regulatory authorities where legally required; or
Other parties where you have given permission or where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.
Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate confidentiality and security measures are in place.
10. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Because In The Room is intended for an international audience, some service providers or technology platforms we use may be located outside South Africa.
Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer is conducted in accordance with applicable requirements under POPIA.
This may include assessing whether the recipient country provides an adequate level of protection, whether appropriate contractual or other safeguards are in place, or whether another lawful basis for the transfer applies.
11. INFORMATION SECURITY
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:
Loss;
Damage;
Unauthorised access;
Unauthorised disclosure;
Unauthorised alteration;
Destruction; and
Other unlawful processing.
However, no website, electronic communication or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
If we become aware of a security compromise involving personal information, we will take appropriate steps in accordance with applicable law.
12. RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
The appropriate retention period may depend on:
The purpose for which the information was collected;
Legal and regulatory requirements;
Contractual obligations;
Record-keeping requirements; and
Legitimate business requirements.
When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or anonymise it, where appropriate.
13. YOUR RIGHTS
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:
Request confirmation as to whether we hold personal information about you;
Request access to personal information we hold about you;
Request correction or updating of inaccurate or incomplete information;
Request deletion of personal information where there is a lawful basis for doing so;
Object to certain processing of your personal information;
Object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
Lodge a complaint regarding the processing of your personal information; and
Exercise other rights provided for under applicable privacy legislation.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.
14. DIRECT MARKETING
Where we send electronic marketing communications, we will do so in accordance with applicable South African law.
Where required, we will obtain the appropriate consent before sending direct marketing communications.
You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in the communication or by contacting us at:
Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not necessarily prevent us from sending you non-marketing communications that are necessary or permitted, such as responses to enquiries or important service-related notices.
15. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND LINKS
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms, publications, advertisers or other online services.
These third-party websites operate independently from In The Room and may have their own privacy policies.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security or processing activities of third-party websites.
We encourage users to review the privacy policies of third-party websites before providing personal information.
16. SOCIAL MEDIA
In The Room may maintain or link to social media accounts and platforms.
Interactions with our social media pages may result in personal information being processed by the relevant social media platform.
Such processing is governed by the privacy policy and terms of the relevant platform, rather than solely by this Privacy Policy.
17. ACCURACY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We endeavour to ensure that personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date.
If you believe that information we hold about you is incorrect or incomplete, please contact us at hello@intheroom.co.za so that we can consider the appropriate correction.
18. PRIVACY COMPLAINTS
If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve the matter.
You may contact us at:
Email: hello@intheroom.co.za
Telephone: 065 667 0951
You also have the right, where applicable, to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa, which is the statutory regulator responsible for, among other things, monitoring and enforcing compliance with POPIA. (Empowered Compliance)
Information about the Information Regulator and its services is available through its official website: Information Regulator of South Africa
19. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:
Our website;
Our services;
Applicable legislation;
Technology; or
Our privacy practices.
The updated version will be published on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date.
We encourage visitors to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
20. GOVERNING LAW
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including applicable provisions of POPIA and other relevant legislation.
Where you access In The Room from outside South Africa, you may also have rights under the privacy or data-protection laws applicable in your jurisdiction.
Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to exclude or limit any mandatory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law.
21. CONTACT US
If you have questions, requests or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal information, please contact:
IN THE ROOM
Email: hello@intheroom.co.za
Telephone: 065 667 0951
Website: intheroom.co.za
Last Updated: 7 October 2026
A few important points before you publish it: POPIA is the key South African privacy law, and it specifically covers private bodies and the processing of personal information. (South African Government) The ECT Act is also relevant to electronic communications and website transactions. (South African Government)
I would not, however, call this “100% legally compliant” without knowing exactly what In The Room currently uses on the website—particularly Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, newsletter/email forms, advertising, embedded social media, contact forms, comments, cookies, or third-party services. Those details can change what needs to be disclosed.
Also, because you’re building In The Room as a proper international-facing media platform, I’d recommend having three separate legal pages rather than only Privacy Policy:
Privacy Policy — the one above.
Terms & Conditions / Terms of Use — covering website use, intellectual property, editorial content, links, submissions, disclaimers, etc.
POPIA/PAIA information page or PAIA Manual — particularly important if the business is operating as a South African private body and needs to address access-to-information requirements.
That would give the site a much more complete legal foundation.
