PRIVACY POLICY

Thinkovate (Pty) Ltd Effective Date: June 2025 | Last Updated: June 2025 think-ovate.com

1. INTRODUCTION

Thinkovate (Pty) Ltd (“Thinkovate”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and any applicable regulations thereunder.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at think-ovate.com, contact us, or engage our services. Please read this policy carefully. By using our website or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

2. WHO WE ARE

Thinkovate is a South African creative agency offering graphic design, branding, website development, and related marketing services. We are the Responsible Party as defined under POPIA in respect of the personal information we process.

Email: michelle@think-ovate.com Phone: +27 83 602 6090 Website: think-ovate.com

3. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

Information you provide directly:

• Full name and contact details (email address, phone number)
• Business name and business contact information
• Billing and invoicing information
• Project briefs, content, and files you share with us
• Correspondence via email, phone, WhatsApp, or any other communication channel

Information collected automatically when you use our website:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
• Device type and operating system
• Cookies and similar tracking data (see Section 8)

Information provided by third parties:

• Referrals from mutual contacts or partner agencies
• Publicly available business information

4. WHY WE COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries and communicate with you about our services
• To prepare proposals, quotes, and project scopes
• To fulfil our contractual obligations as your service provider
• To issue invoices and manage payments
• To deliver design, branding, and web development work
• To manage and maintain ongoing client relationships
• To improve our website and service offering
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
• To protect our legitimate business interests

We will not process your personal information for any purpose incompatible with the purposes listed above without your prior consent.

5. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING

Under POPIA, we are entitled to process your personal information on the following grounds:

• Contractual necessity: Processing is required to enter into or perform a contract with you
• Legal obligation: Processing is required to comply with applicable law
• Legitimate interest: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not outweighed by your rights and interests
• Consent: Where we have obtained your explicit consent to process your information for a specific purpose

6. HOW WE STORE AND PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• Password-protected systems and accounts
• Encrypted file storage where applicable
• Restricted access — only authorised team members handle client information
• Secure communication practices

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

Personal information is retained only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Once no longer needed, information is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. SHARING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

We may share your personal information in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers and subcontractors:

We work with trusted third-party tools and platforms to deliver our services. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Google Workspace (Google Docs, Google Drive, Gmail) — for document creation, storage, and communication
• Adobe Creative Cloud — for graphic design and creative work
• Canva — for design and content creation
• WordPress and associated hosting providers — for website development and management
• Elementor — for website page building
• Meta Business Suite — for social media management where applicable
• Accounting or invoicing software — for billing and financial records
• Cloud storage platforms — for secure file sharing and project collaboration

Each of these platforms operates under its own privacy and data protection policies. We encourage you to review the relevant policies for any platform through which your information may be processed. We take reasonable steps to ensure that our service providers handle your information responsibly.

Legal requirements:

We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority.

Business transfers:

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of the business, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change.

8. COOKIES

Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that help us understand how visitors use our site.

We may use:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function correctly
• Analytical cookies — to understand how visitors interact with our site (e.g. Google Analytics)
• Functional cookies — to remember your preferences

You may adjust your browser settings to refuse or delete cookies at any time. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.

9. YOUR RIGHTS UNDER POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access your personal information that we hold
• Correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records
• Object to processing of your personal information where processing is based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been infringed

Information Regulator contact details: Website: www.inforegulator.org.za Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us at michelle@think-ovate.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.

10. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. These links are provided for your convenience only. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party websites. We recommend that you review the privacy policy of any website you visit.

11. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately so that we may take appropriate steps.

12. UPDATES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or business operations. The updated policy will be published on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If any changes are material, we will endeavour to notify existing clients directly.

13. CONTACT US

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us at:

Email: michelle@think-ovate.com Phone: +27 83 602 6090 Website: think-ovate.com

This document was last updated in June 2025. Thinkovate reserves the right to amend this policy at any time.