Last updated: July 01, 2021
Charl Laäs Optometrists is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website’s (www.charllaas.com) visitors and service users.
This policy applies where Charl Laäs Optometrists are acting as a data controller with respect to your personal data in accordance with the POPI Act.
We use cookies on our website. Insofar as those cookies are not strictly necessary for the provision of our website and/or services, we will ask you to consent to our use of cookies when you first visit our website.
In this policy, “we”; “us” and “our” refer to Charl Laäs Optometrists.
1. DEFINITIONS
- Anonymous Information – information that does not directly or indirectly identify, and cannot reasonably be used to identify an individual user.
- Application – a program or service operated by the practice that may be displayed on various online, mobile, or other platforms and environments, including those operated by third parties, which permits us to interact directly with our users.
- Children – refers to individuals under 18 years of age.
- Data Controller – is the subsidiary or affiliated entity of Charl Laäs Optometrists that is responsible for the personal information collected.
- Data Processor – is a person or entity that processes personal information on behalf of a data controller (or data controllers) and is permitted to perform data processing only as directed by the data controller(s).
- IP Address – is associated with the access point through which you enter the Internet and is typically controlled by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or your company. We may use IP addresses to collect information regarding the frequency with which users visit various parts of our sites and applications, and we may combine IP addresses with personal information.
- Parents – means a parent or legal guardian.
- Personal Information – means information that identifies (whether directly or indirectly) a particular individual, such as the individual’s name, postal address, email address, and telephone number. When anonymous information is directly or indirectly associated with personal information, the resulting information is also treated as personal information.
- Public Forums – Our sites and applications may offer message boards, conversation pages, blogs, chat rooms, social community environments, profile pages, and other forums that do not have a restricted audience. If you provide personal information when you use any of these platforms, that personal information may be publicly posted and otherwise disclosed without limitation as to its use by us or by a third party.
2. SCOPE OF THIS POLICY
This privacy policy describes the treatment of information provided or collected on the sites and applications where this privacy policy is posted whether on our digital properties or on applications, we make available on third-party sites or platforms. We follow this privacy policy in accordance with applicable law in the places where we operate. In some cases, we may provide additional data privacy notices specific to certain products, practices, or regions. Those terms are to be read in conjunction with this policy.
Please keep in mind that when you provide information to us on a third-party site or platform (for example, via our applications), the information you provide may be separately collected by the third-party.
The information we collect is covered by this /her privacy policy, and the information the third-party site or platform collects is subject to the third-party site or platform’s privacy practices. Privacy choices you have made on the third-party site or platform will not apply to our use of the information we have collected directly through our applications.
Please also keep in mind that our sites and applications may contain links to other sites not owned or controlled by us and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.
We encourage you to be aware when you leave our sites or applications and to read the privacy policies of other sites that may collect your personal information.
3. TYPES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We collect two basic types of information – personal information and anonymous information – and we may use personal and anonymous information to create a third type of information, aggregate information. For example, we collect:
- registration information – information you provide us with when you create an account;
- information you provide in public forums on our sites and applications, such as your public posts;
- information sent either one-to-one or within a limited group using our message, chat, post, or similar functionalities, where we are permitted by the applicable law to collect this information;
- information we obtain from a third party, such as a site or platform provider, about the use of our applications on third-party platforms or devices;
- location information – information provided by a mobile device or other device interacting with one of our sites or applications (including through beacon technologies), or associated with your IP address, where we are permitted by law to process this information;
- activity information about your use, and the use by any person(s) you authorise through your account, of our sites and applications, such as the content you view or post, how often you use our services, and your preferences; and
- use, view device data when you visit our sites, use our applications on third-party sites or platforms, or open emails we send, including your browser or unique device identifier, and IP addresses.
4. HOW WE COLLECT YOUR INFORMATION
We collect information you provide to us when you request a service, or information from us, register with us (including when you link your profile on a third-party site or platform with your registration account), participate in public forums or other activities on our sites and applications, respond to guest surveys, or otherwise interact with us using one or more devices.
We collect information through a variety of technologies, such as cookies, analytics tools, Flash, pixels, and Web beacons.
You consent to us acquiring information from other trusted sources to update or supplement the information you provided, or we collected automatically, such as when we validate postal address information. Applicable laws may require that you authorise the third party to share your information with us before we can acquire it.
USE OF YOUR INFORMATION BY CHARL LAäS OPTOMETRISTS
We may process data about your use of our website and services (usage data). The usage data may include your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views and website navigation paths, as well as information about the timing, frequency, and pattern of your service use. This usage data may be processed for the purposes of analysing the use of the website and services.
- We may process account data, which may include your name and email address. The source of the account data is you or your employer. The account data may be processed for the purposes of operating our website, providing our services, ensuring the security of our website and services, maintaining back-ups of our databases, and communicating with you.
- We may process your personal data that is provided during the use of our services (service data). The service data may be processed for the purposes of operating our website, providing our services, ensuring the security of our website and services, maintaining back-ups of our databases, and communicating with you.
- We may process information contained in any enquiry you submit to us regarding goods and/or services (enquiry data). The enquiry data may be processed for the purposes of offering, marketing, and selling relevant goods and/or services to you.
- We may process information relating to transactions, including purchases of goods and services, that you enter into with us and/or through our website (transaction data). The transaction data may be processed for the purpose of supplying the purchased goods and services and keeping proper records of those transactions.
- We may process information that you provide to us for the purpose of subscribing to our email notifications and/or newsletters (notification data). The notification data may be processed for the purposes of sending you the relevant notifications and/or newsletters. You will always have the option of withdrawing consent to this service.
- We may process information contained in or relating to any communication that you send to us (correspondence data).
Please do not supply any additional or irrelevant personal data to us unless we prompt you to do so.
5. SHARING YOUR INFORMATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES
We will not share your personal information with a third party outside Charl Laäs Optometrists except in limited circumstances, including:
When you allow (consent) us to sharing your personal information with another company, such as:
- Electing to share your personal information with carefully selected companies so that they can send you offers and promotions about their products and services; and
- Directing us to share your personal information with third-party sites or platforms, such as social networking sites. Please note that once we share your personal information with another company, the information received by the other company is controlled by that company and becomes subject to the other company’s privacy practices.
- When companies perform services on our behalf, like package delivery, marketing and advertising, and customer service; however, these companies are prohibited from using your personal information for purposes other than those requested by us or required by law; and
- When we share your personal information with third parties in connection with the sale of a business, to enforce our Terms and Conditions, to ensure the safety and security of our guests and third parties, to protect our rights and property and the rights and property of our guests and third parties, to comply with legal process, or in other cases if we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law.
6. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
Charl Laäs Optometrists does not directly address any person under the age of 18 years old. We do not knowingly directly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18 years old.
As a requirement of the POPI Act, should Charl Laäs Optometrists collect children’s personal information under the age of 18 years old, Charl Laäs Optometrists will ensure that relevant consent is obtained from the parent/legal guardian on behalf of the child.
7. COOKIES
Cookies are small files that are placed on your device to store information. Specifically, cookies are small strings of text used to store information that may concern you, your behaviour on the web, your preferences, or your device. Cookies are mainly used to adapt the operation of the Website to your expectations, offering a more personalized browsing experience and memorizing the choices you made previously. There are various types of cookies.
Cookies do not record or store any personal data from your device.
On this website, Charl Laäs Optometrists use cookies to make your overall experience on our website better. Specifically, we use cookies to:
- Store information for the time you are on the website (called “Session Cookies”)
- Store information to recognize your browser or device each time you visit (called “Persistent Cookies”)
- Store your login and password information, if you choose to.
- Store your user settings, like audio and display settings.
- Analyse your behaviour on our website, so we can continue to improve.
- Allow others to advertise on our website or track information about you to improve advertising to you.
Cookies do not record or store any personal data from your device.
We don’t use this information to identify you, but rather to understand usage trends on our website.
We use session cookies to keep track of how you browse on your visits to the website. Temporary session cookies are deleted automatically at the end of the browsing session – these are mostly used to keep track of what you do from page to page, such as with online shopping, keeping track of what is in your cart.
Persistent cookies, on the other hand, remain active longer than just one particular session. These help us recognize you. We also use them to store your login and password info, if you choose, and to store your user settings.
Third-party cookies: We also utilize third-party cookies, which are cookies sent by a third-party to your computer. Persistent cookies are often third-party cookies. The majority of third-party cookies consist of tracking cookies used to identify online behavior, understand interests and then customize advertising for you.
What can you do about cookies?
If you want, you can prevent the use of cookies, but then you may not be able to use our website as we intend. To proceed without changing the options related to cookies, simply continue to use our website.
For our website, this is how you can adjust your settings and, if desired, opt-out of cookies completely:
- You can also manage cookies through the settings of your browser on your device. However, deleting cookies from your browser may remove the preferences you have set for the website, as well as preferences you’ve set for other websites.
- For further information and support, you can also visit the specific help page of the web browser you are using:
- Internet Explorer: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/block-or-allow-cookies
- Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-us/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences
- Safari: http://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
- Chrome: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/61416?hl=en
- Opera: http://www.opera.com/help/tutorials/security/cookies/
8. DATA SECURITY, INTEGRITY, AND RETENTION
The security, integrity, and confidentiality of your information are extremely important to us. We have implemented technical, administrative, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your personal and sensitive information from unauthorised access, disclosure, use, and modification. We regularly review our security procedures to consider appropriate new laws, technology, and methods. Please be aware that, despite our best efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.
You consent to us retaining all your personal information for a period of six years after:
- termination of your membership;
- your last electronic or telephonic communication with us;
- your last electronic or telephonic transaction with us.
9. YOUR RIGHTS
In this section, we summarise the rights that you have under data protection law. Some of the rights are complex, and not all of the details have been included in our summaries. Accordingly, you should read the relevant laws and guidance from the regulatory authorities for a full explanation of these rights.
Your principal rights under the data protection law are:
- the right to access;
- the right to object to processing – you have objected to processing, pending the verification of that your information. Where processing has been restricted on this basis, Charl Laäs Optometrists may continue to store your personal data. However, Charl Laäs Optometrists will only otherwise process it: with your consent; for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims; for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person; or for reasons of important public interest.
- the right to data portability;
- the right to complain to the Regulator;
- the right to withdraw consent;
- you have the right to have any inaccurate personal data about you rectified;
- you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data when: you contest the accuracy of the personal data or processing is unlawful;
- You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation, but only to the extent that the legal basis for the processing is that the processing is necessary for: the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of any official authority vested in us, or the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third part. If you make such an objection, we will cease to process the personal information unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
If you consider that our processing of your personal information infringes data protection laws, you have a legal right to lodge a complaint with Charl Laäs Optometrists’s Information Officer who is responsible for data protection.
To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal information is consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.
10. LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
This website and our services might contain links to other websites that we do not operate. If you clink on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. Charl Laäs Optometrists have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party site or service.
11. POPI ACT
To ensure that Charl Laäs Optometrists is POPI Act complaint, we have put the following in place to keep the information safe and POPI Compliant.
- We have appointed an Information Officer, registered with the Information Regulator.
- All our employees, contractors and management have read and understand the POPI Act.
- Our contracts and platforms have been adjusted to become POPI complaint.
12. PAIA ACT
In accordance with section 83(3)(d) if PAIA, the below documents need to be available to the public:
- Form 02: Request for Access to Record [Regulation 7]
- Form 03: Outcome of Request and of Fees Payable [Regulation 8]
- Form 04: Internal Appeal Form [Regulation 9]
13. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
From time to time, we may change this privacy policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or for other purposes. It is your obligation to check on a regular basis whether the policy has changed.
14. OUR DETAILS
- This website is owned and operated by Charl Laäs Optometrists.
- Our principal place of business is 12A Queen Street, Durbanville, South Africa 7550.
- Telephone number is: +27 21 976 8046.
- Our email contact is: la@laasoptom.com.