Privacy policy
How Nearme Media collects, uses and protects your personal information under POPIA.
Effective date: 27 October 2026
Who we are
Nearme Media is a small SEO and digital marketing agency based in Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa. Our website is https://nearmemedia.co.za. Under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), we are the “responsible party” for the personal information we collect here.
Information Officer: Joshua Le Roux (Founder & CEO). Email: joshua@nearmemedia.co.za. Phone: +27 83 657 3350.
What we collect and why
We only collect what we need, and we only use it for the reasons below.
| What | Information | Why we use it | Lawful basis (POPIA s11) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact form | Name, email, your message | To reply to your enquiry and, if you ask, to do a free website evaluation | Taking steps you asked for before any agreement; our legitimate interest in answering enquiries |
| Newsletter sign-up | Email address (and name, if you give it) | To send occasional marketing emails about SEO and digital marketing | Your consent |
| Blog comments | Name, email, website (optional), comment, IP address | To publish your comment and filter out spam | Your consent, and our legitimate interest in keeping the site spam-free |
| Website analytics | IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, rough location, cookie identifiers | To see how people use the site so we can improve it | Our legitimate interest |
We do not take online payments and we do not offer public user accounts. We do not knowingly collect special personal information, such as health, religious or biometric information. Please do not include it in your messages.
Direct marketing and how to opt out
We only send marketing emails if you have opted in through our newsletter form. The one exception is an existing client, where POPIA section 69 allows us to email you about similar services, provided you were given a chance to opt out. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link. You can also email joshua@nearmemedia.co.za with “Unsubscribe” at any time. We will stop promptly and keep only the minimum record needed to make sure you are not emailed again. Sending us an enquiry does not add you to our mailing list.
Cookies and analytics
Cookies are small files stored on your device. Our site uses:
- Google Analytics (via Google Site Kit) and Jetpack Stats to measure visits.
- Akismet to filter spam comments.
- Google Fonts to display text, which may share your IP address with Google.
- LiteSpeed Cache, which improves speed and does not track you.
- Gravatar (part of WordPress), which may show a profile picture next to comments based on a scrambled form of your email address.
We only load analytics cookies (Google Analytics) after you click Accept in our cookie banner. If you click Reject, analytics cookies are not set. You can change your choice at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer, and you can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We only share it with service providers (“operators”) who help us run the site and our business, and who must keep it secure and confidential:
- Our web hosting provider, which stores the website and form submissions.
- Google (Analytics, Site Kit, Fonts) and Automattic / WordPress.com (Jetpack, Akismet, Gravatar), for analytics, image delivery and spam filtering.
- Our email marketing provider, which stores newsletter subscribers and sends our emails.
- Our business email provider, which receives contact form submissions.
We may also share information if the law requires it.
Cross-border transfers
Some of these providers, including Google and Automattic, store data outside South Africa, mainly in the United States and Europe. Under POPIA section 72, we only use providers that are bound by data protection laws or by agreements that give a level of protection substantially similar to POPIA.
How long we keep it
- Enquiries: up to 24 months after our last contact, unless you become a client.
- Client records: as long as tax and accounting law requires (generally 5 years).
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe.
- Comments: for as long as the comment stays published.
- Analytics: Google Analytics data is kept in line with our Google Analytics data-retention settings, for no longer than 14 months.
After that, we delete the information or make it anonymous.
Security
We use reasonable measures to protect your information, including an SSL-encrypted (https) website, strong passwords, up-to-date software, spam filtering and limiting who can see it. No system is completely secure. If a breach could affect you, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA section 22 requires.
Your rights
Under POPIA you may:
- ask whether we hold your personal information and request a copy;
- ask us to correct or delete it;
- object to us using it, including for direct marketing;
- withdraw your consent at any time;
- complain to the Information Regulator.
To use any of these rights, email joshua@nearmemedia.co.za. We may need to confirm who you are first. We aim to respond within 30 days.
Information Regulator (South Africa): website https://inforegulator.org.za, complaints complaints.IR@inforegulator.org.za
If you are in the United Kingdom or European Union
We work with clients in the UK and EU, so the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and, where relevant, the EU GDPR may apply to how we handle your personal information. Nearme Media is the controller of the personal information described in this policy.
Our lawful bases are: consent for marketing emails and analytics cookies; steps taken at your request before entering a contract when you ask for a free website evaluation; contract when you become a client; and legitimate interests for answering enquiries, keeping our website secure and filtering spam.
Under UK and EU data protection law you have the right to access your personal information, have it corrected or erased, restrict or object to its use, receive it in a portable format, and withdraw consent at any time. To use these rights, email joshua@nearmemedia.co.za. We aim to respond within one month.
We are based in South Africa and some of our service providers are in the United States and elsewhere, so your information may be processed outside the UK and EU. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk, or to your local data protection authority in the EU. We would appreciate the chance to resolve your concern first.
Children
This site is meant for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you think a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the effective date at the top.
Contact us
Joshua Le Roux, Information Officer, Nearme Media, Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa. joshua@nearmemedia.co.za, +27 83 657 3350.