Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Cretek (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website or engage with our engineering services.

We are based in South Africa and comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). By using our website and services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, company name, and job title when you submit a consultation request or contact form.
• Project Information: Details about your industrial automation, AI, or ICT infrastructure requirements that you share with us for proposal and quotation purposes.
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and usage patterns collected automatically when you browse our website.
• Communication Records: Correspondence you send to us via email, WhatsApp, or other channels, including call recordings for training and quality purposes (where permitted).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to your engineering consultation, quotation, and support requests.
• To provide industrial automation, AI, and ICT infrastructure engineering services.
• To communicate with you about project status, technical specifications, and service updates.
• To improve our website, services, and customer experience.
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations under South African law.
• To send occasional marketing communications (only with your explicit consent, and you may opt out at any time).

4. Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse site traffic, and understand where our visitors come from.

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our site (e.g., Google Analytics).
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings.

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

5. Data Storage and Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These include:

• Secure servers and encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS).
• Access controls and authentication protocols for our systems.
• Regular security assessments and data backup procedures.
• Staff training on data protection and confidentiality.

Your personal information is stored securely within South Africa or in jurisdictions with equivalent data protection laws. We retain your information only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by law.

6. Third-Party Services

We may share your personal information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in delivering our services, including:

• Email and communication platforms (e.g., for sending proposals and updates).
• Website analytics and hosting providers.
• CRM and project management tools.

These third parties are contractually obligated to protect your data and may only use it for the specific purposes we instruct. We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Correction: Request that we correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Right to Object: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to Restrict: Request that we restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond to your request within 30 days as required by POPIA.

8. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.