Privacy.Policy

The Jester Group ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website located at www.jestergroup.co.za (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site or engage with our services.

Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms described here. If you do not agree with this policy, please discontinue use of the Site immediately.

Information you provide directly

• Contact & Inquiry Data: Name, email address, phone number, company name, and any message content you submit through contact forms, booking requests, or email correspondence.
• Account Information: If you create an account or register for services, we collect your username, password (stored in encrypted form), and profile details.
• Transaction Data: Billing name, billing address, and payment method details (processed securely by our payment processors — we do not store full card numbers).
• Communications: Records of any correspondence you initiate with us, including support requests, feedback, and survey responses.

Information collected automatically

• Log Data: Your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and the date and time of your visit.
• Device Information: Device identifiers, hardware model, and mobile network information where applicable.
• Usage Data: Interactions with our Site such as clicks, scroll depth, and navigation paths, collected via analytics tools.
• Location Data: General geographic location inferred from your IP address (country and city level). We do not collect precise GPS coordinates unless you explicitly grant permission.
• Cookies & Similar Technologies: See the Cookies section below for full details.

Information from third parties

• Public information available on social media platforms if you interact with our social accounts.
• Information from business partners or referral sources who direct you to our Site, in accordance with their own privacy policies.
• Aggregated demographic or interest data from analytics providers to help us understand our audience.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To provide, operate, and maintain the Site and any services you have requested.
• Communication: To respond to your inquiries, send service-related notices, and fulfill any requests you make.
• Account Management: To create and manage your account, verify your identity, and process transactions.
• Personalization: To tailor content, recommendations, and experiences to your preferences and usage patterns.
• Marketing & Updates: With your consent (where required by law), to send newsletters, promotional materials, and updates about our services. You can opt out at any time.
• Analytics & Improvement: To understand how visitors use the Site, identify technical issues, and improve our content, design, and service offerings.
• Security & Fraud Prevention: To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent transactions, unauthorized access, and other harmful or illegal activities.
• Legal Compliance: To meet applicable legal obligations, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect the rights and safety of The Jester Group, our users, and the public.
• Business Operations: For internal record-keeping, auditing, and other legitimate business administration purposes.

We rely on the following legal bases for processing (as applicable under GDPR and similar frameworks): contractual necessity, legitimate interests, compliance with legal obligations, and consent (which you may withdraw at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing).

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share it only in these circumstances:

• Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating the Site (hosting, payment processing, email delivery, analytics, customer support). These providers are contractually bound to use your data only as directed by us and to maintain appropriate security standards.
• Business Transfers: If The Jester Group is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you prior to your data being transferred and becoming subject to a different privacy policy.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, prevent fraud, or protect the safety of users or the public.
• With Your Consent: We may share your information with any other party when you give us explicit permission to do so.
• Aggregated & Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated or de-identified data that cannot reasonably be used to identify you, for research, analytics, or marketing purposes.

We use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and gather analytics data. Here is what we deploy:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Required for core Site functionality (session management, authentication, security). These cannot be disabled without breaking the Site.
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences such as language, region, and display settings to provide a personalized experience.
• Analytics Cookies: Collect anonymized information about how visitors interact with the Site (pages visited, time on site, bounce rate) to help us improve performance. We may use providers such as Google Analytics.
• Marketing & Targeting Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertising and measure the effectiveness of campaigns, only where you have provided consent.

You can control cookies through your browser settings or a consent management tool where provided on the Site. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect Site functionality. For more information, visit allaboutcookies.org.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:

• Contact & Inquiry Data: Retained for up to 3 years after your last interaction, or until you request deletion.
• Account Data: Retained for the lifetime of your account and up to 2 years after account closure.
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years to comply with financial and tax regulations.
• Log & Analytics Data: Retained in an anonymized or aggregated form for up to 26 months, in line with standard analytics platform defaults.
• Marketing Preferences: Maintained as long as you remain subscribed, plus a brief suppression period after opt-out to prevent re-subscription errors.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymize it so it can no longer be associated with you.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Right to Restriction: Ask us to limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format and transmit it to another controller.
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes at any time.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@jestergroup.com. We will respond within 30 days (or as required by applicable law). We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

Marketing opt-out: You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the "unsubscribe" link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly. We will action your request within 10 business days.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our Site.
• Encrypted storage of sensitive data at rest.
• Role-based access controls that limit who within our organization can view personal data.
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing.
• Incident response procedures to detect and contain any potential data breaches promptly.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you share information at your own risk. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at security@jestergroup.com.

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, plugins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these external sites and are not responsible for their privacy practices.

We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. The presence of a link on our Site does not constitute an endorsement of that website's privacy practices.

Our Site may integrate third-party services including but not limited to:

• Google Analytics — website analytics (governed by Google's Privacy Policy)
• Stripe / payment processors — secure payment handling
• Email service providers — transactional and marketing emails
• Social media platforms — sharing buttons and social login features

Our Site and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at privacy@jestergroup.com and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.

The Jester Group operates primarily from South Africa. If you are accessing our Site from outside this jurisdiction, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in a country that may not have the same data protection laws as your country of residence.

Where we transfer personal data internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, adequacy decisions, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. By using the Site, you consent to your information being transferred in accordance with this policy.

For EEA/UK users: The Jester Group acts as a data controller with respect to personal data processed under this policy. We comply with GDPR and the UK GDPR where applicable.

For California residents (CCPA/CPRA): You have the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion, opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and not be discriminated against for exercising your rights. To submit a verifiable consumer request, contact us at the details below.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
• Post a prominent notice on the Site or, where appropriate, send you a direct notification.
• Where required by law, seek your renewed consent.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. Archived versions of prior policies are available on request.

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

• Email: privacy@jestergroup.com
• General Inquiries: hello@jestergroup.com
• Website: www.jestergroup.co.za

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days. For urgent security concerns, email security@jestergroup.com and we will treat it as priority.