Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you register or use the Platform, we may collect:

Personal Identification: Name, surname, gender, contact number, email address.
Professional Information: Province, school or institution, role (e.g. educator, principal, provincial coordinator, SGB member, government official).
Account Data: Username, password (stored in encrypted form), and profile information.
Educational Data: Course enrolments, progress, assessment results, certificates earned, and SACE-related tracking data.
Device & Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information, and usage statistics.
Communication Data: Messages, feedback, or queries submitted through the Platform or contact forms.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information to:

Provide access to courses, toolkits, and resources on the Platform.
Track your learning progress and generate certificates of completion.
Support SACE professional development tracking and generate proof of completion documentation.
Monitor programme impact and report aggregated statistics to the Department of Basic Education and official funders.
Improve platform design, usability, and training services.
Communicate important updates, new courses, events, and resources relevant to your professional development.
Facilitate education-related communications from funders and sponsors who make DBE Protect free to access (see Section 4 and Section 9 below).
Ensure the safety and moderation of communication channels on the Platform.
Responding to inquiries, feedback, and support requests.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your information under the following legal grounds:

Contractual necessity: To deliver the training and services you sign up for.
Consent: For optional communications, newsletters, surveys, and education-related communications from funders and sponsors (given at the point of registration).
Legal compliance: To meet reporting obligations to the Department of Basic Education, SACE, and funders or education authorities.
Legitimate interests: To improve our services and maintain a safe, functional platform.

4. Data Sharing and Collaboration

Your information may be shared only with:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE): For programme tracking, impact reporting, and compliance with DBE collaboration requirements.
Programme funders and donors: For impact reporting, in aggregate or anonymised form where possible. Funders and sponsors who support the platform financially may also communicate education-related information and opportunities directly to registered users, as described in Section 9. Their financial support is what makes DBE Protect free to use.
SACE (South African Council for Educators): Where required for professional development verification and accreditation purposes.
Accredited service providers: Who support platform maintenance, hosting, content delivery, analytics, and communications, under strict confidentiality agreements. These providers are contractually obligated to process data only as instructed by us and may not use it for their own purposes.
Legal authorities: If required by law or to protect platform security and user safety.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies to enhance user experience and collect information about how you use our website.

We use cookies to improve user experience, maintain your session, and track learning analytics.
Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information on their own, but may be linked to your account data.
You can manage cookie preferences via your browser settings, but disabling cookies may affect some features of the Platform.
Analytics tools help us understand user behaviour and improve our services.

6. Data Storage and Retention

Your data is stored on secure, professionally managed cloud infrastructure with the following protections in place:

Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your device and the Platform is protected using HTTPS (TLS encryption).
Encryption at rest: Personal and account data is stored in encrypted form on secure servers.
Content delivery: Course materials and resources are distributed via a global content delivery network (CDN) with SSD-based storage, ensuring both performance and security.
Access controls: Only authorised personnel with a legitimate operational need may access personal data. Access is logged and monitored.
Backups: Data is backed up regularly to prevent loss in the event of a system failure.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for training delivery, SACE reporting, and applicable legal requirements. Inactive accounts may be deleted or anonymised after 12 months of inactivity.

7. Your Rights

Under POPIA and GDPR, you have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of your personal information.
Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete data.
Deletion: Ask for your data to be deleted (unless retention is legally required for reporting or accreditation purposes).
Object / Withdraw Consent: Opt out of optional or certain promotional communications or certain processing activities.
Data Portability: Request your data in a commonly used digital format.
Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights under POPIA have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please use the contact form on the DBE Protect website. We will respond within the timelines required by law.

8. Data Security

We use a combination of physical, technical, and administrative security measures to protect your personal information:

All data is protected using encryption, firewalls, and secure login protocols.
Only authorised employees may access personal information, and only for permitted operational purposes.
Passwords are never stored in plain text.
Encryption is applied to the transmission of sensitive information between your device and our systems.
We conduct regular reviews of our data security practices.

Your responsibility:

You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and not sharing it with anyone. If you believe your password or account has been compromised, change your password immediately and notify us via the contact form on the DBE Protect website.

You use the Platform at your own risk.

While we take robust measures to protect your information, no method of data transmission or storage is absolutely secure. We cannot guarantee that your personal information will not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed in the event of a breach of our security measures.

Disclosure:

9. Communications from Funders and Sponsors

DBE Protect is free to use for all registered users. This is made possible through the financial support of funders and sponsors committed to educator development in South Africa.

By registering on DBE Protect, you consent to receiving education-related communications from these funders and sponsors. These may include information about educational programmes, professional development opportunities, resources, or initiatives that could directly benefit you as an educator. Communications may be delivered via the Platform or through registered contact details such as email.

This is not the sale of your data. Funders and sponsors do not receive your personal information for their own use. Communications are facilitated through DBE Protect's channels on their behalf.

You may opt out of these communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any such communication or by contacting us via the contact form on the DBE Protect website. Please note that opting out will not affect transactional communications such as account notices, service announcements, or legally required notifications, which we may still send regardless of your preferences.

10. Controlling Your Communications

Account and security notices
Certificate and course completion confirmations
Service announcements
Administrative and legal notifications

These cannot be opted out of as they are necessary for the operation of your account and the delivery of the service.

If you opt out, we may still send you transactional communications, including:

You can opt out of promotional or funder/sponsor communications at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email or through the contact form on the DBE Protect website.

If you wish to stop all communications and no longer use the Platform, please use the contact form to request account deletion.

11. Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may link to external websites or services (such as government resources or educational materials).

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites and encourage you to read their individual policies before submitting any personal information.

12. Changes to this Policy

A notice will be posted on the Platform for significant updates.
The date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised.
Continued use of the Platform after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect legal or operational changes. When this occurs:

13. Contact Us

For privacy inquiries, complaints, or to exercise your rights, please use the contact form on the DBE Protect website and someone will get back to you.

A Department of Basic Education National Safeguarding and Psychosocial Support Initiative