The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a South African government organization that provides financial assistance to eligible students to pursue higher education. The NSFAS status website is a platform that allows applicants to check the status of their applications and update their personal information.
Privacy Policy:
The NSFAS status website is committed to protecting the privacy of its users and complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other applicable data protection laws. The website collects and processes personal information from users solely for the purpose of providing the services offered on the website.
How Do We Collect Your Data?
We collect data through various methods to ensure that we provide a seamless and personalized experience. The primary sources of data collection include:
Information You Provide
When you use our services, you may voluntarily provide us with information such as your name, email address, and other relevant details.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze usage patterns, and customize content based on your preferences. You can control the use of cookies through your browser settings.
Log files
Our servers automatically collect certain information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, and referring webpage. This data helps us analyze trends, administer the site, and gather demographic information.
What Do We Use Your Data For?
We use the collected data for the following purposes:
Service Improvement
Your data helps us understand how users interact with our website, allowing us to enhance and optimize our services for a better user experience.
Communication
We may use your provided information to communicate with you regarding updates, newsletters, and other relevant information. You can opt out of these communications at any time.
Legal Requirements
In certain cases, we may process your data to comply with legal obligations or respond to lawful requests from authorities.
What Rights Do You Have Regarding Your Data?
As a user, you have the right to:
- Access: Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: Request correction of any incomplete or inaccurate data.
- Deletion: Request the deletion of your personal data, subject to legal and contractual obligations.
- Object: Object to the processing of your data for specific purposes, such as direct marketing.
Third-Party Analytics and Tools
We use third-party analytics services to gather and analyze data about how visitors interact with our website. These services may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information and provide insights.
Hosting and Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
External Hosting
Our website is hosted by external hosting providers. These providers may process and store your data on servers located in different geographical locations. Rest assured, we take appropriate measures to ensure the security and confidentiality of your data.
General and Mandatory Information
This privacy policy is intended to inform users of the data processing activities carried out by nsfas-status-check.co.za. The protection of your personal information is of utmost importance to us. We comply with the regulations of the data protection laws and strive to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of your data.
Data Protection and Data Safety
We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to ensure the protection of your data from manipulation, loss, destruction, and unauthorized access. We continuously update our security measures in line with technological advancements and industry best practices.
Duration of Storage
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We will delete personal data when it is no longer needed and, in any case, upon your request.
Revocation of Your Consent to Data Processing
You have the right to revoke your consent to the processing of your personal data at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing based on your consent before its withdrawal. To exercise this right, please contact us using the information provided in the “Contact Us” section below.
Right to Data Portability
You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. You also have the right to transmit this data to another controller without hindrance from us.
SSL or TLS Encryption
For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as inquiries or orders that you send to us, this website uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the change in the address line of your browser from “http://” to “https://” and the lock symbol in your browser address bar.
Encrypted Payment Transactions on This Website
If you enter into a contract that requires you to send us your payment information (e.g., credit card numbers), we will require the use of encryption to ensure the secure transmission of this data.
Information, Deletion, and Correction
You have the right to request information about your stored data, its origin, recipients, and the purpose of its collection at any time. You also have the right to have this data corrected, blocked, or deleted. Please contact us using the information provided in the “Contact Us” section below.
Right to Restriction of Processing
You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. To exercise this right, please contact us using the information provided in the “Contact Us” section below.
Objection to Advertising Emails
We hereby expressly prohibit the use of contact data published on this website for sending unsolicited advertising and information materials. The operators of this website expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of unsolicited promotional information, such as spam emails.
Data Collection on This Website
We, at nsfas-status-check.co.za, are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. Below is an outline of the various types of data that we collect and process on this website.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies to enhance your user experience. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device. They do not cause any harm to your computer and do not contain any viruses. We use cookies to make our website more user-friendly, effective, and secure. You can set your browser to notify you about the use of cookies and allow them only in specific cases. Disabling cookies may limit the functionality of this website.
Cookie Consent with Borlabs Cookie
This website uses Borlabs Cookie, a tool for managing your cookie preferences. It enables you to give your consent or revoke your consent to the use of cookies on this website. Your preferences will be stored for your future visits.
Cookie Consent with Consent Manager Provider
In addition to Borlabs Cookie, we may utilize a Consent Manager Provider to facilitate the management of your consent regarding the use of cookies. This further ensures that your preferences are respected and adhered to, allowing you to have control over the data collected through cookies.
Please note that you have the option to manage your cookie settings directly through your browser. You can configure your browser to notify you when cookies are being used and to allow you to accept or reject them. However, please be aware that disabling cookies may affect the functionality and performance of certain parts of this website.
Contact Form
When you use the contact form on our website to make inquiries or requests, we collect the data you provide, such as your name, email address, and any other information you choose to share. We use this information solely for the purpose of responding to your inquiries and providing the necessary assistance.
Inquiries by Email, Telephone, or Fax
If you choose to contact us through email, telephone, or fax, we will collect the information you provide to us in order to address your queries or requests. We may store this information for future reference and for the purpose of improving our services.
Registration on This Website
If registration is required to access certain features of this website, we collect the necessary information to create your account. This may include your name, email address, and any other relevant details required for registration purposes.
Comment Function on This Website
Our website may offer a comment function where you can post comments on specific articles or content. When you leave a comment, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your comment. This information is stored on our servers and may be displayed publicly, depending on the settings of the website.
Storage Period for Comments
The comments and the associated data (e.g., IP address) are stored and remain on our website until the content on which the comment was made is completely deleted or the comments are removed for legal reasons.
Legal Basis
The storage of comments is based on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). You may revoke your consent at any time. An informal email making this request is sufficient. The data processed before we receive your request may still be legally processed.
Social Media
We understand the importance of your privacy, including when you interact with our website through social media platforms. The following sections outline our policies regarding the use of social media plugins and other related services.
Social Media Plugins with Shariff
Our website uses the Shariff plugin to allow you to share content on various social media platforms. Shariff protects your privacy by ensuring that these social media platforms do not automatically collect your data when you visit our website. The plugin establishes direct contact between the social network and the user only when the user actively clicks on one of the share buttons. By using the Shariff plugin, we aim to protect your data and provide you with a seamless sharing experience.
Facebook Plugins (Like & Share-Button)
Our website may include plugins from Facebook, such as the Like and Share buttons. These plugins enable a direct connection between your browser and the Facebook servers. As a result, Facebook receives information that you have visited our site with your IP address. Please note that if you are logged into your Facebook account while visiting our site, Facebook may link this information to your account.
Twitter Plugin
We may also use the Twitter plugin to facilitate the sharing of content on our website via Twitter. This plugin establishes a direct connection between your browser and Twitter’s servers when you visit our site. By utilizing the Twitter plugin, you can share content directly with your Twitter followers. Please note that Twitter may collect data about your visit to our website if you are logged into your Twitter account during your visit.
Analytics Tools and Advertising
In order to improve our services and enhance your experience on our website, we utilize various analytics tools and advertising services. We are committed to ensuring that your data is protected and used responsibly.
Google Tag Manager
Our website uses Google Tag Manager, a tool that allows us to manage website tags easily. Tags are small code elements used to track traffic and visitor behavior, measure the performance of our website, and optimize and personalize our marketing efforts. Google Tag Manager does not collect any personal data. It is a service that triggers other tags, which may collect data under certain circumstances.
Google Analytics
We utilize Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and understand how visitors engage with our website. This service helps us to improve our website and provide a better user experience. Google Analytics may collect information such as your IP address, the time of your visit, the pages you visited, and other statistics.
IP Anonymization
To protect your privacy, we have enabled IP anonymization in Google Analytics. This means that your IP address will be shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or other parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before being transmitted to the US. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the US and shortened there.
Browser Plugin
You can prevent the collection and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Order Processing
If you place an order or make a purchase through our website, we may collect and process your data for the purpose of order fulfillment. This may include your name, address, contact information, and payment details. We store this data for as long as necessary to complete the transaction and comply with legal obligations.
Storage Period
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We will delete personal data when it is no longer needed and, in any case, upon your request.
WP Statistics
We use WP Statistics to analyze and track website traffic. This tool helps us understand how visitors engage with our website and allows us to improve our content and services accordingly. WP Statistics does not process personal data and ensures the privacy of our website visitors.
Google AdSense
Our website may use Google AdSense for the purpose of displaying personalized advertisements. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to our website or other websites. These cookies enable Google and its partners to serve ads to you based on your browsing history. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings.
Google DoubleClick
We may also use Google DoubleClick for the purpose of showing you relevant advertisements. Google DoubleClick uses cookies to serve ads based on your interests and browsing history. You can manage your ad preferences and opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings.
Newsletters
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect and process the data you provide, such as your name and email address. We use this information to send you updates, news, and promotional content related to our services. You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by using the unsubscribe link provided in the newsletter or by contacting us directly.
Newsletter Data
We do not share your newsletter data with third parties. Your data is used solely for the purpose of sending you our newsletter and related information. We ensure the security and confidentiality of your newsletter data and strive to protect it from unauthorized access or disclosure.
Plugins and Tools
We use various plugins and tools to enhance the functionality of our website. Below are the details of the specific plugins and tools we use:
YouTube with Extended Data Protection
Our website may embed videos from YouTube using the privacy-enhanced mode. This mode may set cookies on your computer once you click on the YouTube video player, but YouTube will not store personally identifiable cookie information for playbacks of embedded videos using the privacy-enhanced mode.
Video without Tracking (Do-Not-Track)
We may also embed videos, ensuring that the embedded videos do not track user information or browsing behavior. This is to protect your privacy and ensure that your activity on our website is not monitored by third-party services.
Google Web Fonts (Local Hosting)
Our website may utilize Google Web Fonts to ensure a consistent and visually appealing display of fonts. When you open a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into your browser cache to display texts and fonts correctly. For this purpose, your browser must connect to Google’s servers. However, this does not allow Google to access personal data. We use Google Web Fonts based on our legitimate interest in a uniform and attractive presentation of our online services.
Font Awesome (Local Hosting)
We may also use Font Awesome icons to enhance the visual presentation of our website. Font Awesome is a font and icon toolkit based on CSS and LESS. It allows us to easily incorporate attractive icons into our website without compromising loading speed. Using Font Awesome improves the user experience without compromising user privacy.
Google reCAPTCHA
We use Google reCAPTCHA to protect our website from spam and abuse. Google reCAPTCHA is a service provided by Google that helps us distinguish between human users and automated bots. This service collects information from users to determine whether they are humans or bots. The information collected includes IP addresses, mouse movements, and other data that Google may use to improve its reCAPTCHA service and for general security purposes.
eCommerce and Payment Providers
We offer eCommerce services and use payment providers to facilitate secure and efficient transactions on our website. Here are the details of the payment services we use:
Payment Services
We may offer various payment options for the purchase of goods or services on our website. When you make a purchase, we collect and process the necessary data to complete the transaction, including your name, address, and payment information. We may use this information to fulfill your order and provide you with the purchased products or services.
PayPal
We may use PayPal as one of our payment providers. When you choose to pay via PayPal, your payment data is processed by PayPal, subject to PayPal’s privacy policy. We do not have access to your full payment information, such as your bank account or credit card details. We rely on PayPal’s secure payment processing to ensure the safety and confidentiality of your payment data.
Children’s Privacy
Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or maintain personal information from anyone under 13 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information.
Your Choices
Access, Update, and Delete Personal Information: You can access, update, or delete your personal information by contacting us. We will make reasonable efforts to respond to your requests.
Opt-Out: You can opt out of receiving promotional emails from us by following the instructions provided in those emails. Even if you opt out of receiving promotional emails, you may still receive service-related communications from us.
Security
We take security seriously and have implemented technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information. While we make every effort to ensure the integrity and security of our systems, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version will be posted on our website with the effective date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes signifies your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at our contact page.