K53 Exam Preparation ("we",
"us" or
"our") is committed to
protecting your personal information in accordance with the
Protection of Personal Information
Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa. This Privacy Policy explains
how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you
use our platform.
By registering for or using K53 Exam Preparation, you agree to the terms of this
Privacy Policy. Please read it carefully.
1. Information We Collect
We collect only the minimum personal information necessary to provide our service:
- Registration information
— your first name, last name, email address and optionally your phone
number when you create an account.
- Authentication information
— a securely hashed password (we never store your plain-text password),
or your Google account identifier if you sign in using Google.
- Transaction information
— details of exams you purchase, order references and payment status.
We do not store your card details — payments are processed by PayFast,
a third-party payment gateway.
- Exam activity
— your exam attempts, answers, scores and results for the purpose of
providing the examination service.
- Technical information
— your IP address at the time of registration for compliance and
security purposes.
We do not collect your identity number, passport number, race, gender,
health information or any other special personal information as defined
under POPIA.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To create and manage your account.
- To verify your identity and authenticate your access.
- To provide you with access to purchased practice exams.
- To process your payments and send order confirmations.
- To send you account-related emails such as verification codes
and purchase confirmations.
- To send you SMS verification codes if you choose SMS verification.
- To maintain exam attempt history and results for your reference.
- To comply with our legal obligations.
We will not use your personal information for any purpose other than those
listed above without your explicit consent.
3. How We Store and Protect Your Information
Your personal information is stored on secure servers. We implement
appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data
including:
- Password hashing using PBKDF2 with SHA-256 — your password is never
stored in plain text.
- HTTPS encryption for all data in transit.
- Session-based authentication with 30-minute sliding expiry.
- Account lockout after repeated failed login attempts.
- Separation of authentication data and personal profile data in our
database to minimise exposure risk.
While we take reasonable precautions, no system is completely secure.
We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to keep it
confidential.
4. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties.
We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
- PayFast — your name
and email address are shared with PayFast solely to process your
payment. PayFast operates under its own privacy policy.
- BulkSMS — if you
choose SMS verification, your phone number is shared with BulkSMS
solely to deliver your verification code.
- Google — if you
sign in using Google Sign-In, Google authenticates you under its own
privacy policy. We only receive your verified name and email address
from Google.
- Legal requirements
— we may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in
response to a valid legal request by a competent authority.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active
or as long as needed to provide our services. If you request deletion of
your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal information within
a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain it for legal
or regulatory purposes (for example, financial transaction records).
6. Your Rights under POPIA
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- Be informed about how your personal information is used (this policy).
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Object to the processing of your personal information.
- Lodge a complaint with the
Information Regulator of South Africa
if you believe your rights have been violated.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.
7. Cookies and Session Data
We use session cookies to maintain your login state while you are using
the platform. These cookies are not used for advertising or tracking
purposes. They are deleted when you sign out or when your session expires.
We do not use third-party tracking or analytics cookies.
8. Children
Our platform is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not
knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you
believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please
contact us and we will delete it promptly.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will
update the version number and effective date at the top of this page.
Continued use of the platform after any changes constitutes your acceptance
of the updated policy. If the changes are material, we will notify you by
email or by a prominent notice on the platform.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise
your rights, please contact us at: