Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 15, 2025

At dawnsparkmeadow, we understand that your privacy is fundamental to your trust in our cost management platform. This comprehensive privacy policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share your personal information when you use our services at dawnsparkmeadow.com.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide you with our cost management services and improve your experience on our platform. Understanding what information we collect helps you make informed decisions about using our services.

Personal Information You Provide

When you register for dawnsparkmeadow or use our services, you may provide us with personal information including:

Your name, email address, and phone number
Company information and business details
Financial data necessary for cost management analysis
Payment information for subscription services
Communication preferences and profile settings
Any information you choose to include in your user profile

Information We Collect Automatically

As you navigate our platform, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns:

IP address and geographic location data
Browser type, operating system, and device information
Pages visited, time spent on pages, and click patterns
Search queries and feature usage statistics
Session recordings for user experience improvement
Cookies and similar tracking technologies

Cookie Notice: We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, remember your preferences, and analyze site traffic. You can control cookie settings through your browser, though some features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

2. How We Use Your Information

Your information helps us deliver personalized cost management solutions and continuously improve our services. We use the collected information for several specific purposes that directly benefit your experience with dawnsparkmeadow.

Purpose	Data Used	Legal Basis
Service Delivery	Account information, financial data	Contract performance
Platform Improvement	Usage analytics, feedback	Legitimate interest
Customer Support	Contact details, service history	Contract performance
Marketing Communications	Email, preferences	Consent
Security & Fraud Prevention	Login data, device information	Legitimate interest

Specific Use Cases

We process your personal information for these specific business purposes:

Generating cost analysis reports and financial insights
Providing personalized recommendations for cost optimization
Processing payments and managing subscription billing
Sending important service updates and security notifications
Conducting research to improve our algorithms and features
Ensuring platform security and preventing unauthorized access

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We take data sharing seriously and only share your information under specific circumstances that are necessary for service delivery or required by law. Your trust is paramount, and we're committed to transparency about when and why we might share your data.

Third-Party Service Providers

We work with carefully selected third-party providers who help us deliver our services. These partners include:

Cloud hosting providers for secure data storage
Payment processors for subscription and transaction handling
Analytics services for understanding user behavior
Customer support platforms for efficient service delivery
Email service providers for communication delivery

Important: All third-party providers are bound by strict contractual obligations to protect your data and use it only for the specific purposes we've authorized. We regularly audit these relationships to ensure compliance with our privacy standards.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by South African law or to protect our legitimate interests, including:

Compliance with legal processes and government requests
Protection of our rights, property, and safety
Investigation of potential violations of our terms of service
Prevention of fraud and other illegal activities

4. Data Security and Protection

Protecting your information is our highest priority. We've implemented comprehensive security measures designed to safeguard your data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

Technical Safeguards

Our technical security measures include:

End-to-end encryption for all data transmission
Advanced firewall protection and intrusion detection
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Secure data centers with 24/7 monitoring
Multi-factor authentication for account access
Regular security updates and patch management

Administrative Safeguards

We maintain strict internal policies and procedures:

Limited access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
Regular employee training on data protection practices
Incident response procedures for potential security breaches
Data retention policies to minimize unnecessary data storage
Regular compliance audits and security assessments

Data Breach Response: In the unlikely event of a data breach, we will notify affected users within 72 hours and take immediate steps to secure the compromised data and prevent further unauthorized access.

5. Your Rights and Choices

You have significant control over your personal information. We respect your privacy rights and provide multiple ways for you to manage, access, and control your data.

Access and Portability Rights

You have the right to:

Access all personal information we hold about you
Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
Transfer your data to another service provider
Request details about how your data is processed

Correction and Deletion Rights

You can also:

Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
Delete your account and associated data
Restrict processing of your information in certain circumstances
Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Withdraw consent for marketing communications

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, you can:

Log into your account and modify your profile settings
Contact our privacy team at info@dawnsparkmeadow.com
Use the unsubscribe link in marketing emails
Submit a formal request through our support system

Response Time: We will respond to your privacy requests within 30 days. For complex requests, we may extend this period by an additional 60 days and will notify you of any delays.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to comply with our legal obligations. Our retention practices are designed to balance your privacy rights with business and legal requirements.

Retention Periods

Data Type	Retention Period	Reason
Account Information	Duration of account + 7 years	Legal compliance, tax records
Financial Data	7 years after account closure	Regulatory requirements
Usage Analytics	26 months	Service improvement
Communication Records	3 years	Customer service quality
Marketing Data	Until consent withdrawn	Marketing communications

Secure Deletion Process

When data reaches the end of its retention period, we follow a secure deletion process:

Automated identification of data eligible for deletion
Secure overwriting of data on all storage systems
Verification that data has been completely removed
Documentation of the deletion process for audit purposes
Notification to relevant third parties to delete shared data

7. International Data Transfers

While dawnsparkmeadow operates primarily within South Africa, some of our service providers may be located in other countries. We ensure that all international data transfers meet strict privacy and security standards.

Transfer Safeguards

When transferring data internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards:

Standard contractual clauses approved by data protection authorities
Adequacy decisions for countries with equivalent privacy protection
Binding corporate rules for transfers within multinational organizations
Certification schemes and codes of conduct

Your Rights: You have the right to obtain information about the safeguards we use for international transfers and to request a copy of the relevant transfer agreements.

8. Children's Privacy

dawnsparkmeadow's cost management platform is designed for business use and is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 years of age.

If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our systems. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 18, please contact us immediately at info@dawnsparkmeadow.com.

Parents and guardians who believe their child has provided us with personal information should contact us using the information provided in this policy.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and protect your information.

Notification of Changes

When we make significant changes to this policy, we will:

Send you an email notification at least 30 days before the changes take effect
Post a prominent notice on our website
Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
Provide a summary of key changes in our notification

Your continued use of our services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised privacy policy. If you disagree with the changes, you may terminate your account before the changes take effect.

Contact Us About Privacy

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal information, we're here to help. You can reach our privacy team through any of the following methods:

Email: info@dawnsparkmeadow.com

Phone: +27413609157

Mail: dawnsparkmeadow Privacy Team
Gecko Ridge Rd, Mooiplaas
Pretoria, 0065
South Africa

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within 48 hours during business days.