Privacy Policy
1. Who We Are
Comfy Syntax is a South African digital education brand that creates and sells downloadable coding resources — including PDF study packs, coding journals, flashcards, workbooks, planners, and educational templates — designed for beginner coders, students, and career changers.
For the purposes of POPIA, Comfy Syntax is the Responsible Party — the person or organisation that decides why and how your personal information is processed.
- Website: https://comfysyntax.co.za
- Email: hello@comfysyntax.co.za
2. What Personal Information We Collect
We only collect the personal information we genuinely need to run our business. Here is what we may collect when you interact with our website or make a purchase:
Information You Provide Directly
- Name — to personalise your order and communications
- Email address — to send your purchase confirmation, download links, and customer support replies
- Billing information — your billing address and payment details (processed securely through our payment provider; we do not store card numbers)
- Order history — details of what you have purchased, so we can assist with queries or re-send downloads if needed
Information Collected Automatically
- Website analytics data — pages visited, time spent on site, referring URL, device and browser type, and general location (country/city level). This is collected via cookies and analytics tools to help us understand how our site is used.
- Technical data — your IP address and session data, used for security and fraud prevention.
Information We Do Not Collect
We do not collect sensitive personal information such as your ID number, race, religion, health information, or biometric data.
3. Why We Collect Your Information
We process your personal information only for the following legitimate purposes:
- To process and fulfil your purchase — including generating your order confirmation and delivering your digital download links
- To provide customer support — so we can respond to your questions, help with download issues, or handle refund requests
- To improve our website and products — using anonymised analytics data to understand how visitors use the site and where we can make things better
- To send marketing communications — but only if you have given us your explicit consent (for example, by subscribing to our mailing list). You can unsubscribe at any time.
- To comply with legal obligations — such as keeping records required by South African tax law
We will never use your information for any purpose that is incompatible with the reasons listed above.
4. Marketing Communications
We will only send you marketing emails, newsletters, or promotional offers if you have actively opted in — for example, by ticking a checkbox on our website or subscribing to our mailing list.
Every marketing email we send includes a clear, one-click unsubscribe link. You can opt out at any time with no penalty. Unsubscribing from marketing emails will not affect your ability to receive order-related emails.
5. Cookies and Analytics
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help the website remember your preferences and understand how you use it.
Cookies We Use
- Essential cookies — required for the website to function (e.g., your shopping cart, session management). These cannot be turned off.
- Analytics cookies — help us understand visitor behaviour so we can improve the site. We use Google Analytics. These cookies collect anonymised data.
- Functional cookies — remember your preferences (e.g., language or currency settings).
Managing Cookies
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect how the website works. Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies.
6. Who We Share Your Information With
We never sell your personal information to third parties. Ever.
We may share your information with trusted service providers who help us run our business — but only to the extent necessary, and only with providers who are bound by their own privacy and data protection obligations. These include:
- Payment processors — such as PayFast (South Africa), Gumroad, and Etsy, to securely handle your payment. We do not store your full payment card details.
- Email service providers — to send transactional emails (order confirmations, download links) and, with your consent, marketing emails.
- Website hosting and infrastructure providers — to host and operate comfysyntax.co.za.
- Analytics providers — to analyse anonymised website usage data.
We may also disclose your information if required to do so by South African law, a court order, or a lawful request by a regulatory authority.
7. How We Store and Protect Your Information
We take the security of your personal information seriously and have put reasonable technical and organisational measures in place to protect it, including:
- HTTPS encryption on our website
- Secure payment processing through PCI-DSS compliant payment providers
- Access controls so that only authorised people can access personal information
- Regular review of our data handling practices
Despite these measures, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you have reason to believe your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately at hello@comfysyntax.co.za.
How Long We Keep Your Information
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose it was collected for, including to satisfy any legal, tax, or accounting requirements. Order records are typically retained for a minimum of 5 years in line with South African tax requirements. Marketing preferences are retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
8. Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the following rights:
You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations we have to retain it.
You can object to us processing your information for direct marketing purposes at any time.
If you gave consent for processing, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect processing done before withdrawal.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been violated.
9. How to Request Access, Correction, or Deletion
To exercise any of your rights, please send us a written request by email. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request, in line with POPIA requirements.
- Email: hello@comfysyntax.co.za
- Subject line: “POPIA Data Request — [Your Name]”
- Please include your full name, email address, and a clear description of what you are requesting.
We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will not charge a fee for reasonable requests.
South African Information Regulator
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:
- Website: www.inforegulator.org.za
- Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
10. Third-Party Websites and Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites (for example, Gumroad or Etsy). This Privacy Policy applies only to comfysyntax.co.za. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies before sharing any personal information with them.
11. Children’s Privacy
Our products and website are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us at hello@comfysyntax.co.za and we will delete it promptly.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Continuing to use our website after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, we’d love to hear from you. We’re a small, people-first business and we take your privacy seriously.