Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Expanders is operated by Expansion Effect ("we", "us" or "our"), a business based in the Republic of South Africa.

For the purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") we are the responsible party for the personal information described below. Our Information Officer can be reached at the address above, and our full legal and ownership details are available on request.

2. What this policy covers

This policy covers personal information we collect through weareexpanders.com, through our email list (The Expansion Letter), and through enquiries and applications you send us.

It does not cover the Skool platform, where the Expanders community itself is hosted and where membership payments are taken. Skool is a separate company with its own privacy policy, and when you join the community you deal with them directly as well as with us. The same applies to any other third-party platform we link to.

3. What we collect

Information you give us

Information collected automatically when you visit

• Your IP address, browser type, device type, approximate location, and the pages you visit
• How you arrived — the referring site, and any advertising or campaign tags in the link you clicked
• Data set by the analytics and advertising tools listed in clause 8

Information stored on your own device

The newsletter quiz saves your answers in your browser's local storage (under el_answers) so the result page can show you a relevant result. You can clear it at any time by clearing your browser data.

We do not collect payment card details. Membership payments are handled by Skool and, where applicable, by our payment providers — we never see or store your card number.

We do not knowingly collect special personal information (as POPIA defines it — race, health, religion, biometrics and similar) and you should not send it to us.

4. Why we process it, and on what basis

We tell you at the point of collection that we will use your details to send you marketing. If you would rather we didn't, don't submit the form, or unsubscribe at any time.

5. Direct marketing — and how to stop it

Every marketing email we send carries who it is from and a one-click unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing takes effect for all our marketing, not just the email you clicked from.

You can also object at any time by emailing hello@weareexpanders.com, or by using the Information Regulator's prescribed Form 1 if you prefer. We keep a record of everyone who has objected, and we do not contact them again.

6. Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the third-party service providers who make Expanders work — operators under POPIA, who process it on our instructions and are contractually required to keep it secure. The categories of recipient are:

We may also disclose personal information where the law requires it, or to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

7. Sending your information outside South Africa

Most of the providers in those categories process data outside South Africa, mainly in the United States and the European Union. Section 72 of POPIA allows this where the recipient is bound by an agreement, rule or law that gives your information protection substantially similar to POPIA, or where you consent.

We rely on the data processing agreements our providers publish and enter into, which impose those protections. Where that basis does not apply, we rely on the consent you give by submitting your details to us. By using this site and submitting a form, you understand your information will be processed outside South Africa.

8. Cookies, pixels and similar technologies

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and you can opt out of much of this through your Meta ad preferences and Google's advertising settings. Blocking them will not stop you reading the site.

9. How long we keep it

• Newsletter subscribers — until you unsubscribe, and then only enough of a record to make sure we don't email you again.
• Enquiries and applications — up to 3 years after our last contact, so we have the history if you come back.
• Members — for the life of your membership, and afterwards for as long as tax and accounting law requires records to be kept.
• Analytics data — per the retention settings of the tools in clause 8.

10. How we protect it

We use reputable providers, access our systems over encrypted connections, and keep access limited to people who need it. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security — but if a breach affects your personal information, POPIA requires us to notify you and the Information Regulator, and we will.

11. Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• Ask what we hold about you, and get a copy (s23)
• Correct or delete information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, misleading or unlawfully obtained (s24)
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests (s11(3))
• Stop receiving marketing at any time (s69, and clause 5 above)
• Complain to the Information Regulator (clause 13)

To exercise any of these, email hello@weareexpanders.com. We will respond as soon as reasonably possible. We may need to confirm who you are first, so that we don't hand your information to someone else.

12. Children

This site, the newsletter and the community are intended for adults running or starting a business. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us their details, email us and we will delete them.

13. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information, please tell us first — hello@weareexpanders.com — so we can try to put it right.

You also have the right to complain directly to:

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as what we do changes. The "last updated" date at the top always reflects the current version. If we make a change that materially affects how we use your information, we will tell you by email.

15. Contact

Expansion Effect
Republic of South Africa
hello@weareexpanders.com