Privacy Policy - HowToGuide

Reading Time: 8 minutes

Effective Date: 3 July 2026
Last Updated: 8 August 2026

Welcome to HowToGuide.co.za (“HowToGuide“, “we“, “us“, or “our“).

HowToGuide.co.za is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly, transparently, and securely.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect personal information when you visit, browse, or interact with HowToGuide.co.za.

We process personal information in accordance with applicable South African laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), where applicable.

By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

Subscribe to our newsletter.
Contact us through our website.
Submit information through contact forms.
Leave comments on articles or guides.
Register for an account, where available.
Participate in surveys, competitions, or promotions.
Communicate with us by email or other communication channels.

Depending on how you interact with us, the information you provide may include:

Full name
Email address
Telephone number, where voluntarily provided
Information contained in your enquiry or message
Any other information you voluntarily submit to us

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit HowToGuide.co.za, certain technical and usage information may be collected automatically.

This may include:

IP address
Browser type and version
Operating system
Device type and information
Pages visited
Date and time of visits
Time spent on pages
Referring websites or search engines
Clickstream and navigation information
General website usage information

This information may be used to understand how visitors use our website, improve website performance, analyse traffic, maintain security, and improve our content.

2. How We Use Your Information

We may use personal information for legitimate business and operational purposes, including to:

Operate and maintain HowToGuide.co.za.
Provide access to our guides, articles, resources, and services.
Respond to enquiries and communications.
Improve our website and content.
Improve user experience.
Understand how visitors use our website.
Monitor website performance and traffic.
Conduct analytics and reporting.
Send newsletters or updates where you have subscribed or otherwise provided appropriate consent.
Maintain website security.
Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, spam, or other unlawful activity.
Comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

We will only process personal information where there is a lawful basis for doing so under applicable law.

3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

HowToGuide.co.za uses cookies and similar technologies.

A cookie is a small text file that may be stored on your device when you visit a website.

We may use cookies to:

Remember user preferences.
Improve website functionality.
Understand how visitors use our website.
Analyse website traffic.
Measure website performance.
Improve our content and services.
Support website security.
Display advertising.
Measure advertising performance.
Deliver personalised or relevant advertising where permitted.

Some cookies may be placed by third-party service providers that operate on our behalf or provide services through our website.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality or performance of parts of the website.

4. Google AdSense and Third-Party Advertising

HowToGuide.co.za may use Google AdSense and/or other third-party advertising services to display advertisements on the website.

Google and other third-party vendors may use cookies, web beacons, IP addresses, device identifiers, or similar technologies in connection with advertising.

Google Advertising Cookies

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve advertisements based on a user’s prior visits to HowToGuide.co.za or other websites.

This means that advertising displayed to you may be influenced by your previous interactions with websites or online content.

Google’s use of advertising cookies enables Google and its advertising partners to serve advertisements that may be more relevant to users based on their visits to our website and/or other websites on the internet.

Google states that AdSense uses cookies to improve advertising, including helping with advertising relevance, campaign reporting, and avoiding repeatedly showing the same advertisement.

Personalised Advertising

Where personalised advertising is enabled, advertising may be selected based on information such as a user’s previous activity, including visits to websites or apps, previous searches, interests, or other permitted signals.

Google Advertising Cookie / DoubleClick Cookie

Google advertising services may use advertising cookies, including cookies associated with Google’s advertising systems and DoubleClick.

Users can learn more about Google’s use of advertising cookies and manage their advertising preferences through Google’s advertising settings.

You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting:

Google Ads Settings:
https://adssettings.google.com/

Google’s current AdSense requirements specifically recommend informing users that third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on prior visits and providing users with an option to opt out of personalised advertising.

Users may also obtain information about opting out of certain third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising through:

Your Online Choices / About Ads:
https://optout.aboutads.info/

Please note that opting out of personalised advertising does not necessarily mean that you will stop seeing advertisements. You may continue to receive advertisements, but they may be less personalised.

5. Third-Party Advertising Vendors

Advertisements displayed on HowToGuide.co.za may be provided by Google and other third-party advertising networks or vendors.

These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, pixels, IP addresses, device identifiers, or similar technologies to:

Deliver advertisements.
Measure advertising performance.
Prevent fraudulent activity.
Limit the number of times an advertisement is shown.
Understand advertising interactions.
Provide personalised advertising where permitted.

Third-party vendors may place and read cookies on visitors’ browsers or use web beacons or IP addresses in connection with advertising displayed on our website. Google’s publisher policies require publishers to disclose these technologies when using Google products and services.

You should review the privacy policies and advertising preferences provided by the relevant third-party advertising providers for more information about how they process information.

6. Google and How Google Uses Data

Google may collect and process information when users interact with advertisements or content on websites that use Google’s advertising products.

For more information about how Google uses data when you use websites or apps that use its services, please visit Google’s information page:

How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services:
https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Google also provides users with controls for managing advertising preferences through its account and advertising settings.

7. Analytics and Website Performance

We may use analytics services, including Google Analytics or similar services, to understand how visitors interact with our website.

Analytics information may include:

Number of visitors.
Pages viewed.
Traffic sources.
Device and browser information.
Approximate geographic information.
Time spent on pages.
Website interactions.
General usage patterns.

We use this information to understand website performance, improve our content, identify technical problems, and improve the user experience.

Analytics providers may use cookies or similar technologies to collect information about website usage.

8. Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

We may share personal information with trusted third parties where reasonably necessary to operate our website or provide services.

These parties may include:

Website and Hosting Providers

We may use third-party hosting providers to store and deliver website content and infrastructure.

Email Service Providers

If you subscribe to our newsletter, your information may be processed by an email delivery or newsletter service provider.

Analytics Providers

We may use analytics providers to help us understand website traffic and user behaviour.

Security Providers

We may use third-party security, spam prevention, firewall, or monitoring services to protect our website.

Advertising Providers

Third-party advertising providers, including Google, may process information in connection with advertisements displayed on our website.

Technical Service Providers

We may use third parties for website maintenance, technical support, cloud storage, backups, or other technology-related services.

Where appropriate, service providers may only process information for the purposes for which they have been appointed and subject to applicable contractual or legal obligations.

9. Legal Disclosure

We may disclose personal information where disclosure is required or permitted by applicable law.

This may include disclosure to:

Courts.
Law enforcement agencies.
Government authorities.
Regulatory authorities.
Legal advisers.
Other authorised parties where legally required.

We may also disclose information where reasonably necessary to protect our rights, property, website, users, or the public, or to investigate suspected fraud, abuse, or unlawful activity.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or where retention is required by law.

The period for which information is retained may depend on:

The purpose for which it was collected.
The nature of the information.
Our legal or regulatory obligations.
Accounting or record-keeping requirements.
The resolution of disputes.
Security and fraud-prevention requirements.

When personal information is no longer required, we may securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it where reasonably practicable.

11. Data Security

We take reasonable technical, organisational, and administrative measures to protect personal information against:

Unauthorised access.
Unauthorised disclosure.
Loss.
Misuse.
Alteration.
Destruction.
Unlawful processing.

However, no website, internet transmission, server, or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You should also take reasonable steps to protect your own devices, accounts, passwords, and personal information when using the internet.

12. Your Rights Under POPIA

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights under POPIA relating to your personal information.

These rights may include the right to:

Request access to personal information we hold about you.
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request deletion of personal information where legally permitted.
Object to certain forms of processing.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Request information about how your personal information is processed.
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

Requests concerning your personal information should be submitted using the contact details provided in this Privacy Policy.

We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

13. Direct Marketing

Where applicable, we may send newsletters, updates, or other communications to users who have subscribed or otherwise provided appropriate consent.

You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option included in the relevant communication or by contacting us.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not necessarily stop essential administrative, security, or service-related communications.

14. Third-Party Websites and Links

HowToGuide.co.za may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, services, or resources.

These links may be provided for convenience, additional information, or reference.

We do not control third-party websites and are not responsible for their:

Privacy practices.
Security.
Content.
Terms and conditions.
Cookies.
Data-processing practices.

We recommend that you review the privacy policy of any third-party website before providing personal information.

15. Children’s Privacy

HowToGuide.co.za is intended for a general audience.

The website is not specifically directed at children under the age of 18.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate consent.

If we become aware that personal information has been collected from a child without the required consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete or otherwise appropriately handle that information in accordance with applicable law.

16. International Data Processing

Some of our technology, hosting, analytics, advertising, email, or other service providers may process information outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred or processed outside South Africa, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that such processing is conducted in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Third-party providers may also have their own privacy and data-protection policies governing how they process information.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

Changes may be made to reflect:

Changes in applicable laws.
Changes in our business practices.
Changes to our website.
Changes to our technology or service providers.
Changes to advertising or analytics services.
Changes to privacy or security requirements.

When we update this Privacy Policy, we will publish the revised version on this page and update the Last Updated date.

We encourage visitors to review this page periodically.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or your personal information, please contact us.

HowToGuide.co.za

Website:
https://howtoguide.co.za

Email:
admin@howtoguide.co.za

19. Information Regulator of South Africa

If you believe that your personal information has not been processed in accordance with applicable South African privacy laws, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

Information Regulator (South Africa)

P.O. Box 31533
Braamfontein
Johannesburg
2017
South Africa

Email:
complaints.IR@justice.gov.za

Website:
https://www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/

You may wish to contact us first so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve your concern where appropriate.

Important Notice About Advertising

HowToGuide.co.za may display advertisements provided by Google AdSense and/or other third-party advertising providers.

By visiting our website, you acknowledge that third-party advertising providers may use cookies and similar technologies in connection with advertising.

In particular, third-party vendors, including Google, may use cookies to serve advertisements based on a user’s prior visits to HowToGuide.co.za or other websites.

Users can manage or opt out of personalised advertising through Google’s advertising settings:

Google Ads Settings:
https://adssettings.google.com/

Google’s AdSense documentation confirms that publishers using Google advertising services should disclose the use of advertising cookies and explain how users can opt out of personalised advertising.