AFS Interculture South Africa and your Privacy
AFS Interculture South Africa understands and appreciates that applicants, participants and volunteers may be concerned about their privacy and the confidentiality and security of their information held by the AFS network.
AFS Interculture South Africa is committed to protecting your privacy and to complying with the National Privacy Principles. This Privacy Policy sets out AFS Interculture South Africa’s practices and procedures on the collection, use, protection and recording of personal information that is collected online and offline. The Privacy Policy is regularly reviewed to ensure its currency and relevance, so you should occasionally review it.
Information Collected
Generally speaking, AFS Interculture South Africa collects personal information about our applicants, students and volunteers via physical and electronic registration forms sent in or submitted online or by telephone. The type of information we collect will depend on how you are involved with AFS. Generally speaking, the personal information we might need to collect includes name, contact details (for example, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number(s), facsimile number), citizenship, qualifications, date of birth, occupation, educational background. Any printed forms you complete and send in will generally be kept with a hard copy file and the information will be stored on a database. Any information you provide (e.g. contact details) when using an online registration form will only be collected by us if you submit your form. If you log out prior to submitting your form, any information you had entered is automatically deleted.
Use and Disclosure of Information
Personal information supplied by an applicant, participant or volunteer is only used by AFS Interculture South Africa in connection with conducting its business as an intercultural exchange organisation. We use the personal information you give us to provide you as an applicant, participant or volunteer with services. We also use the information you provide such as survey data and feedback, to continually improve our products and services.
AFS Interculture South Africa will not generally disclose personal information concerning applicants, participants and volunteers to parties outside the AFS network, other than for a purpose directly related to the provision or improvement of our services. We will at all times strive to ensure that you are aware of how we use your information. If we need to use your personal details for a purpose other than one that we believe you would reasonably expect as an applicant, participant or volunteer we will seek your specific consent.
In order to deliver our services we occasionally need to provide some personal information details provided by you to our agents, contractors or third party service providers. External parties are generally providers of administrative, telecommunications, computer or other services that support the operation of our business and are under contract to keep that information confidential and secure. Personal information is occasionally shared, on a strictly confidential basis, for the purpose of running joint venture events and/or sponsorship. AFS Interculture South Africa does not provide or sell any database information to external organisations for commercial purposes.
Security
AFS Interculture South Africa maintains strict standards and security procedures to prevent unauthorised access to personal information and to ensure the correct and proper use of such information. Access to personal information held electronically is protected from unauthorised access through the use of log-in name and secure password. This restriction of access ensures that such information is only available and displayed to the intended person.
Encryption technology is used to ensure that information is protected when being transmitted over the Internet. AFS Interculture South Africa cannot ensure the security of any information transmitted over the Internet and individuals do so at their own risk. However, once we receive a transmission, we take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is secure on our systems and those of our agents.
Access to Information
In order to properly service your needs AFS Interculture South Africa invites applicants, participants and volunteers to regularly access and update their personal information at any time. AFS Interculture South Africa always strives to maintain accurate, complete and up-to-date information.
To access, check or amend any such information held, please use our website or contact AFS Interculture South Africa by email, phone, letter or fax.
Cookies
A “cookie” is a small data file that contains information about your visit to a website. Your computer provides this information during you first visit to a web server. The server records this information in a text file and stores this file on your hard drive. When you visit the same website again, the server looks for the cookie and structures itself based on the information provided. A cookie only identifies your computer to a web server when you visit the site, they do not identify users.
We use cookies to enhance functionality, to keep track of your visits, provide personalised features and as part of the identification process for our online services. If you visit our website to browse or download
information, our web server will record the date and time of your visit to our site, the pages viewed and the information downloaded. We generally use this information for statistical purposes.
Most web browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to warn you before accepting cookies. If you have set your browser to warn you before accepting cookies, you will receive the warning message with each cookie. You can refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. If your browser is configured to reject all cookies, you will be unable to use services on this website that requires cookies in order to participate. You may still be able to use some information-only pages if you do not accept cookies.
Links to other sites
Our website contains links to other websites and this statement has no application to these other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these other websites.
Complaints
If any applicant, participant or volunteer wishes to lodge a complaint regarding the way in which AFS Interculture South Africa is handling their personal information, they should contact AFS Interculture South Africa in the first instance. In the event that the individual and AFS Interculture South Africa are unable to reach a satisfactory solution through negotiation, the individual is entitled to arrange for an independent person (such as the Privacy Commissioner) to investigate the complaint.
How to contact AFS Interculture South Africa
If you have any questions or require further information about the AFS Interculture South Africa privacy policy, please contact us by email to info-southafrica@afs.org
Privacy Officer
AFS Interculture South Africa
7/9 Keyes Ave
Parklands Cntr – Suite 106
Rosebank – Johannesburg
Phone (+27) (11) 447 2673
Fax (+27) (11) 447 2693
Postal address
PO Box 753
Parklands 2121
Johannesburg