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Mas Africa (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a UK-based non-profit organisation operating the website masasfrica.org. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the lawful processing of your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who we are
MasasAfrica is the data controller responsible for the collection and processing of your personal data through this website.
What personal data we collect and why we collect it
We may collect the following personal information:
- Contact details: Name, email address, phone number
- Professional information: Job title, organisation (if you register for events or projects)
- Communications: Emails, messages, and enquiries
- Website usage data: IP address, browser type, device information, location (approximate), cookies
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor had visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
How We Collect Your Information
- When you fill out forms (e.g., to register for events, contact us, or sign up for updates)
- When you browse our website (through cookies and analytics tools)
- When you communicate with us directly (e.g., via email or phone)
Legal Basis for Processing Your Data
Under the UK GDPR, we must have a legal reason (“lawful basis”) to process your personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on:
- Consent – e.g., when you sign up for newsletters or updates
- Contract – when you register for a service or event
- Legitimate interest – for improving our services, securing the website, or sending relevant information
- Legal obligation – to comply with UK laws and regulations
How We Use Your Data
We may use your personal data to:
- Respond to your enquiries
- Register you for events, programmes, or newsletters
- Send you updates about our work, with your permission
- Improve our website and services using analytics
- Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
Who We Share Your Data With
We will never sell your personal information.
We may share your data with:
- Service providers (e.g., email systems, website hosts, analytics providers)
- Partners involved in organising events or programmes (only when necessary)
- Legal authorities if required by law or to protect our rights
All third parties must respect your data and process it only under our instructions.
International Data Transfers
If we transfer your personal data outside the UK (e.g., if a service provider is based overseas), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
- UK-approved Standard Contractual Clauses
- Transfers to countries with adequate protection laws
How Long We Keep Your Data
We only keep your personal information as long as necessary. Typically:
- Contact and event data: 3 years after last interaction
- Newsletter subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe
- Legal/financial records: As required by UK law (usually 6–7 years)
After this, your data will be deleted or anonymised securely.
Your Rights Under UK Data Law
You have rights regarding your personal data:
- Access – ask for a copy of your data
- Correction – request changes if your data is wrong
- Erasure – ask for your data to be deleted (“right to be forgotten”)
- Restriction – ask us to pause data processing
- Objection – say no to certain uses (e.g., direct marketing)
- Data portability – request to transfer your data to another service
📩 To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: privacy@masasfrica.org
Cookies
We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and understand how people use our website. You can accept, reject, or manage your cookie preferences when visiting our site.
Complaints
If you’re unhappy with how we handle your data:
- First, contact us at: info@masasfrica.org
- If unresolved, you can contact the UK’s data regulator:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we’ll post the new version here and notify you if the changes are significant.