PRIVACY POLICY.
How we collect, process, and protect your personal information — in full compliance with South Africa's POPIA legislation.
WHO WE ARE
BLK STUDIO (PTY) LTD, trading as BLVCK STUDIO ("we", "us", "our"), is a digital production studio registered in South Africa. We operate the website blkstudio.co.za and all associated sub-properties. Our registered contact address for privacy matters is: hello@blvckstudio.co.za.
INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We collect information you voluntarily provide when you submit a project inquiry or contact form — including your name, email address, phone number, and business name. We also collect standard technical data automatically: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and referral source via Google Analytics (anonymised). We do not collect payment card data — all transactions are processed directly by third-party payment processors.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
Your information is used solely to: respond to your project inquiry; send you relevant studio updates if you have opted in; improve our website performance and user experience via analytics. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes.
LEGAL BASIS (POPIA)
We process your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Our lawful basis for processing is: legitimate interest (responding to inquiries), contractual necessity (delivering services you have engaged us for), and your explicit consent where applicable. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us.
DATA RETENTION
We retain contact inquiry records for a maximum of 24 months from the date of your last interaction with us. Analytics data is retained for 14 months in line with Google Analytics defaults. After these periods, your data is securely deleted.
THIRD-PARTY SERVICES
We use the following trusted third-party services that may process your data: Google Analytics (website analytics, anonymised); Formspree (form submission routing); Netlify (website hosting). Each of these services operates under their own privacy policies and security standards.
YOUR RIGHTS
Under POPIA, you have the right to: access the personal information we hold about you; request correction of inaccurate data; request deletion of your data; object to processing; lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@blvckstudio.co.za.
COOKIES
We use essential cookies required for site functionality, and analytical cookies (Google Analytics) to understand how visitors interact with our website. You may disable cookies in your browser settings at any time, though some site features may be affected.
SECURITY
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our site is served over HTTPS with SSL encryption. However, no transmission over the internet is 100% secure.
CONTACT & COMPLAINTS
For any privacy-related queries, contact our Information Officer at hello@blvckstudio.co.za. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may contact the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforeg@justice.gov.za.