Privacy Policy for Knights of Da Gama

This Privacy Policy describes how Knights of Da Gama (the “Organization,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and discloses your Personal Information when you interact with our website (powered by Wild Apricot) or our WhatsApp AI Chatbot (the “Services”). The WhatsApp AI Chatbot is built using the WhatsApp API, Botpress for automation and vector database management, and integrated AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude.

Contact

After reviewing this policy, if you have additional questions, want more information about our privacy practices, or would like to make a complaint, please contact us by email at kdgss@knightsofdagama.org or by mail using the details provided below: Knights of Da Gama, PO Box 13167, Edenvale, 1610, South Africa. For physical correspondence or visits, our address is 88 Eighth Avenue, Edenvale, Gauteng, 1609, South Africa. Landline: 011 452 3220.

Collecting Personal Information

When you visit our website or interact with our WhatsApp AI Chatbot, we collect certain information about your device, your interactions with the Services, and information necessary to provide support or fulfill requests. We may also collect additional information if you contact us directly. In this Privacy Policy, we refer to any information about an identifiable individual (including the information below) as “Personal Information.” See the list below for more information about what Personal Information we collect and why.

• Device and Interaction Information
  • Purpose of collection: To load the website accurately, perform analytics on usage to optimize our Services, ensure secure interactions, and improve the chatbot experience.
  • Source of collection: Collected automatically when you access our website using cookies, log files, web beacons, tags, or pixels; or when you interact with the chatbot via WhatsApp (e.g., device type, IP address).
  • Disclosure for a business purpose: Shared with our service providers, including Wild Apricot (for website hosting), Meta (for WhatsApp API), Botpress (for chatbot automation), and AI platforms (ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude for processing queries).
  • Personal Information collected: Version of web browser or app, IP address, time zone, cookie information, pages or features viewed, search terms, interaction history with the chatbot (e.g., messages sent), and how you interact with the Services.
• Membership and Contact Information
  • Purpose of collection: To manage membership, process inquiries, provide organizational updates, fulfill chatbot requests (e.g., event information, support), communicate with you, and screen interactions for potential risks or inappropriate use.
  • Source of collection: Collected from you when you register on the website, subscribe to newsletters, or interact with the chatbot (e.g., via WhatsApp messages).
  • Disclosure for a business purpose: Shared with our processors, including Wild Apricot, Meta, Botpress, and AI platforms.
  • Personal Information collected: Name, email address, phone number (required for WhatsApp interactions), mailing address, membership details, and any content shared in messages or forms.
• Customer Support and Query Information
  • Purpose of collection: To provide support, respond to inquiries, and improve our Services.
  • Source of collection: Collected from you during interactions.
  • Disclosure for a business purpose: Shared with service providers as needed.
  • Personal Information collected: Any additional details you provide in support requests or chatbot conversations.

We do not collect sensitive Personal Information (e.g., health data, religious beliefs beyond membership context) unless voluntarily provided and necessary for organizational purposes.

Sharing Personal Information

We share your Personal Information with service providers to help us provide our Services and fulfill our obligations, as described above. For example:

• We use Wild Apricot to manage our website and membership platform. You can read more about how Wild Apricot uses your Personal Information here: https://www.wildapricot.com/privacy-policy.
• We use Meta's WhatsApp API for the chatbot. You can read more about Meta's data practices here: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy.
• We use Botpress for chatbot automation and vector database management. You can read more about Botpress's privacy practices here: https://botpress.com/legal/privacy.
• We integrate AI platforms (ChatGPT by OpenAI, Grok by xAI, or Claude by Anthropic) to process queries. Their privacy policies are available at: OpenAI https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy, xAI https://x.ai/privacy, and Anthropic https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy.
• We may share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant, or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights.

We do not sell your Personal Information to third parties.

Behavioural Advertising

We may use your Personal Information to provide targeted communications or updates we believe may be of interest to you. For example:

• We use analytics tools to understand how users interact with our Services.
• If applicable, we may share anonymized data with partners for organizational insights.

For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page at https://www.networkadvertising.org/understanding-online-advertising/how-does-it-work.

You can opt out of targeted advertising by visiting relevant links (e.g., Facebook/Meta: https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=ads; Google: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/anonymous). Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at: https://optout.aboutads.info/.

Using Personal Information

We use your Personal Information to provide our Services to you, which includes: managing memberships, responding to inquiries via the chatbot, sending organizational updates, and improving our offerings.

Lawful Basis

Pursuant to the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) or equivalent laws (e.g., POPIA in South Africa), if applicable, we process your Personal Information under the following lawful bases:

• Your consent;
• The performance of our obligations to you;
• Compliance with our legal obligations;
• To protect your vital interests;
• To perform a task carried out in the public interest;
• For our legitimate interests, which do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Retention

We will retain your Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (e.g., for membership records). You can request deletion at any time.

Automatic Decision-Making

We do not engage in fully automated decision-making that has a legal or otherwise significant effect on you. Our AI integrations may use automated processing for query responses, but human oversight is available for key decisions.

Your Rights

If you are a resident of the EEA or subject to similar laws, you have the right to access, correct, update, port, or erase your Personal Information. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details above.

Your Personal Information may be processed and stored in various locations, including South Africa, the United States, and Europe, with appropriate safeguards in place.

Cookies

We use cookies on our website to enhance your experience. These include functional, performance, and analytics cookies. For a list of cookies, refer to Wild Apricot's documentation. You can manage cookies via your browser settings.

Do Not Track

We do not alter our practices in response to “Do Not Track” signals, as there is no consistent industry standard.

Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons.

Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you have the right to lodge it with the relevant data protection authority (e.g., Information Regulator in South Africa: https://inforegulator.org.za/).

Last updated: December 16, 2025