How Storneva handles personal information.

1. Scope and responsible party

This policy explains how Storneva Health (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2018/198736/07, VAT registration number 4603456789, collects, uses, stores and protects personal information gathered through storneva.info and through direct correspondence with our editorial and administrative team. Our registered address is 88 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg CBD, 2001 Johannesburg, and our office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM SAST. This policy applies to every page on the site, including the homepage, the three StorneVis formula pages, the about, methodology and contact pages.

Storneva acts as the responsible party for personal information processed through this site, as that term is used in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Where a third-party processor handles information on our behalf, as described in section 6, that provider acts as an operator under our instructions rather than as an independent responsible party, unless stated otherwise.

2. Information we collect

When a visitor uses the contact form, we may receive a name, an email address, a telephone number and the content of the message submitted. We do not ask for a physical address, an identity number or financial details through that form, and visitors should avoid including such detail voluntarily. Where a visitor subscribes to receive editorial updates, we collect the email address supplied and the date consent was given.

Ordinary use of the website also generates technical information automatically, including an IP address, browser type and version, device type, the page requested, the referring page and a timestamp, recorded in server logs for security and operational purposes. Where analytics is enabled, aggregate, non-identifying statistics about page visits, time on page and general geographic region (typically at city or provincial level) may also be collected, as described further in the Cookie Policy.

3. Purpose and legal basis for processing

We use personal information to respond to enquiries, to correct or update editorial content when a reader points out an error, to protect the website against abuse and unauthorised access, and to understand, in aggregate, how the site is used so that we can improve navigation and content structure. We do not use personal information collected through the contact form for direct marketing unless the visitor has separately and clearly opted in to receive editorial updates.

Our legal bases under POPIA include consent, for example when a visitor opts in to updates or accepts optional cookies; performance of a request, for example when a visitor asks a question and we need their email address to reply; and legitimate interest, for example maintaining server logs to protect the site from security threats. Where consent is the basis relied upon, it may be withdrawn at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Retention periods

Contact-form enquiries and the correspondence that follows are retained for twenty-four months after the enquiry is closed, after which they are deleted or anonymised unless a longer period is required to resolve an outstanding dispute. Security-related server logs are retained for ninety days on a rolling basis before automatic deletion. Records evidencing a consent decision, such as an opt-in to editorial updates or an accepted cookie banner choice, are retained for thirty-six months so that we can demonstrate the choice made if it is ever questioned, after which they are deleted or anonymised.

Where a visitor unsubscribes from editorial updates, the email address is removed from the active mailing list within ten business days, although a suppression record (a minimal record confirming the address should not be contacted again) is kept indefinitely to make sure the same address is not re-added by mistake. Aggregate, non-identifying analytics data may be retained for up to fourteen months to support year-on-year comparison of readership trends.

5. Your rights and how to exercise them

Under POPIA, you have the right to be informed about what personal information we hold and why, the right to request access to that information, the right to request correction of inaccurate information, the right to request deletion of information no longer needed for the stated purpose, and the right to object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interest. You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected] with a clear description of the request and enough detail for us to locate the relevant record, such as the email address used or the approximate date of correspondence. We may ask for reasonable proof of identity before acting on a request, to avoid disclosing information to the wrong person. We aim to acknowledge a request within five business days and to provide a substantive response within thirty days, and we will explain the reason for any delay if a response cannot be completed within that period.

6. Processors and services we use

We rely on a hosting provider to store the website's files and process server request logs, an email delivery service to route messages submitted through the contact form to our team's inbox, and, where enabled, a privacy-conscious analytics service to measure aggregate readership without building an individually identifiable profile. Each of these providers is engaged under terms that limit their use of information to the services they provide to Storneva, and none is authorised to use information obtained through storneva.info for its own independent marketing purposes.

Where a formula page or the contact page embeds a third-party widget, such as a map, that provider processes technical information under its own published terms once the widget loads, and Storneva's instructions to that provider are limited to displaying the embedded content. Details of any such embed are noted in the Cookie Policy.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

Storneva uses a small number of cookies, described fully in the Cookie Policy, which is linked from the footer of every page. In summary, a session cookie supports temporary navigation and expires when the browser closes; a preference cookie named storneva_cookie_choice records a visitor's cookie banner decision for up to twelve months; and, where analytics is enabled, an aggregate measurement cookie may be set for up to thirteen months. No cookie used on this site is designed to build an individually identifiable advertising profile of a named visitor.

Visitors can manage cookie preferences through the on-site banner at any time by selecting "Cookie Settings," and can also manage or delete cookies through their browser settings, although doing so may affect how consistently a preference is remembered between visits.

8. International transfers

Some of the service providers described in section 6 may process information on servers located outside South Africa, including within the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or the United States. Where a transfer of this kind occurs, we take reasonable steps to confirm that the receiving provider offers a level of protection consistent with POPIA, including reliance on standard contractual clauses, an adequacy decision, or an equivalent recognised safeguard, and we review these arrangements periodically.

We do not transfer personal information to a service provider outside South Africa unless we are satisfied that an appropriate safeguard is in place, and we will provide a general description of the relevant safeguard on request, sent to [email protected], within thirty days.

9. Security measures

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure, including transport encryption for data submitted through the contact form, restricted access to server logs, and periodic review of the small number of staff and processors who can access personal information. No website can guarantee absolute security, and we ask visitors to avoid submitting sensitive categories of information, such as health details about a named individual, through the contact form.

If we become aware of a security incident that is likely to result in a real risk of harm to affected individuals, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected individuals as required by POPIA, and we will describe the nature of the incident and the steps taken to address it as soon as reasonably possible.

10. Children's information

storneva.info is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that a child has submitted personal information through the contact form, they may contact [email protected] and we will delete that information promptly, generally within ten business days of verifying the request.

11. Complaints procedure

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first at [email protected] or by post at 88 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg CBD, 2001 Johannesburg, so that we have the opportunity to address the concern directly. We aim to acknowledge a complaint within five business days and to provide a substantive response within thirty days.

If you remain unsatisfied after raising a concern with us, or if you prefer to raise the matter independently, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa, which is responsible for overseeing compliance with POPIA. Its published contact details are available on its official website, and referring a matter to the Information Regulator does not require you to have contacted us first, although we encourage direct contact as a first step wherever practical.

12. Changes to this policy

We review this policy at least once a year and update it sooner if our processing activities, service providers or applicable law change in a way that affects this description. The "last updated" date at the foot of this page reflects the most recent revision, and the log below records material changes made over time.

13. How to contact us

Storneva Health (Pty) Ltd can be reached by telephone at +27 11 123 4503 during office hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM SAST, by email at [email protected], or by post at 88 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg CBD, 2001 Johannesburg. This policy was last updated on 22 June 2026.