Privacy Statement

Introduction

  •  The Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa (DIRISA) is part of the National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System (NICIS) and is managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which is the Responsible Party for collection of personal information.
  • This privacy statement will inform you what the CSIR will do with the personal information it collects from you and which you voluntarily provide to the CSIR, it also indicates your rights as a data subject.

Application of this Privacy Statement

  • This privacy statement will apply to the CSIR and the personal information supplied by you. It includes any processing or further processing of the personal information by any operators duly appointed by the CSIR;
  • The CSIR will require consent from data subjects to register for the DIRISA Datathon, until such consent is provided, you will not be able to participate in the DIRISA Datathon.

Purpose for the Collection

  • To ensure that you are eligible and qualify to participate in the DIRISA Datathon;
  • To allow you to make use of DIRISA’s resources, data and systems;
  • To assist you within the CSIR with the required information or access to the relevant resources;
  • To make contact with you and attending to your or the CSIR’s enquiries and requests;
  • For research and statistical analysis purposes, including data analysis;
  • To report to the Department of Higher Education and Training and Department of Science and Innovation;
  • To publish press releases such as winners and institution names on the DIRISA and CSIR website, news letters and other social media sites;
  • For pursuing and protecting your and/or the CSIR’s legitimate interest, or that of a third party to whom the personal information is supplied;
  • To perform internal operations, including administrative duties like maintaining, storing and reporting on the requests received to any regulatory bodies and internally to management;

Implications of withholding consent or Personal Information

  • The CSIR requires your personal information for the purposes indicated above, and your consent is mandatory to process the aforementioned Personal Information;
  • Should you elect to withhold consent from DIRISA to process your personal information, then you will not be able to participate in the DIRISA Datathon.

Storage, retention and destruction of information

  • Your personal information will be stored electronically in a centralised database, which, for operational reasons, will be accessible on a need to know and business basis;
  • The CSIR undertakes to conduct regular audits regarding the safety and security of your personal information;
  • Once the Personal Information is no longer required because the purpose for which it was held has expired, your Personal Information will be safely and securely archived for the requisite and prescribed retention periods as required by the law. On expiration of this retention period, DIRISA will permanently destroy your Personal Information or send it to approved external storage facilities that are PoPIA compliant, as the case may be.

Access by others and cross border transfers

DIRISA may have to disclose your personal information to other parties, including staff members that will administer the datathon, auditors, regulatory bodies, and/or government officials. DIRISA will always ensure that there is a legitimate reason for such disclosure and that your personal information is handled with strict confidentiality and data security conditions;

  • Your personal information will not be transferred across the borders of South Africa.

Right to object and complaints

  • You are encouraged to make immediate contact with the CSIR’s Privacy Office at any time if you are not comfortable or satisfied with the manner in which DIRISA is processing your personal information. On receipt of your objection, DIRISA will place a hold on any further processing until the cause of the objection has been resolved. If you are still not satisfied with such process, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator at POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org

Accuracy of information and responsibility

  • PoPIA requires that all your Personal Information and related details, as supplied are complete, accurate and up-to-date. It will be your responsibility to advise the DIRISA of any changes to the Personal Information, as and when these may occur.

Access to the informationby the Data Subject

  • You have the right at any time to ask the DIRISA to provide you with the details of the personal information which DIRISA holds on your behalf; and/or the purpose for which it has been used, provided that such request is made using the standard Section 14 CSIR PAIA process, which can be accessed by downloading and completing the standard request for information form, housed under the CSIR’s Section 14 PAIA Manual which can be found on the CSIR’s website at csir.co.za.

Declaration and informed consent

  • You confirm that the Personal Information, provided to the CSIR is accurate, up-to-date, not misleading and is complete in all respects, save where same may change and then in such event, you undertake to advise the CSIR of these changes.
  • In providing the required Personal Information to the CSIR, you consent and give the CSIR permission to process and further process your Personal Information as and where required and acknowledge that you understand the purposes for which the Personal Information is required and for which it will be used.
  • For further information, contact CSIR Privacy Office on privacy@csir.co.za
  • Physical address: Privacy Office, Building 23, Meiring Naude Road, Brummeria, Pretoria, South Africa
  • Postal Address: Privacy Office, Building 23, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
  • Telephone number: 012 842 7235