We respect your privacy. This policy explains what information is processed through this website, why it is processed and the rights available to you.
Last updated: 20 October 2026
We respect your privacy and are committed to processing personal information responsibly, fairly, transparently and securely.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal and technical information may be collected or processed through www.whoisgodreally.co.za, why it is processed, how it is used and protected, how long it may be retained, and the choices and rights available to you.
This website is a personal, non-commercial publishing project of author Jacobus N. S. Pretorius and makes his books available to readers free of charge.
Where personal information is processed through this website, we aim to do so in accordance with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable South African law.
Responsible Party: Jacobus N. S. Pretorius
Privacy Contact: Jacobus N. S. Pretorius
Email: privacy@whoisgodreally.co.za
The website is technically administered and maintained on behalf of the Responsible Party. Persons or service providers who require technical access to personal information should process it only to the extent necessary to perform those technical or administrative functions.
We seek to process only the minimum information reasonably necessary for the operation, security and improvement of the website.
When you use the contact form, we may collect your name, email address, selected subject, the content of your message and any other information you voluntarily provide.
The website also uses its own Book Reader Analytics system. This system operates on two levels.
Basic anonymous statistics may be used to create simple aggregate counts, such as page views, chapter views, openings of the beginning of a book and PDF downloads. These basic counts are designed not to attach a visitor identifier, session identifier, raw IP address, browser fingerprint or other identifier to the event and therefore cannot be used to identify a particular person or unique visitor.
If you consent to extended analytics, the website may also use a first-party anonymous or pseudonymous visitor and session identifier. This enables more detailed statistics such as unique visitors, sessions, movement across multiple chapters, approximate book completion, referral sources, general device type and unique PDF downloaders.
The analytics system is designed not to permanently store raw IP addresses for analytics purposes.
The website’s hosting, security or infrastructure provider may nevertheless maintain standard technical server logs containing IP addresses, timestamps, browser information and similar information for website operation, security, troubleshooting or abuse prevention.
Book Reader Analytics is used to understand general use of the website and the free books.
Basic anonymous statistics may count matters such as page and chapter views, openings of the beginning of a book and PDF downloads. These are aggregate event counts and may include repeated visits by the same person. They should therefore not be interpreted as “unique visitors”.
If you consent to extended analytics, the system may also measure more detailed usage patterns, including unique visitors, sessions, sessions containing multiple chapters, sessions reaching the final chapter, referral sources and general device type.
These terms are technical usage indicators. Opening a chapter or reaching the final chapter does not establish that the visitor read every word of the book.
Monthly or other reports sent to the author are intended to provide aggregate usage information rather than identify individual readers.
Because of the subject matter of the books, this website deals with religious topics. POPIA treats information concerning a person’s religious or philosophical beliefs as special personal information.
We do not use analytics information to determine, infer, classify or profile a visitor’s religion, denomination, beliefs, philosophical convictions or other sensitive personal characteristics.
A visit to a particular book or chapter is therefore treated only as a website interaction and not as evidence of the visitor’s personal beliefs.
If you voluntarily disclose sensitive personal information in a contact message, it will be used only to the extent reasonably necessary to understand and respond to that message.
Contact-form information is used to receive and respond to your questions, comments, feedback or technical enquiries.
Basic anonymous usage counts are used to determine whether the website and free books are being used, understand broad usage trends, and help determine whether it remains worthwhile to maintain and renew the website from year to year.
Where consent has been given, optional extended analytics is used to better understand how visitors move through the books, which content receives the most interest, where visitors come from, what general device types are used and where the reading or navigation experience can be improved.
Personal information will not be reused for an incompatible purpose without an appropriate lawful basis.
Providing personal information through the contact form is voluntary.
You can read the books and use the general website without providing your name or email address through the contact form.
If you want a response to a message, however, a valid email address is required.
You may also accept or reject optional extended analytics. If you reject it, the books and core website functions remain available.
Basic anonymous event counts that do not identify or track a person or unique visitor may still be recorded to measure general website usage.
The website may use cookies, local browser storage or similar technologies.
Certain technologies are necessary for basic website operation, security or remembering your privacy choices. For example, after you make a privacy choice, a small first-party cookie or local-storage item may be used to remember whether you accepted or rejected optional analytics. This preference storage is not used for behavioural profiling or advertising.
When you visit the website, a privacy notice may offer the following choices:
Accept analytics — extended Book Reader Analytics is enabled and may use a first-party visitor and session identifier to provide more detailed statistics.
Necessary only — extended analytics is not enabled. Only necessary website technology and basic anonymous event counts remain active.
If you close the privacy notice using the × without accepting extended analytics, this is treated in the same way as Necessary only.
You may change your choice later by using the Privacy preferences link on the website.
If you withdraw consent for extended analytics, future extended tracking will stop and the local visitor/session identifier used for that purpose will be removed or disabled. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.
We do not use Book Reader Analytics for behavioural advertising, advertising profiling or the sale of personal information.
POPIA defines consent as a voluntary, specific and informed expression of permission, and online identifiers can constitute personal information.
When you submit the contact form, the contents may be sent to the author by email and/or retained within the website’s administrative system.
Your email address is used to respond to your message and is not automatically added to a marketing or newsletter list.
We do not sell, rent or trade contact details.
When you download a PDF version of one of the books, basic anonymous statistics may record the download as an aggregate event.
This basic count records only that a PDF download occurred and which book was downloaded. It does not identify the person who downloaded it or monitor what happens to the PDF afterwards.
If you have consented to extended analytics, the system may also determine how many unique consenting visitors downloaded a particular PDF during a given period.
We do not sell personal information to third parties.
Limited personal or technical information may be processed by service providers required to operate the website, including hosting, email, backup, security or technical-support providers.
Where a service provider processes personal information on behalf of the Responsible Party, access should be limited to what is necessary to provide the relevant service and appropriate security measures should be used.
Information may also be disclosed where required by applicable law or where reasonably necessary to protect lawful rights or website security.
Some hosting, email, backup or technical service providers may use infrastructure outside South Africa.
Where the Responsible Party transfers personal information to a third party outside the Republic, the transfer will, where applicable, be subject to section 72 of POPIA and appropriate safeguards. POPIA places conditions on transfers of personal information to third parties in foreign countries.
We should not retain personal information longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or further processed, unless longer retention is required or permitted by law.
Contact-form messages may be retained for a reasonable period to allow correspondence and follow-up.
Analytics information may be retained for a reasonable period so that usage trends can be understood over time. Where visitor- or session-level data is no longer required, it may be deleted, aggregated or de-identified.
We will not deliberately retain personal information indefinitely without a valid purpose.
Basic anonymous aggregate counts may be retained for longer-term historical comparison because they are designed not to be linked to an identifiable visitor.
Extended analytics data associated with a visitor or session identifier should be retained only for a reasonable period and periodically reviewed, aggregated, de-identified or deleted when individual session-level information is no longer required.
The website may also retain a minimal record of your privacy preference so that you are not asked to make the same choice on every page visit.
POPIA requires personal information to be deleted or de-identified when the responsible party is no longer authorised to retain it.
Reasonable technical and organisational measures are used to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
These may include secure administrative access, software updates, access controls, backups, appropriate hosting security and limiting administrative access.
No internet-based or electronic system can guarantee absolute security.
This is a general publishing and reading website and is not specifically designed to collect children’s personal information.
A person under 18 should avoid submitting unnecessary personal or sensitive information through the contact form.
Where processing of a child’s personal information requires the consent of a competent person, such consent should be obtained.
Under POPIA, where applicable, you may request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you, request access to your personal information, request correction or deletion of information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully processed, object to certain processing, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
You may change your choice regarding optional extended analytics at any time. Where the website provides a Privacy preferences link, you may use it to review or change your previous choice.
If you change from Accept analytics to Necessary only, future extended analytics will stop. The first-party visitor and session identifier used for extended analytics should be removed or disabled, and no further extended tracking will take place.
The website may continue to record basic anonymous event counts, such as page views, chapter views and PDF downloads, provided that these counts are not linked to an identifiable person, unique visitor ID, session ID, raw IP address or browser fingerprint.
If you previously consented to extended analytics and later withdraw that consent, the withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.
You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe your personal information has been processed unlawfully.
Requests concerning your personal information may be sent to:
Jacobus N. S. Pretorius
Email: privacy@whoisgodreally.co.za
We may take reasonable steps to verify a person’s identity before disclosing, changing or deleting personal information.
This website may contain links to external websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of independent third-party websites. Visitors should consult the privacy policy of the relevant external website.
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to the website, Book Reader Analytics, service providers, technology or applicable law.
The date at the top of the policy indicates when it was last updated.
For privacy questions, requests or concerns:
Responsible Party: Jacobus N. S. Pretorius
Privacy Contact: Jacobus N. S. Pretorius
Email: privacy@whoisgodreally.co.za
If a privacy concern cannot be resolved satisfactorily, a data subject may contact or lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa). The Regulator publishes its current contact and complaint channels on its official website.
We use essential technology to operate this website. With your permission, we also use extended anonymous visitor and reading analytics to better understand how the website and free books are used. Basic anonymous usage counts that do not identify or track you may still be collected.
Privacy Policy