This notice explains what personal information subtraction.co collects, why, and what you can ask us to do with it. It follows the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Who we are
Subtraction (Pty) Ltd, registration 2016/092758/07, 15 York Street, Claremont, Cape Town 7708, South Africa. Our information officer is Lawrence Smit, reachable at hello@subtraction.co. Information officer registration number: to be added.
What we collect and why
- When you write to us through the contact or Labs form: your name, email address, company, the options you pick, your message and any files you attach. We use it to reply, and keep a record of the enquiry in our own workflow system. We send you a short email to confirm your message arrived.
- When you subscribe to Subtraction multiplied: your email address and when you agreed. We use it only to send new notes.
- When you visit: our host keeps standard server logs (IP address, browser, pages requested) for security and to keep the site running.
We do not use advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not sell or share your information for marketing.
Who processes it for us
- Brevo sends our email and holds the newsletter list. Brevo stores data in the European Union, under the GDPR, which gives protection comparable to POPIA.
- Our workflow system (n8n) runs on a server we control and keeps enquiries.
- Our web host keeps the site and its logs.
- Cloudflare Turnstile checks that a form is being sent by a person, not a bot. It looks at technical signals from your browser and does not set advertising cookies.
- Google (Google Workspace and Google Drive) runs our email and stores files you attach to an enquiry.
How we protect it
Access is limited to Lawrence Smit, every service uses its own strong password and two-step sign-in where offered, and the site and its forms run over HTTPS.
How long we keep it
Enquiries: two years after our last contact, unless you become a client. Files you attach: one year, unless you become a client; the copy on the website itself is deleted after 30 days. Newsletter: until you unsubscribe, which you can do from any email in one click. Server logs: as long as the host keeps them for security, typically weeks.
Your rights
You can ask what we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to how we use it. Email hello@subtraction.co and we will answer within 30 days. How to ask for records formally is set out in our PAIA manual. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za.
Deleting your data
To have us delete what we hold about you, email hello@subtraction.co with the subject “Delete my data”, from the address you used with us or naming it. We confirm we have your request, delete your details within 30 days and tell you when it is done. We keep only what the law requires us to keep, such as invoices, for as long as it requires.
Our connection to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X only publishes Subtraction’s own posts. It does not collect information about the people who see, like or comment on them. If you have written to us on one of those services, the same email covers anything we hold from that conversation.
Last updated 31 October 2026.