These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the website handrelaubscher.online (the "Site"), operated by Handré Laubscher, founder and director of The Laubscher Institute for Research ("TLIR"), based in Christiana, North West Province, South Africa ("we," "us," or "our").
By accessing or using this Site — including creating a reader account, subscribing to newsletters, submitting contact forms, or accessing any content — you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and the Privacy Policy below.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use this Site.
Section 02
Acceptance of Terms
By using this Site you represent that:
You are at least 18 years of age, or using the Site under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.
You have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
You will use the Site only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.
If you are under 18, please ensure a parent or guardian has reviewed these Terms and consents to your use of this Site.
Section 03
Reader Accounts
Registration
You may create a reader account to access subscriber features. When registering you agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information, and to keep your account credentials confidential. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
Profile picture
You may upload a profile picture to personalise your account. By uploading an image you confirm that you have the right to use it and that it does not violate any third-party rights, applicable law, or our acceptable use policy. We reserve the right to remove profile images that violate these requirements.
Account termination
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent or abusive behaviour, or for any other reason at our sole discretion. You may request deletion of your account at any time by contacting us at info@handrelaubscher.online.
Password security
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password. Please notify us immediately at the contact address above if you suspect any unauthorised use of your account.
Section 04
Intellectual Property
All content on this Site — including but not limited to text, articles, research, academic papers, book descriptions, photographs, graphics, logos, and the overall design — is the exclusive intellectual property of Handré Laubscher or its respective owners and is protected by South African and international copyright law.
Photography
All photographic work is the property of Laubscher Lenswerke. Any reproduction, distribution, display, or use of photographs without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. For licensing enquiries: info@handrelaubscher.online.
Research & Writing
Academic publications, essays, and articles are protected under copyright and, where applicable, the right of integrity. You may quote brief excerpts for non-commercial commentary or criticism, provided that proper attribution is given. Any other reproduction requires written consent.
Short excerpts for academic citation purposes are permitted under standard fair use principles, provided full attribution is made including author name, title, publication, and URL.
Section 05
Acceptable Use
You agree not to use this Site to:
Violate any applicable law or regulation, including POPIA, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECT Act"), or the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020.
Upload or transmit any content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, abusive, fraudulent, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.
Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Site or its related systems.
Scrape, harvest, or otherwise collect data from the Site without our prior written permission.
Upload malicious code, viruses, or disruptive content.
Violation of these terms may result in immediate account termination and, where applicable, legal action.
Part Two · Privacy Policy
Section 06
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes how Handré Laubscher ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information obtained through this Site, in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
We are committed to processing personal information responsibly, lawfully, and in a manner that respects the privacy of every data subject.
Responsible Party
Name: Handré Laubscher Organisation: The Laubscher Institute for Research (TLIR) Address: Christiana, North West Province, South Africa Email:info@handrelaubscher.online
Section 07
Information We Collect
We collect personal information only where it is necessary for a specific, legitimate purpose. The categories of information we collect are described below.
New-post subscription flag, newsletter subscription flag
Account registration or settings
Technical data
IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, time of visit
Automatically via server logs (Supabase)
OAuth data
Google account name, email address, Google profile picture URL
Google sign-in (only if you choose this option)
We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined by POPIA (such as race, health data, political or religious views, or financial account numbers) unless explicitly required and consented to.
Section 08
How We Use Your Data
We process personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected and with an appropriate lawful basis. Our purposes include:
Account management: To create, maintain, and authenticate your reader account.
Personalisation: To display your name and profile picture within the Site.
Communication: To respond to contact form enquiries or to send newsletters and post notifications where you have subscribed and consented.
Site security & administration: To detect and prevent fraudulent or abusive activity and to maintain the technical integrity of the Site.
Legal compliance: To meet our obligations under applicable South African law, including POPIA.
We do not use your personal information for automated profiling, targeted advertising, or decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Where we rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing, you may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before the withdrawal.
Section 09
Sharing of Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:
Service providers
We use Supabase (Supabase Inc., USA) as our backend database and authentication provider. Supabase stores account data, contact messages, and uploaded files. Supabase is SOC 2 compliant and maintains appropriate security standards. Data may be stored on servers outside South Africa; where this occurs, we rely on contractual protections consistent with POPIA's requirements for cross-border transfers.
We use Google OAuth solely for authentication purposes when you choose to sign in with Google. No data is sent to Google beyond what is necessary to verify your identity.
Legal requirements
We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or in response to a lawful request by a public body, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Handré Laubscher, our users, or others.
No third-party advertising
This Site does not serve advertisements. No personal information is shared with advertisers or third-party marketing platforms.
Section 10
Data Retention
Data type
Retention period
Reader account data
Until account deletion is requested, or 3 years of inactivity
Contact form submissions
24 months from receipt, or until deletion is requested
Profile pictures
Until replaced or account deleted
Technical / server logs
Up to 90 days as retained by Supabase's infrastructure
Newsletter subscription records
Until unsubscribed or account deleted
After the relevant retention period, personal information is deleted or anonymised unless we are required by law to retain it for longer.
Section 11
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights in relation to personal information we hold about you:
Right of access: You may request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you, and a copy of that information.
Right to correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal information.
Right to deletion: You may request that we delete or destroy personal information that is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, or where you withdraw consent.
Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds, unless processing is required by law.
Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your information has been processed unlawfully.
To exercise any of the rights above, please contact us using the details in Section 15. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.
Section 12
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to protect your personal information against accidental loss, destruction, alteration, unauthorised access, or disclosure. These measures include:
All data in transit is encrypted using TLS/HTTPS.
Passwords are stored as cryptographic hashes — we never store plaintext passwords.
Access to the administrative functions of the Site is protected by authentication.
We use Supabase's Row Level Security (RLS) to restrict data access between users.
Notwithstanding the above, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. If you become aware of any security vulnerability or breach, please notify us immediately at info@handrelaubscher.online.
In the event of a data breach involving personal information, we will notify affected data subjects and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.
Section 13
Cookies & Local Storage
This Site uses browser localStorage (not cookies) to store your session token when you sign in. This token is stored only on your device and is used to keep you signed in between visits.
We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking cookies, or third-party analytics cookies. We do not serve targeted advertisements.
If you clear your browser's local storage, you will be signed out and will need to sign in again.
Section 14
Changes to This Policy
We may update these Terms and this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised. Continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.
For material changes that affect how we use your personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to notify registered users by email or via a prominent notice on the Site before the changes take effect.
Section 15
Contact & Complaints
For any queries, requests to exercise your rights, or complaints regarding the processing of your personal information, please contact us:
Responsible Party
Handré Laubscher The Laubscher Institute for Research (TLIR)
We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days of receipt. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Information Regulator of South Africa.
Section 16
Governing Law
These Terms and this Privacy Policy are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including:
The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act)
The Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020
The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (where applicable)
Any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.