Privacy Policy

Grudko Associates is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and integrity of personal information entrusted to us. As a forensic investigation, intelligence and consulting firm operating in South Africa and across international jurisdictions, we recognise the sensitivity of the matters we handle and apply rigorous standards to the lawful processing and protection of personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and safeguard personal information when you engage with Grudko Associates, visit our website, or interact with us in the course of investigations, intelligence assignments, consulting engagements or related services.

Important Information and Who We Are

Grudko Associates is a South African forensic investigation, intelligence and consulting firm established in 1980. We operate nationally and across global jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. We are registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) and are recognised for delivering court-ready, evidence-led outcomes.

Depending on the nature of an engagement, Grudko Associates may act as:

• A responsible party / data controller, where we determine the purpose and means of processing personal information; or

• An operator / data processor, where we process personal information strictly on the lawful instructions of a client, legal counsel or authorised authority.

For privacy-related enquiries, requests or concerns, you may contact us using the details provided on our Contact page.

Website address: https://grudkoassociates.co.za

 

What Personal Information We Collect and Why We Collect It

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with our website and services. We collect only information that is necessary, relevant and lawful for the purposes described below.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the website, we collect the information shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string. This information is collected to assist with spam detection, website security and moderation.

An anonymised string (hash) created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to determine whether you use it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available at:
https://automattic.com/privacy/

Once approved, your profile picture (if applicable) may be visible publicly in the context of your comment.

Media

If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images that contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the website may be able to download and extract location data from images published on the site.

Contact Forms

When you submit information via a contact form, we collect the details you provide (such as name, email address and message content) solely for the purpose of responding to your enquiry, assessing your request and, where appropriate, initiating further communication.

Contact form submissions are not used for unsolicited marketing and are retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to manage the enquiry, unless legal or professional obligations require longer retention.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance functionality, usability and security.

Comment Cookies

If you leave a comment, you may opt to save your name, email address and website in cookies. These cookies are stored for your convenience so that you do not need to re-enter your details for future comments. These cookies remain active for one year.

Login Cookies

If you have an account and log in to the site, a temporary cookie is set to determine whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal information and is discarded when you close your browser.

When logged in, cookies are set to save your login details and display preferences. Login cookies last for two days, while screen preference cookies last for one year. Selecting “Remember Me” extends login persistence to two weeks. Logging out removes login cookies.

Editing Cookies

If you edit or publish content, an additional cookie is saved in your browser. This cookie contains no personal information and expires after one day.

You may control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

Embedded Content from Other Websites

Articles on this website may include embedded content such as videos, images or articles. Embedded content from third-party websites behaves in the same way as if you visited the external website directly.

These websites may collect personal information about you, use cookies, embed third-party tracking and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, particularly if you are logged into that third-party service.

Grudko Associates does not control the privacy practices of third-party websites.

Analytics

We may use basic website analytics tools to understand how visitors use our website and to improve performance, security and user experience. Analytics data is aggregated and does not seek to identify individual users.

Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information.

Personal information may be shared only where necessary and lawful, including with:

• Website service providers supporting hosting, security or maintenance

• Spam detection and security services

• Professional advisors or legal authorities where required by law

• Authorised service providers acting under confidentiality obligations

All third parties are required to process personal information securely and lawfully.

How Long We Retain Your Information

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely to enable recognition and automated approval of follow-up comments.

For registered users (if applicable), personal information provided in user profiles is stored for as long as the account remains active or as required for administrative, legal or security purposes.

Contact form submissions and other communications are retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil their purpose, unless retention is required by law or professional standards.

What Rights You Have Over Your Information

In terms of POPIA, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you

• Request correction or updating of inaccurate information

• Request deletion of personal information where lawful and appropriate

• Object to the processing of personal information in certain circumstances

These rights are subject to legal limitations, particularly where information must be retained for investigative, legal, regulatory or security purposes.

Requests may require identity verification.

Where Your Information Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection services. These services may process data outside South Africa, subject to appropriate security safeguards.

How We Protect Your Information

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure. These measures include access controls, secure systems, confidentiality obligations and controlled handling of information.

No system can be guaranteed as completely secure, but we take data protection seriously and continually review our safeguards.

Data Breach Procedures

In the event of a personal information security breach, Grudko Associates will assess the incident and take appropriate remedial action. Where required by law, affected individuals and relevant authorities will be notified.

Information Received from Third Parties

In certain circumstances, we may lawfully receive personal information from clients, legal representatives, public records, or authorised third-party sources in the course of investigations or professional engagements. Such information is processed strictly in accordance with legal and professional obligations.

Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

This website does not engage in automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or significant effects on individuals.

Industry Regulatory Disclosures

Grudko Associates operates within regulated professional environments, including private security and forensic investigation services. Personal information may be processed to meet regulatory, licensing, legal and evidentiary obligations.

Updates to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect legal, regulatory or operational changes. The most current version will always be available on this website.

Last updated: December 2025