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1. Introduction

Matthew Olugbemi (“we,” “us,” “our”) operates matthewolugbemi.com (the “Site”) and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with an additional professional presence in the United States. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site, and explains your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

This Policy is designed to comply with the South African Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), and to meet generally accepted international privacy standards, including the principles set out in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and the United States California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as applicable to visitors accessing the Site from those jurisdictions.

By using this Site, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy, to the extent permitted under applicable law.

2. Information We Collect

2.1  Information You Provide Directly

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

  • Submit a contact form or send us an email
  • Subscribe to a newsletter or mailing list
  • Register for or complete an online course
  • Book a mentorship session through a third-party platform such as ADPList
  • Leave a comment, testimonial, or feedback
  • Engage with us through social media platforms linked from this Site

This information may include your name, email address, phone number, company or organization, job title, and the content of any message you send us.

2.2  Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information may be collected automatically, including:

  • IP address and approximate geographic location
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type and operating system
  • Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
  • Date and time of access

This information is typically collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies, as described in Section 5 below.

2.3  Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party platforms that you interact with through this Site, such as:

  • ADPList (mentorship session bookings and feedback)
  • LinkedIn, YouTube, and other social platforms (public engagement data)
  • Amazon (limited aggregate sales or review data, where applicable)
  • Web analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics)

We do not control how these third parties collect or process your information, and we encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To respond to your inquiries, comments, or requests
  • To provide, operate, and maintain the Site
  • To send you newsletters, updates, or marketing communications, where you have opted in
  • To improve and personalize your experience on the Site
  • To analyze usage trends and Site performance
  • To detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or security concerns
  • To comply with legal obligations
  • To facilitate mentorship, consulting, speaking, or other professional engagements you have requested

We will not use your personal information for purposes materially different from those described in this Policy without providing notice and, where required by law, obtaining your consent.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

4.1  South African Visitors (POPIA)

If you are located in South Africa, we process your personal information in accordance with POPIA, on one or more of the following lawful grounds:

  • Consent — where you have given clear, voluntary, and specific consent for us to process your personal information for a defined purpose
  • Contractual necessity — where processing is necessary to perform a contract to which you are party, or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract (for example, booking a consulting or mentorship engagement)
  • Legitimate interest — where processing is necessary for pursuing our legitimate interests or those of a third party to whom the information is supplied, provided this does not unreasonably infringe your privacy rights
  • Legal obligation — where processing is necessary to comply with an obligation imposed by law
  • Protection of legitimate interest — where processing is necessary to protect a legitimate interest of the data subject

As the responsible party under POPIA, Matthew Olugbemi is accountable for ensuring that any processing of personal information complies with the eight conditions for lawful processing set out in POPIA, namely: accountability, processing limitation, purpose specification, further processing limitation, information quality, openness, security safeguards, and data subject participation.

4.2  EU/UK/EEA Visitors (GDPR/UK GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union, United Kingdom, or European Economic Area, we process your personal data on the legal bases of consent, contractual necessity, legitimate interests, or legal obligation, as described under GDPR Article 6.

4.3  United States Visitors

Where you access this Site from the United States, your rights are addressed separately under Section 10 of this Policy (California Consumer Privacy Act).

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

This Site may use cookies, pixel tags, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and analyze Site traffic. These may include:

  • Essential cookies — necessary for the Site to function properly
  • Analytics cookies — used to understand how visitors interact with the Site (e.g., Google Analytics)
  • Functionality cookies — used to remember your preferences

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. Where required by applicable law (such as in the EU and UK), we will request your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

  • With service providers — third parties who perform services on our behalf, such as web hosting, email delivery, and analytics, under appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations
  • With professional platforms — such as ADPList, when you book or engage in mentorship sessions through that platform
  • For legal reasons — where required to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights, or respond to lawful requests by public authorities
  • In connection with a business transaction — such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction
  • With your consent — for any other purpose disclosed to you at the time the information is collected, with your consent

7. International Data Transfers

This Site is operated from Johannesburg, South Africa, with an additional professional presence in the United States. If you are accessing the Site from outside South Africa, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in South Africa, the United States, or other countries where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

In accordance with POPIA, where we transfer personal information about a South African data subject to a third party in a foreign country, we ensure that the recipient is subject to a law, binding corporate rules, or binding agreement that provides an adequate level of protection that effectively upholds principles for the reasonable processing of information that are substantially similar to the conditions set out in POPIA, or that the data subject has consented to the transfer.

For visitors in the EU, UK, or EEA, where personal data is transferred outside of those regions, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, consistent with applicable data protection law, including the use of Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as for tax, legal, accounting, or reporting requirements). When personal information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

9. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your Privacy Rights

10.1  Rights for California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

  • Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell
  • Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
  • Correct inaccurate personal information
  • Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information (note: we do not sell personal information)
  • Limit the use of sensitive personal information
  • Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights

10.2  Rights for EU/UK/EEA Residents (GDPR/UK GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union, United Kingdom, or European Economic Area, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate personal data
  • Request erasure of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”)
  • Restrict or object to our processing of your personal data
  • Request portability of your personal data
  • Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
  • Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country of residence

10.3  Rights for South African Residents (POPIA)

If you are located in South Africa, you have the right, in terms of POPIA, to:

  • Be notified that your personal information is being collected and for what purpose
  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction, destruction, or deletion of personal information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading, or unlawfully obtained
  • Object to the processing of your personal information, on reasonable grounds relating to your particular situation
  • Object to processing of your personal information for purposes of direct marketing
  • Not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which significantly affects you
  • Submit a complaint to the Information Regulator of South Africa regarding the alleged interference with the protection of your personal information

Contact details for the Information Regulator of South Africa:

Information Regulator of South Africa
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
Website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/

10.4  Rights for All Other Visitors

Regardless of your location, we are committed to honoring reasonable requests regarding access, correction, or deletion of your personal information, consistent with applicable law and our legitimate business needs.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address provided in Section 13. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframe required by applicable law.

11. Children’s Privacy

This Site is not intended for children under the age of 18 in South Africa (POPIA defines a child as a person under 18), or under 13 in the United States, or under 16 in the EU/UK, where applicable. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without the consent of a competent person (such as a parent or legal guardian), where required. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child without the necessary consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

12. Third-Party Links

This Site contains links to third-party websites, including Amazon, LinkedIn, YouTube, ADPList, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Google Scholar, Mind the Product, USAII, Springer, Vanguard News, and others. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party website you visit.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:

Matthew Olugbemi
Email: matthewolugbemi1@gmail.com
Operating base: Johannesburg, South Africa
Additional professional address: Parkville, Maryland, United States

We will make reasonable efforts to respond to your inquiry within a reasonable period, and in any event within the timeframes required under POPIA, GDPR, or other applicable law.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will post the revised Policy on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated through a notice on the Site or, where appropriate, by direct notification.