Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 5 July 2026

Welcome to Silicon Route (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.

Silicon Route is based in South Africa and serves visitors from around the world. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website.

By using this website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Who We Are

Silicon Route is an independent online publication exploring technology, artificial intelligence, innovation, digital business, consumer technology, and the intersection of technology with everyday life.

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, you may contact us through the contact page on this website.

Information We Collect

Depending on how you use our website, we may collect the following information.

Information You Provide

You may voluntarily provide information such as:

  • Your name
  • Email address
  • Contact details
  • Information submitted through contact forms
  • Newsletter subscription details
  • Comments posted on articles
  • Information provided when purchasing digital products or services

You are never required to provide personal information simply to browse our website.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit Silicon Route, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

  • IP address
  • Browser type
  • Device information
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Time spent on pages
  • Referring website
  • Date and time of visits
  • General geographic location derived from your IP address

This information helps us improve the website and understand how visitors use it.

Cookies

Silicon Route uses cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Remember user preferences
  • Improve website functionality
  • Measure website traffic
  • Analyse visitor behaviour
  • Improve user experience
  • Support security features

Some third-party services we use may also place cookies on your device.

Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings.

Analytics

We may use analytics services such as Google Analytics or similar tools to understand website usage.

These services may collect information such as:

  • Pages viewed
  • Session duration
  • Device information
  • Approximate location
  • Traffic sources

Analytics providers may use cookies to perform these functions.

Email Newsletters

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address solely for sending updates, articles, announcements, and occasional promotional content related to Silicon Route.

You may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in every email.

Comments

When visitors leave comments, we collect:

  • Information entered into the comment form
  • IP address
  • Browser information

This helps reduce spam and maintain website security.

Comments become publicly visible once approved.

AI Services

Silicon Route publishes content relating to artificial intelligence and may use AI-assisted tools during content creation.

Where AI-powered features are made available on the website, information submitted through those features may be processed for the purpose of providing requested services.

We do not intentionally use personal information to train public AI models unless explicitly disclosed and permitted.

Affiliate Links

Some articles may contain affiliate links.

If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, Silicon Route may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate partners may use cookies to track referrals.

Advertising

We may display advertising from third-party advertising networks.

These advertising providers may use cookies or similar technologies to deliver relevant advertisements and measure advertising performance.

Embedded Content

Articles may include embedded content such as:

  • YouTube videos
  • Social media posts
  • Maps
  • Podcasts
  • External media

Embedded content behaves as though you visited the originating website directly.

Those websites may collect data according to their own privacy policies.

E-commerce

If you purchase products or services through Silicon Route, we may collect information necessary to process your transaction, including:

  • Name
  • Billing details
  • Delivery information
  • Email address
  • Order history

Payment information is processed securely by third-party payment providers. Silicon Route does not store full payment card information.

How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

  • Operate our website
  • Improve content
  • Respond to enquiries
  • Send newsletters
  • Process orders
  • Detect fraud
  • Maintain website security
  • Analyse website performance
  • Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information.

Sharing Information

We may share information with trusted service providers who help operate our website, including:

  • Website hosting providers
  • Email newsletter services
  • Analytics providers
  • Payment processors
  • Security providers

These providers only receive information necessary to perform their services.

We may also disclose information when required by law.

International Visitors

Silicon Route operates from South Africa but welcomes visitors worldwide.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in South Africa or other countries where our service providers operate.

We take reasonable steps to ensure your information remains protected.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to:

  • Provide requested services
  • Meet legal obligations
  • Resolve disputes
  • Enforce agreements

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to:

  • Access your personal information
  • Correct inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your data
  • Withdraw consent
  • Restrict processing
  • Object to certain processing activities
  • Request data portability

Residents of South Africa have rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Visitors from the European Economic Area may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To exercise your rights, please contact us through our website.

Children’s Privacy

Silicon Route is not intended for children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

If we become aware that personal information from a child has been collected without appropriate consent, we will delete it promptly.

Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information.

However, no method of transmitting information over the Internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Third-Party Websites

Our website may link to external websites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The revised version will be posted on this page with an updated Effective Date.

Contact

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact us using the Contact page on Silicon Route.

We will make reasonable efforts to respond promptly to privacy-related enquiries.