Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
Forge Creative Studios ("Forge", "we", "us") is a creative and marketing studio based in Cape Town, South Africa. We are the responsible party (under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, "POPIA") and the controller (under the GDPR, where it applies) for the personal information described in this policy.
Contact: byron@forgestudio.co.za
2. What this policy covers
We run a self-hosted instance of Postiz, an open-source social media scheduling tool, and we use a Meta app (the "App") to connect Facebook Pages and Instagram professional accounts to it. This policy applies when you:
- connect a Facebook Page or Instagram account to the App;
- are a client or collaborator whose social accounts we manage; or
- contact us or use our scheduling tools.
3. Information we collect
From Meta, when you authorise the App:
- your Meta user ID, name and profile picture;
- the IDs, names, usernames and profile pictures of the Pages and Instagram professional accounts you give us access to;
- access tokens that let us act within the permissions you approve;
- performance metrics (such as reach, impressions and engagement) for those accounts and their posts, where you grant that permission; and
- details of the content we publish or schedule for you (text, images, video, captions, links, dates and times, and publishing status).
We receive only the data covered by the permissions you approve on Meta's authorisation screen. We never see or store your Facebook or Instagram password. We do not use the App to read your private messages or your friends list.
From you directly: your name and work email, login details for our scheduling tool (for team members), and the content, briefs and media you send us to publish.
Automatically: basic technical logs (such as IP address, timestamps and error messages) created by our systems for security and troubleshooting.
4. How we use your information
- to schedule, publish and manage content on the Pages and accounts you authorise;
- to show you the accounts you have connected and the status of your posts;
- to report on how your content performs;
- to keep our systems secure, prevent misuse and fix errors;
- to communicate with you about your account and our services; and
- to meet our legal obligations.
We do not sell Meta Platform Data. We do not use it for advertising, data brokering or profiling, for surveillance, or to make decisions about eligibility for credit, employment, insurance or housing. We do not use Meta Platform Data to train or fine-tune AI models.
We use AI assistants, including Anthropic's Claude, to help us draft, schedule and review content. When we do, post content and channel names may be processed by that assistant under the provider's terms.
5. Legal basis
We process personal information with your consent (when you authorise the App), to perform our agreement with you or your organisation, and for our legitimate business interests in running a secure and reliable service. You can withdraw consent at any time (see section 10).
6. Who we share information with
- Meta Platforms, because publishing content and retrieving metrics happen through its platforms.
- Service providers that help us run our services under contract, including Resend (email delivery) and Anthropic (AI assistant).
- The account owner: if we manage an account for a client, we share reports and content with that client.
- Authorities, when the law requires it or when we must protect rights, safety or security.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share Meta Platform Data with data brokers or advertising networks.
7. International transfers
Our systems operate from South Africa. Meta and some of our service providers process data in other countries, including the United States and the European Union. We take reasonable steps to make sure those providers protect your information to a standard comparable to this policy.
8. Storage and security
We store data in a database on infrastructure controlled by Forge. We limit access to authorised Forge personnel, use unique credentials, keep our software updated, and use encrypted (HTTPS) connections for data sent over the internet. No system is completely secure, and we will notify you and the relevant regulator if a breach affects your personal information, as the law requires.
9. How long we keep information
- We keep access tokens and account details while your connection is active. We delete access tokens when you disconnect the App or ask us to delete your data.
- We keep publishing records and reports for up to 12 months after a connection ends, for reporting and record-keeping, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
- Any backups are overwritten within 30 days.
10. Your rights
You can ask us to give you a copy of your information, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to its use, or withdraw your consent. To exercise any of these rights, email byron@forgestudio.co.za. We respond within 30 days.
If you are in South Africa, you may complain to the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za. If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may complain to your local data protection authority. Residents of other regions can use the same email address to exercise the rights their local law gives them.
11. Data deletion
You can ask us to delete the data we hold about you, including all data we received from Facebook or Instagram, at any time. Full step-by-step instructions are on our data deletion page. In short:
- Remove the App from your Facebook or Instagram account settings (Apps and Websites, or Business Integrations) to stop further access; and
- email byron@forgestudio.co.za with the subject "Data Deletion Request". We confirm receipt within 5 business days and complete deletion within 30 days, unless the law requires us to keep specific records.
12. Children
Our services are for businesses and professionals. They are not directed at anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from children.
13. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when our practices or the law change. The "Last updated" date above shows the latest version. If a change materially affects how we use Meta Platform Data, we notify connected account owners by email.
14. Contact us
Forge Creative Studios, Cape Town, South Africa
Email: byron@forgestudio.co.za