Privacy Policy

ChromeWatch is a SaaS platform operated by ChromeWatch, a South African technology platform. ChromeWatch provides centralised web browsing monitoring for schools and educational institutions that manage Google Workspace for Education environments.

In this policy, "ChromeWatch", "we", "us", and "our" refer to ChromeWatch and its operating team. "You" refers to the school, IT administrator, teacher, or parent using the platform, and by extension the students whose data is processed through it.

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information processed by the ChromeWatch platform, including:

• Browsing activity data collected by the ChromeWatch Chrome extension on managed student devices
• Account and authentication data for school staff who log into the ChromeWatch dashboard
• Administrative data about schools and authorised users held by ChromeWatch
• Network-level DNS query data collected by the ChromeWatch DNS resolver, where deployed by the school on their network infrastructure

This policy does not cover websites or services operated by third parties, including Google (whose services are used for authentication). Please refer to Google's own Privacy Policy for information on how Google handles your data.

ChromeWatch collects two categories of data:

3.1 — Student Browsing Data (via the Chrome extension)

ChromeWatch does not collect passwords, page content, keystrokes, screenshots, location data, or any information beyond the four fields listed above. See section 3.3 for DNS data collected separately where the ChromeWatch DNS resolver is deployed.

3.2 — Staff Authentication Data (for dashboard access)

No passwords are stored by ChromeWatch. All authentication is handled by Google OAuth 2.0.

3.3 — Network DNS Query Data (where DNS resolver is deployed)

Where a school deploys the ChromeWatch DNS resolver on their network, ChromeWatch additionally collects DNS query data from devices on that network. This data is collected at the network level and is not tied to a Google account — it is recorded per source IP address. Linking a DNS event to a specific student requires correlation with the school's own DHCP or device management records, which ChromeWatch does not hold.

DNS data captures queries from any device on the school network using the ChromeWatch DNS resolver — including school-managed Chromebooks, staff devices, BYOD phones, tablets, and network-connected equipment. It does not capture page content, URLs, search terms, or any payload beyond the domain name queried. DNS data is accessible to school IT administrators and principals only — it is not accessible via the parent portal.

ChromeWatch collects and processes browsing data for the following specific, lawful purposes only:

• Acceptable use monitoring — enabling schools to verify that students are using school-issued devices in accordance with the school's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
• Safeguarding — helping IT administrators and teachers identify students who may be accessing harmful, inappropriate, or distracting content
• Parental oversight — giving parents visibility into how their children use school-issued devices (where the school has enabled this feature)
• Compliance reporting — providing exportable records for IT audit and governance purposes

South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) distinguishes between two roles in any data processing relationship:

Each school that uses ChromeWatch must sign a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with ChromeWatch before any data is collected. This is a legal prerequisite under Section 21 of POPIA.

ChromeWatch operates under the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) signed by parents each year. By signing the AUP, parents acknowledge and consent to the monitoring of browsing activity on school-managed devices. This annual consent forms the lawful basis for processing under POPIA.

ChromeWatch implements the following technical and organisational security measures in compliance with Section 19 of POPIA:

• Data location — All data is stored on servers physically located in South Africa. No student data is transferred outside the Republic of South Africa.
• Encryption in transit — All data transmitted between the Chrome extension and the ChromeWatch server is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS, enforced via Cloudflare.
• Access controls — The dashboard uses Google OAuth 2.0. Only staff members whose email addresses have been explicitly whitelisted by their school's administrator can access the system.
• Data isolation — Each school's data is stored in a completely separate folder structure keyed by domain. It is technically impossible for one school to access another school's data.
• Staff confidentiality — All ChromeWatch staff with access to ChromeWatch infrastructure are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• No third-party sharing — Student browsing data is never shared with, sold to, or accessible by any third party outside of the school's authorised users and ChromeWatch's operational staff.

In accordance with Section 14 of POPIA, personal information is not kept for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

On cancellation of a school's subscription, all associated data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Schools may request a full data export before cancellation at no charge.

Access to student browsing data is strictly limited to the following authorised parties:

• School IT administrators — full access to their school's data via the ChromeWatch dashboard
• Authorised school staff — access granted at the IT administrator's discretion (e.g. principals, teachers), limited to their school's data only
• Parents (where enabled) — read-only access to their own child's browsing history only, once the parent portal feature is enabled by the school
• ChromeWatch operational staff — access to server infrastructure for maintenance and support purposes only, subject to confidentiality obligations

Network DNS query data is accessible to school IT administrators and principals only. It is not accessible via the parent portal, as DNS data is recorded per device IP address rather than per named student account.

No student data is accessible to any other school, third party, advertiser, or external organisation under any circumstances.

ChromeWatch is designed specifically for educational environments where the majority of data subjects are children under the age of 18. We recognise that children's personal information carries the highest level of protection under POPIA (Sections 34 and 35), and we apply additional safeguards accordingly.

• Children's browsing data is only processed where the school has obtained valid, prior, written consent from a parent or legal guardian — a "competent person" as defined by POPIA
• Children's data is never used for any commercial purpose, profiling, or advertising of any kind
• Children's data is stored with the same domain isolation, encryption, and strict access controls as all other data on the platform
• Parents may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child's data at any time by contacting the school's IT administrator
• ChromeWatch collects the absolute minimum data necessary — URL, page title, timestamp, and school email address only

POPIA grants data subjects — and parents or guardians acting on behalf of children — the following rights:

To exercise any of these rights, contact your school's IT administrator in the first instance. For matters unresolved at school level, contact ChromeWatch at admin@chromewatch.co.za.

Information Regulator of South Africa: justice.gov.za/inforeg — admin@chromewatch.co.za

In the event of a security compromise affecting personal information, ChromeWatch will:

• Notify the affected school immediately upon becoming aware of the breach
• Provide full details of what data was affected, how the breach occurred, and what steps are being taken to contain it
• Assist the school in notifying the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as required by Section 22 of POPIA
• Take immediate remedial action to contain the breach and prevent recurrence

Schools, as Responsible Parties, are required under POPIA to notify the Information Regulator and affected parents or students within a reasonable time after becoming aware of a breach.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the ChromeWatch platform, applicable law, or our data practices. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify all active schools by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect
• Make a version history available on request

Continued use of ChromeWatch after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. Schools who do not accept the updated terms may cancel their subscription and receive a full data export in accordance with Section 8 of this policy.