Privacy notice

Last updated: September 2026

Who is responsible

Through the Courts is operated by Wendy Joy Cerutti, a sole individual based in South Africa, who is the data controller for personal information handled through this site. You can reach us using the contact details on the About page.

No accounts, no payments

This site is free to read and there is nothing to sign up for. We do not create accounts, do not take payments, and do not store any details about your case.

What we collect

• Support messages — anything you send us by email. Used only to answer you. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
• Technical data — IP address, device and browser information recorded by our hosting provider for security and to keep the site working. Legal basis: legitimate interests.

We do not ask for and do not want details of your case, your health, or anyone's identity as a victim of crime. Please do not send those to us.

Who we share information with

• Our hosting provider, which processes technical data on our behalf.
• Authorities, where we are required to by law.

We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for advertising.

How long we keep it

Support emails are kept for up to two years. Technical logs are kept for a short period only.

Your rights

Under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act you may ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, object to certain processing, and complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa. Where the GDPR applies to you, you also have rights of restriction and portability, may withdraw consent at any time, and may complain to your local supervisory authority. We respond within one month.

International transfers

Our providers may store data outside South Africa, including in the European Union and the United States. Where that happens we rely on providers offering appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures, including encryption in transit, access controls and row-level database rules so that one account cannot read another's data. No system is perfectly secure, but we keep the amount of personal information we hold deliberately small.

Cookies and local storage

We use only essential storage: a sign-in session cookie and browser storage for your own tracker, dates and your choice of whether you are the victim, witness or a supporter. There are no analytics or marketing cookies. You can clear this at any time in your browser settings, which will sign you out and remove your saved notes.