Last updated: 23 October 2026
Innovation Centre Global ("we", "us") built ICG Tools as a free set of employment-readiness and education tools for young people, available on the web and as an app on Google Play. This page explains, plainly, what information we collect, why, and what you can do about it.
CV Builder — "Keep it online" (optional). By default, your CV draft is saved only on your own device. If you choose to save it online instead — so you can reach it from another device, like a library computer — we store what you've typed into the CV (name, contact details, work history, education, references, and anything else you add) in a secured database, protected by a retrieval code and a PIN that only you choose. We can't look it up without both. We deliberately don't ask for your ID number, religion, or marital status anywhere in the tool, since none of that belongs on a CV.
Business Directory and Job Board (optional, needs an account). To list a business or post a job you create an account (see "Accounts and identification" below). We then collect what you enter on the listing (business or company name, category, location, description, the contact details or website you choose to add, and, for businesses, the CIPC registration number, which is required so that only registered businesses are listed) so our team can review it before it's published. Once approved, the listing, including the contact details and the CIPC registration number you put on it, becomes publicly visible so that visitors can check it. We may ask you for proof, such as your CIPC certificate, and we remove listings that are not genuine. Your account name, account email and cell number are not shown publicly.
ICG is built on trust, so we do not let anonymous people publish listings. To list a business or post a job you sign in with your email address. We email you a one-time code, so there is no password to steal. If we switch it on, you can instead sign in with your Google, Facebook or X account. We then receive only what that service shares with us, normally your name and email address, and we do not post anything or see your friends or messages. Those services have their own privacy policies. Before your first listing we also ask for your full name and a South African cell number, and you confirm you are 18 or older.
Our systems store this information with Supabase (accounts, listings and the anonymous request log), our web host (the website), Anthropic (the AI assistant), GoatCounter (visit counts, no cookies) and, only if you choose that way of signing in, Google, Meta (Facebook) or X. Some of these providers store data outside South Africa. We choose providers that protect it, and we only share what is needed.
Under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) you may ask what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, object to how we use it, and complain to the Information Regulator (inforegulator.org.za) if you are unhappy with how we handled your request. You can correct your details yourself on the My account page, and delete everything there too. Or email us and we will help. Our Information Officer is the founder of Innovation Centre Global, reachable at the email below.
On the Vacancy Finder page, the LinkedIn, Indeed and Pnet buttons simply open those websites in a new tab with your job words and town in the web address. We do not see what you do there, and those sites have their own privacy rules. LinkedIn does not allow other websites to copy its listings, so we do not. When the “Show vacancies here” box is switched on, your job words, town and filters (for example full-time) are sent to our web server and on to Adzuna, a job-advert service, which returns matching adverts. Your name and your IP address are not sent to Adzuna, and we do not keep what you searched for. Our server keeps each result list for 30 minutes so popular searches do not use Adzuna again, and counts searches per visitor per hour (using a scrambled form of your address, cleared within an hour) to prevent abuse. We have not checked the employers in these adverts: a real job never asks you to pay to apply.
In short. Ask ICG is AI and can make mistakes, so check anything important. Your messages are sent to an AI (Claude, made by Anthropic) to write the answers, so please do not type ID numbers or passwords. ICG saves what people ask, without names, emails or phone numbers, to decide which tools to build next. If you do not want your questions saved, use the box under “What people ask, saved anonymously” below. The details are below.
The chat button on our pages is an automated guide, not a person. It can answer in two ways. For most questions it uses an AI assistant (explained below). When the AI is switched off or cannot answer, the guide answers by itself, without an AI, only from ICG's own built-in notes. To do that, your question is sent to our own web server. Our server does not keep your question or your address with it.
Looking things up for you. Depending on the question, our server may send only the key words of it to one of these services so they can give the facts: Wikipedia (general knowledge), a web search service (Brave Search, only the key words of the question, to find pages from across the internet; we show their short summaries and links, and you open the pages yourself), a currency-rate service (exchange rates), Open-Meteo (weather and place names), the Free Dictionary API (word meanings), REST Countries (country facts), or an official South African website such as SARS, NSFAS, Home Affairs or a university (our server reads a public page and quotes a few lines from it, with a link). Your name, your IP address and anything you wrote beyond the question words are not sent. Our server keeps copies of these public answers for a few hours or days so popular questions do not hit those services again. Those services have their own privacy rules, and please do not put personal details such as ID numbers, passwords or bank details in a question.
For most questions the guide uses an AI assistant (Claude, made by Anthropic) to write the answer, so when you type a question in the chat, it is sent to the AI without a separate question first. Your recent chat messages (up to the last twelve) are sent through our web server to Anthropic so it can write a reply. We do not store them. Anthropic processes them under its own privacy policy, and please do not include personal details such as ID numbers, passwords, bank details or addresses. AI replies can be wrong, so double-check anything important.
Your chat is kept only in your browser tab until you close it or tap "New chat". We count how often the chat is opened and how often it could not answer. If you email us through the chat, that is an ordinary email and we will see what you send.
What people ask, saved anonymously. To decide which new tools to build (for example a weather tool or an exchange-rate tool), ICG saves what people ask the guide. Before anything is saved, email addresses, phone numbers and long strings of digits are removed, very long pasted text is cut off and not saved, and nothing that identifies you is attached: no name, no account, no IP address. We also save a short topic label and which suggested tools you tapped. A random code made fresh on each visit stops one visit being counted twice. Only ICG administrators can read these requests, and they are deleted after 12 months. Nothing is saved from the Android app. Messages about safety, such as self-harm, are never saved. Please still don't type personal details into the chat.
New tools made with Ask ICG. ICG administrators can use Ask ICG (AI) to build new tools. An administrator reviews each tool before it goes live, and every tool runs inside your browser in a locked box. A few tools show live information such as exchange rates or public holidays. For those, the tool asks our web server, which fetches the public data from an approved website (for example the European Central Bank’s rates) and returns it. Only the words needed for that lookup, such as a currency code or a town, are passed on; your name, your IP address and anything else you type stay on your device, and the page at the bottom of the tool says which sites it reads. Pictures on tools and tool cards are free-to-use photos (from Pexels or Openverse). They are downloaded once by ICG when the tool is built, so your visit does not contact those services, and the photographer is credited under the tool. Some tools remember your settings or progress on your own device only. Rules and figures in tools can change, so check the official website before you rely on a result.
Innovation Centre University applications. Innovation Centre University is a separate, paid programme. Its web pages do not collect or send anything on their own: the enrolment self-check stays in your browser, and the application message is only prepared for you to send from your own email. If you email us an application, we use what you send only to assess it and to contact you, keep it apart from ICG visitor data, and never sell it. Please do not send ID numbers or passwords. Fees, refund terms and the student contract are given to you in writing before you pay.
ICG's own reference notes. To give better answers, ICG keeps a set of its own reference notes (answers to common questions, templates and technical notes) on our web server. They are not published on the website. When the AI answers, our server picks the few notes that match your question and gives them to the AI together with your messages, so the answer uses ICG's own wording. Nothing about you is added to them.
Indonesian pages (Bahasa Indonesia). The pages under /id/ and the Indonesian view of the Global Mall work the same way as the English ones. They ask for no name, email or phone number. Number Quest in Bahasa Indonesia keeps stars and badges only on the child’s own device, and the Global Mall remembers your chosen language and saved stores only on your own device (you can clear them by clearing your browser data). The quiz in the AI safety guide is not saved or sent anywhere. The Panduan Karier (career guide) and Cari Kerja (job finder) ask for no personal details; the words you type in Cari Kerja are only used in your browser to build a link to the job site you choose, and ICG does not receive them. The Alat Usaha (business tools) keep your checklist ticks, cash-flow notes, and invoice details only on your own device (browser storage); nothing is sent to ICG, and clearing your browser data removes them. The Indonesian wording was prepared with machine help and is still to be reviewed by a native speaker.
Global Mall. The Global Mall lists online stores and links to each store’s own official website. ICG does not sell anything, take payments or orders, or earn commission, and the links carry no tracking or affiliate codes from us. When you open a store you leave our site and that store’s own privacy policy applies. If you type a product in the Global Mall, the word is only used in your browser to build the link to the store’s search page; ICG does not receive or save it. If you save favourite stores, the list is kept only on your own device and you can clear it by clearing your browser data. By default the Global Mall shows each store’s own small website icon (its logo). Your browser fetches these icons directly from Google’s public icon service, so Google can see your network address and which stores are listed on the page. ICG does not receive that information. There is a “Show store logos” tick box on the page to turn this off, and your choice is kept on your own device.
How Ask ICG keeps up to date about AI. Once a week our own server asks the AI (Claude, made by Anthropic) to search the public web and write a short briefing about new AI models, tools, scams and rules, so Ask ICG can answer questions about AI. The server checks the briefing before saving it (no web addresses, no blocked words, a named source and a recent date for each item). Visitors do not take part in this, and nothing you type, and nothing about you, is used or sent for the weekly briefing. When a question is about AI, or about a common topic such as study funding, jobs or grants, our server also gives the AI a few short, fixed notes written by ICG (the weekly briefing and a list of common questions) together with today’s date, so the answer is more up to date. These notes are not published on the website.
Personal and emotional messages. Ask ICG tries to answer kindly when you share something personal, such as a loss, a failure, a worry or good news. It is an AI: it does not feel things the way a person does, it is not a counsellor or a doctor, and it can get things wrong. A message that sounds personal is sent to the AI like any other message, so please do not give names, addresses, ID numbers or other private details. ICG does not save the words of messages that sound personal to the “What people ask” list. If the AI cannot answer, your browser shows a built-in kind reply that never leaves your device. If you or someone you know is in danger or thinking of self-harm, call the Suicide Crisis Line 0800 567 567, Lifeline 0861 322 322, the GBV Command Centre 0800 428 428, Childline 08000 55555 (under 18) or the police on 10111. Numbers can change, so check them if one does not connect.
Files, charts and running code. Pictures and files you attach (a photo, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel or text file) are read in your browser and sent to the AI (Claude, made by Anthropic) when you send your message, so do not attach anything with ID numbers, bank details or other people’s private details. Word, PDF, Excel and PowerPoint downloads are built inside your browser and are never uploaded. When you tap “Run” under a piece of JavaScript, it runs in a locked box in your browser that has no internet access and cannot see this website, your chats or anything stored on your device; it stops after 10 seconds. The code and its results are not sent anywhere. Code written by an AI can be wrong, so read it before you run it, and never paste secrets into it.
Searching the web. When a question needs current facts, such as tenders, bursary dates, news, prices or official websites, the AI decides by itself to use Anthropic’s web search tool (you can also switch on “Search the web” in Ask ICG or ask it to search). Your question is then also used as the basis of a search on the internet, and the answer shows the websites it used so you can check them. Do not put personal details in a search. We do not store your question. To keep the cost and abuse under control we only count searches per day, per month and per visitor (using the same scrambled form of the visitor’s address, cleared within an hour), and automatic searching pauses when the monthly search budget is used up. Web pages can be wrong or out of date, so confirm deadlines, fees and legal or health matters on the official website.
Documents you attach. In Ask ICG you can attach a Word, Excel, PDF, text or picture file and ask the AI to edit or check it. Word, Excel and text files are read inside your own browser and only the text is sent; PDFs and pictures are sent as they are (pictures are made smaller first). The file is sent through our web server to Anthropic so the AI can read it and write the edited version, as soon as you ask for the edit, with no separate question first (the chat tells you this when you choose the file). We do not save your document or the edited version on our server. The chat stays in your own browser, like your other chats, until you clear it. Anthropic processes what is sent under its own privacy policy. Please do not attach files that contain ID numbers, bank details, passwords or other people’s private details. To limit cost and abuse we only count document edits per day and per visitor (using the same scrambled form of the visitor’s address, cleared within an hour). AI edits can contain mistakes, so check every detail, and have a qualified person check legal, medical or financial documents.
Speaking your question. In some browsers Ask ICG shows a microphone button. It only listens after you tap it. The voice-to-text is done by your browser or device maker (for example Google on Chrome or Apple on Safari), not by ICG, and their own privacy rules apply. ICG receives only the text that appears in the message box, which you can read and change before you send it. We never receive or keep the recording.
Building a website with Ask ICG. If you ask Ask ICG to write a website or web page, your description is sent to the AI (Claude, made by Anthropic) like any other question, so please do not include ID numbers, passwords or other people's private details. The page the AI writes appears only on your screen; ICG does not publish it or keep a copy. The Preview button runs the page in a sealed box inside the chat window and does not send anything to ICG. Always check the code and replace every placeholder before you publish it yourself.
The built-in website maker. The "Build a website" button opens a maker that works entirely on your own phone or computer, without the AI. The answers you type (your name, words, phone number and so on) are used only to build your pages on your screen and are not sent to ICG or anyone else. Your website is made when you tap Download ZIP; ICG does not publish it or keep a copy. If you tap "Improve with AI", the home page it made is then sent to the AI like any other message, so remove anything private first. The pages it makes contain yellow placeholders and a starting-point privacy policy that you must check and complete before you publish.
CIPC registration check for websites. To help stop scam websites, ICG builds websites (with the maker and with the AI) only for organisations registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). Before building, you type the registered name and CIPC registration number. We only check that the number has the right shape; we cannot look it up for you, so you must give your own, true number. In the website maker these two details stay in your browser tab, are written into your website's footer, privacy page and read-me file, and are not sent to ICG. If you use the AI website builder, the name and number are sent through our web server to the AI together with your request (so it can put them in the footer) and are not stored by us. They are public company details printed on your CIPC certificate. If you are not registered, ICG's CIPC Registration tool explains how to register.
Template downloads. Ask ICG can give you a free Excel or PowerPoint template when you ask for one. The download link is private, made just for that answer and stops working after about half an hour; the files are not listed on the website. We only count how many times each template is downloaded and, for a short time, how many downloads one scrambled visitor address has made, to stop abuse. The templates are learning and planning aids: a qualified professional must check anything safety, legal, financial or health critical.
Research paper searches. If you ask for research papers, your search words (only the words, nothing about you) are passed through our web server to open scholarly databases (OpenAlex, Crossref, arXiv and Semantic Scholar), which return titles, authors, abstracts and links. That search does not go to the AI. To keep it fast we keep a copy of each search result (the words and the papers found) for up to seven days. To stop abuse we count searches per visitor using a scrambled form of the visitor's address that cannot be turned back into the address, and the count is cleared within an hour. The papers belong to their authors and publishers; we only link to them.
Your saved chats. On the full Ask ICG page, your earlier chats are listed on the left so you can come back to them. They are kept only in your own browser, on your own phone or computer, and are never uploaded for this. Use "Clear my chats" on that page to remove them. On a shared or public computer, clear them before you leave.
Downloads. The Word, PDF and Excel buttons on an answer create the file on your own device. The answer is not uploaded for this.
The Book-keeping Tool saves your entries, business details and any receipt pictures only in your own browser, on your own device. We do not receive them. The camera is used only when you tap Take a photo, and the picture is shrunk and kept on your device. Excel, PDF, CSV and backup files are created on your device when you tap the button. Clearing your browser data deletes them, so save a backup file if you want to keep them.
To learn which tools help people and where to improve, we count visits using GoatCounter, a privacy-focused analytics service. It records which page was opened, roughly which country the visit came from, the type of browser and screen, and how the visitor arrived (for example from a WhatsApp or Google link). It does not use cookies, does not build profiles of individuals, does not follow you to other websites, and never sees anything you type into our tools. We also use Google Search Console, which only shows us how our pages appear in Google search results. Like most websites, our web host keeps standard server logs (such as the page requested, browser type and IP address) for security and basic statistics.
Some pictures on the home page are free stock photos served directly from Pexels (images.pexels.com). When your device loads them, Pexels can see your IP address and browser type, as with any image on the web. We do not send Pexels anything else, and they do not receive your name, email or anything you type on ICG.
The Daily News headlines and the headline strip on the home page are prepared once a day by our own server. The server reads the public news feeds of trusted South African and international news sites and sends the titles and links of today's news stories (never any visitor information) to our AI provider, Anthropic, which may also search the web for news and writes the plain-English headlines and the "What this means for you" notes. The server then checks the result before it is shown. Visitors do not take part in that and nothing about you is sent to those sites or to the AI provider for this feature. When you open a page that shows headlines, the news picture on each story is loaded straight from the news site that published it, so that site can see your IP address and browser type, as with any image on the web, and the news site can also see you if you tap a story to read it. We do not send them anything else, and they do not receive your name, email or anything you type on ICG. We do not copy or store the pictures.
Information you submit through the features above, including your account, is stored with Supabase, a database hosting provider, which processes it on our behalf under their own security practices. We don't share it with advertisers, data brokers, or anyone else, and we don't use it for anything beyond the purpose you submitted it for (saving your own CV, signing you in, or publishing your listing after review).
ICG Tools is built for South African youth of all ages, including through our Online School for Grade R to Grade 12. The data-collecting features described above require typing in real contact details. Accounts, business listings and job posts are for people aged 18 or older, and the other features are intended for learners old enough to manage their own CV — younger learners' content (like AI & Robotics: First Steps) is designed to be explored together with a parent or guardian, and doesn't ask a child to enter any personal information. If you're a parent or guardian with a question or concern about your child's use of any ICG Tool, please contact us using the details below.
If we change what we collect or how we use it, we'll update this page and change the date at the top.
For any question about this policy, or to ask us to delete information you've submitted, email info@innovationcentreglobal.co.za, or see About & Contact for WhatsApp.