Written enquiry intake and essential session security
The optional direct enquiry form uses a short-lived essential session cookie and a security token to help prevent unauthorised submissions. This is not a marketing cookie. The form requests a brief initial matter description only; do not upload or enter confidential records or sensitive credentials.
If the direct intake service is configured and enabled, the enquiry is recorded in restricted server-side storage for human triage. A form reference confirms only a website record, not mailbox delivery, client acceptance or the start of paid work. Marketing subscription is not automatic.
Retention, access, data-subject rights and any cross-border processing must be reconciled with the actual commissioned hosting, mail and records arrangements before release. Until those details are confirmed, publication of this new intake pathway remains blocked.
Privacy
Privacy information for website visitors, enquiries and professional contacts.
Privacy information for website visitors, enquiries and professional contacts.COOKIES
Aperture is cookie-free by default.
The public Aperture website does not set its own analytics, advertising, marketing or preference cookies. A small amount of same-origin browser storage may be used for non-tracking presentation state, such as avoiding repeated display of the opening animation. If you choose an external service such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp, PayPal, PayFast or an external translation service, that provider may apply its own privacy and cookie practices on its own service.
International privacy information
How we handle information across international enquiries and assignments.
This notice explains how Aperture Research Works handles information received through the website, email, WhatsApp progress communication and accepted research assignments. Aperture works internationally, including on US-facing and cross-border matters, so information may originate in or relate to more than one country.
Responsibility for handling information
For purposes of this notice, Aperture Research Works is responsible for determining how and why the information described here is handled, except where an independent service provider processes information under its own terms.
Information we may receive
This may include identity and contact details, organisation details, country and jurisdiction, the questions submitted, intended use, documents, source references, deadlines, billing information, correspondence, technical website data and other information voluntarily supplied.
Purpose and lawful handling
Information is used to assess suitability, communicate, define scope, prepare estimates and quotations, establish a case reference, perform accepted work, maintain records, protect legal and commercial interests, meet payment and accounting duties and improve service delivery. Processing is limited to legitimate professional purposes, contractual steps, legal obligations, consent where applicable and other lawful bases recognised in the relevant jurisdiction.
Written communication and case references
Official communication is handled by email. Voice calls are not accepted. Written records, including the unique client reference, help preserve traceability, reduce misunderstanding and connect future correspondence to the correct matter. WhatsApp can be used for a brief first contact, urgent attention or progress checks. Email remains the substantive case record.
International transfers and service providers
Website hosting, email, payment, document, security or technology providers may process information in countries different from the client’s location. Reasonable contractual, technical and organisational controls are used where available. No internet or cross-border system can be represented as risk-free.
Payments
Payments may be facilitated through PayFast, PayPal, banks/SWIFT and other approved payment providers according to the transaction. Payment providers and financial institutions process their own transaction, identity, fraud-prevention and verification data under their own privacy terms. Aperture does not need or request a client’s full card credentials and does not store card verification codes.
Sensitive, privileged and personal information
Do not send passwords, unrestricted identity records, medical records, privileged documents, trade secrets or highly sensitive personal information at initial enquiry stage. Appropriate handling, necessity, minimisation and transfer arrangements should be discussed first.
Research subjects and public-source information
Accepted assignments may require lawful collection and analysis of public, client-supplied or properly accessible information about organisations, individuals, markets, public officials, litigation, publications or events. Relevance, lawful access, accuracy, proportionality and professional boundaries are considered in context.
Professional contacts
We may use limited professional and organisation information obtained from public business, institutional or professional sources to identify and communicate with people whose work may reasonably be relevant to Aperture Research Works. Any such use is assessed according to purpose, relevance and the applicable jurisdiction. Requests not to receive further outreach are recorded and respected.
Retention
Enquiries, case references, accepted assignment records, invoices and research materials may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary for communication, delivery, evidence traceability, legal obligations, dispute management, security, professional records and legitimate business purposes. Retention periods may differ by matter and jurisdiction.
Security
Reasonable safeguards are used, but absolute security cannot be guaranteed. Clients must use secure channels and avoid unnecessary sensitive disclosure. Aperture may decline or pause handling where the security or legal risk is disproportionate.
Your requests and rights
Depending on applicable law, a person may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, portability or information about processing. Rights are not absolute and may be limited by legal duties, legitimate interests, research integrity, evidential preservation, disputes or third-party rights. Where applicable, you may also raise a concern with the competent privacy or data-protection authority in your jurisdiction.
Children and academic applicants
The service is not directed to children. The Academic & Research Institutions practice is primarily designed for universities, research institutions, faculty, research teams and permitted postgraduate research. Undergraduate assessed work is not an active target market. Any student-related request must comply with applicable academic-integrity and privacy requirements.
Contact
Privacy enquiries must be sent in writing to info@apertureforensic.com. Include the relevant client or case reference where available.
Human review of enquiries
Initial enquiries and accepted assignments may be reviewed by Paul Hattingh, Xandro Hattingh and authorised contributors where necessary for scoping, administration, research or delivery. Client information is not intentionally placed into unrestricted public AI systems as a substitute for the agreed human-controlled service.
Regulated and restricted data
Public-source sector research does not authorise the transfer of regulated or restricted information. Protected health information, non-public consumer-financial information, classified material, Controlled Unclassified Information, export-controlled technical data, restricted source code and similar material must not be submitted unless Aperture has expressly approved the information type, transfer method, contractual controls and security arrangements in writing.
Where a client requires processing on its behalf, a separate data-processing and security addendum may be required. The applicable engagement documents will identify the approved purpose, access limits, retention, deletion, incident procedure and service-provider conditions.
Personal information across jurisdictions
Aperture Research Works handles personal information according to the lawful purpose, agreed scope and applicable jurisdiction. We minimise collection, restrict access, avoid unnecessary sensitive data, and assess cross-border handling where applicable law requires additional safeguards. Do not send passports, banking details, medical information, children's data or other highly sensitive material in an initial enquiry unless specifically requested through an appropriate route.
Website analytics and privacy
This website uses no first-party marketing, analytics, tracking or language-preference cookies. No website analytics script records your browsing here. Necessary server and security logs may be processed for operation, abuse prevention and troubleshooting. Language is carried in the page URL. Personalised professional context is authenticated and read on the server; an invalid link displays the ordinary page.
Regulatory acceptance comes before substantive work
Certain investigative, screening and person-specific matters are accepted only after applicable licensing and regulatory authority has been confirmed. Aperture does not undertake regulated activity merely because information may be publicly available.
See Regulatory & Jurisdiction ControlsAcademic enquiries
ACADEMIC ENQUIRY RECORDS
Academic enquiry records may concern an institution, research team, Principal Investigator, faculty member, postdoctoral researcher or permitted postgraduate applicant. The record identifier follows the enquiry or proposed engagement and is not intended to operate as a hidden personal profile.
Academic and university enquiries may be assigned a unique Aperture Academic Enquiry Reference. The reference is designed as a neutral record identifier and does not intentionally encode the applicant’s name, institution, country, student number or sensitive personal information.
Information supplied in an academic enquiry, together with proportionate information obtained from lawful public or institutional sources, may be processed to assess fit, verify relevant affiliation or academic status, calibrate an individual quotation, protect academic integrity, manage correspondence and maintain an appropriate enquiry record. Processing remains subject to the purposes, safeguards, retention controls and applicable rights described in this Privacy Notice. Where voluntarily supplied and relevant to quotation or engagement administration, this may include grant or sponsor details, external-research budget context, the likely contracting or paying party, procurement requirements and related project-authority information. These details are used to understand scope, authority, contracting and delivery conditions, not as a hidden willingness-to-pay score.
Evidence Brief & professional personalisation
PERSONALISATION IS LIMITED TO PROFESSIONAL RELEVANCE.
If you choose to receive the Aperture Evidence Brief, we may process the contact details, organisation, role, source page and interest information you provide in order to deliver the communication you requested.
If you separately opt in to professional personalisation, Aperture may use your organisation, professional role, pages you engage with and limited publicly available professional information to make a communication more relevant. We do not use sensitive personal information for marketing personalisation.
You may opt out of personalisation while remaining subscribed to general briefings, or unsubscribe from communications entirely. High-value personalised letters remain subject to human review before sending.
Partner and referral attribution in Aperture
If you arrive with an approved affiliate, referral or partner identifier, Aperture may store a limited first-party referral identifier for up to 90 days so a qualifying enquiry or transaction can be attributed correctly. This identifier is used for Aperture commercial attribution and duplicate/conflict control, not cross-site behavioural advertising. Programme-specific attribution periods can differ where disclosed and agreed. You may contact Aperture to ask about attribution linked to an enquiry.
Accounts, identity verification and service credits
Where a person requests an Aperture Account, enterprise access, service credits or partner status, Aperture may process additional information reasonably necessary to verify identity, professional or business affiliation, authority, account eligibility, transaction allocation, fraud prevention, sanctions/compliance screening and programme classification. This may include independently sourced public professional or business information.
Payment-provider transaction references, expected amounts, payment status, credit allocations, credit movements, refunds, chargebacks and reconciliation records may be retained as financial and audit records. Aperture does not require or store a client's full card credentials.
Partner/referral attribution and commission records are kept separately from a client's service-credit ledger.
Written enquiry records
When you submit a question, we retain your contact details, the professional outline you send, the page and sender/theme context, selected language and safe source/campaign references. Optional second-stage forms retain the additional information and acknowledgements you provide. The complete personalised link token is not retained in the enquiry record; a one-way reference may be retained to link the professional context.
A private receipt is created before we confirm that the enquiry was received. An email notification supports human review. Records are kept outside the public website and reviewed under the retention and lawful-purpose principles in this notice. Acknowledgements in a form do not create an engagement or replace a human acceptance review.
Your written enquiry
Email drafts and professional introductions
Typing in an enquiry form prepares a draft in your browser. The website does not submit those form entries to Aperture. You choose whether to open your email application, edit the draft and send it from your own account. Aperture receives the enquiry when you send the email; your email provider handles that transmission under its own terms. Ordinary website requests and hosting records remain separate from the drafting of your message.
A professional introduction may use a link carrying encrypted name, organisation, role and other approved professional context. This allows the relevant sender and page to remain consistent with the introduction. Invalid links render a normal page. Personalised entry pages are excluded from indexing and are served without page caching. Changing language does not require preference cookies.
Optional website translation
Choosing a non-original language may open the public page through Google Translate’s external website viewing service. Google’s own terms and privacy practices apply to that translated view. Our translation links omit personalised tokens and personal query details.
The website still prepares enquiries for you to send in your own email application. Choosing a reading language does not send an enquiry to Aperture. Please use an appropriate direct communication route for private or confidential information.
Read how website translation works ↗