Privacy notice: Content Studio, YouTube and TikTok

Who we are

Nature Connect Trust (Nature Connect, we, us) is a not-for-profit organisation registered in South Africa: Non-Profit Organisation No. 013-964, Public Benefit Organisation No. 930023924. Registered address: Unit 3B, Tokai On Main Office Park, 2 Burchell Street, Tokai, Cape Town, 7945.

Content Studio is the tool in the Nature Connect Staff Portal (staff.natureconnect.earth) that staff use to prepare and publish Nature Connect's stories, social media posts and videos. It can only be used by Nature Connect staff and people Nature Connect has given access, after signing in with their Nature Connect account.

Content Studio connects to two outside services for Nature Connect's own accounts: YouTube, through YouTube API Services, and TikTok, through TikTok for Developers. This notice explains what it reads from them, what it keeps and for how long.

YouTube

Content Studio uses YouTube API Services

Content Studio uses YouTube API Services to post videos to Nature Connect's own YouTube channel and to show staff how the channel is doing. By using Content Studio's YouTube features you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. Google's handling of your information is described in the Google Privacy Policy.

What Content Studio accesses, and why

The owner of Nature Connect's YouTube channel connects the channel once, in Content Studio's settings, and grants two permissions: to manage the channel's videos and to view the channel's account. With that permission Content Studio:

• reads the channel's ID, name and handle, so it only ever posts to the channel set in Content Studio;
• uploads the videos staff choose to post, with the title, description, tags, audience (made for children or not) and visibility they enter, exactly as entered;
• checks every 30 days that the videos it posted are still on YouTube.

Without the sign-in, using a Google API key, Content Studio reads the channel's public statistics (subscribers, views, number of videos) and its latest public videos with their view, like and comment counts, for the staff dashboard.

Content Studio does not read or change anything else on the channel or the Google account.

What we keep, where, and for how long

• The sign-in (a Google refresh token), encrypted with AES-256, in Microsoft Azure storage, until the channel is disconnected or access is withdrawn.
• The channel's ID, name and handle, until the channel is disconnected or access is withdrawn.
• An upload log for each video Content Studio posts: the title, visibility, size, status, YouTube video ID, who posted it and when. After 30 days each entry is checked against YouTube: it is kept if the video is still there and deleted if not.
• The YouTube link on a staff story, for videos staff attach to a story, stored with the story in Nature Connect's Microsoft 365 (SharePoint) library and checked in the same way every 30 days.
• Dashboard numbers from YouTube (the public statistics above), kept for 30 days and then deleted.

Withdrawing access to YouTube

• In Content Studio: Settings, YouTube, Disconnect. Content Studio withdraws its access at Google straight away and deletes the stored sign-in, the channel details, the upload log and the YouTube links on stories.
• On Google's security settings page, security.google.com/settings/security/permissions, signed in with the Google account that connected the channel. Content Studio notices within a day and deletes the same information.

TikTok

Content Studio uses TikTok for Developers

Content Studio uses TikTok for Developers to show staff how Nature Connect's own TikTok account is doing and, when it is set up to, to post the videos and photos staff choose to Nature Connect's TikTok account. By using Content Studio's TikTok features you agree to the TikTok Terms of Service. TikTok's handling of your information is described in the TikTok Privacy Policy.

What Content Studio accesses, and why

Nature Connect's TikTok account is connected once, in Content Studio's settings, by someone who can sign in to it, and they choose the permissions to grant. With that permission Content Studio:

• reads the account's name and profile picture, so staff can see which account is connected;
• reads the account's follower, like and video counts, and its recent videos with their views, likes, comments and shares, for the staff dashboard;
• if posting is switched on, posts the videos and photos staff choose, with the caption and settings (who can see it, and whether comments, duets and stitches are allowed) they choose, exactly as entered. Nothing is posted until the person posting confirms it.

Content Studio does not read direct messages, comment text or anything else on the TikTok account.

What we keep, where, and for how long

• The sign-in (TikTok's access and refresh tokens), encrypted with AES-256, in Microsoft Azure storage, until TikTok is disconnected or access is withdrawn.
• The account's name, profile picture and numbers, and a daily record of the numbers so the dashboard can show trends, for as long as TikTok stays connected.
• A post log for each post Content Studio makes: the caption, settings, TikTok post ID, who posted it and when, for as long as TikTok stays connected.

All of it is deleted within 7 days of TikTok being disconnected or access being withdrawn.

Withdrawing access to TikTok

• In Content Studio: Settings, TikTok, Disconnect.
• In the TikTok app: in Settings and privacy, remove Content Studio from the apps that have access to the account.

Other things we keep

Video files and photos that staff attach to a story are Nature Connect's own content and stay with the story in Nature Connect's SharePoint library.

The Staff Portal keeps your portal sign-in in your browser's local storage. Content Studio sets no advertising or tracking cookies and shows no advertising.

How we use and share it

We use this information only to post Nature Connect's content to its own YouTube channel and TikTok account and to show Nature Connect staff how they are doing. Only Nature Connect staff signed in to the Staff Portal can see it. We do not sell it, share it with anyone else, or use it for advertising. Microsoft stores it for us as our service provider (Azure and Microsoft 365). Google and TikTok receive the content and details we post to YouTube and TikTok.

Deleting your information

To ask us to delete information Content Studio keeps about you, email media@natureconnect.earth. We delete it within 7 days and confirm when it is done.

Questions and complaints

Contact our Information Officer, Llewellyn Williams, at media@natureconnect.earth or +27 21 100 5613. Your rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), including how to complain to the Information Regulator, are set out in our main privacy policy.