Privacy Policy

The Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who visits the COSOMA Blog at blog.cosoma.mw. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, how long we keep it, and your rights in relation to it. Please read this policy carefully before using this website.

By using the COSOMA Blog, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Who We Are

The COSOMA Blog is operated by the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA), a collective management organisation established under the Copyright Act of 2016. COSOMA is the data controller for all personal information collected through this website.

Registered address:
Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA)
Off Paul Kagame Road, Adjacent to Maula Prison
P.O. Box 3064, Lilongwe, Malawi
Email: cosoma@cosoma.mw
Phone: +265 981 186 562

What Information We Collect

We collect personal information in the following ways:

Information You Provide Directly

  • Comments: When you leave a comment on a blog post, we collect your name, email address, website URL (if provided), and the content of your comment. Your email address is not displayed publicly but is used to notify you of replies.
  • Contact form submissions: If you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the message you send. This information is used solely to respond to your enquiry.
  • Newsletter subscriptions: If you subscribe to receive updates from the COSOMA Blog, we collect your email address for the purpose of sending you blog notifications and news updates. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Information Collected Automatically

  • Log data: When you visit the COSOMA Blog, our server automatically records information such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, time and date of your visit, and referring website. This data is used for security monitoring and to help us understand how the blog is used.
  • Cookies: We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for full details of the cookies we use and how to manage them.
  • Analytics data: We may use analytics tools to collect aggregated, anonymised data about how visitors interact with the blog — such as which articles are most read and how long visitors stay on the site. This data does not identify individual users.

How We Use Your Information

COSOMA uses the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To publish and manage comments on blog posts
  • To respond to enquiries submitted via the contact form
  • To send blog update notifications to subscribers who have opted in
  • To monitor and improve the performance and security of the website
  • To understand how our content is being used so we can improve it
  • To comply with legal obligations under Malawian law

We will not use your personal information for any purpose other than those listed above without your prior consent.

Legal Basis for Processing

COSOMA processes personal information on the following legal bases:

  • Consent — for newsletter subscriptions and the use of non-essential cookies
  • Legitimate interests — for website security monitoring, server log data, and analytics
  • Contractual necessity — for responding to contact form enquiries
  • Legal obligation — where required to comply with applicable Malawian law, including the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act of 2016

How Long We Keep Your Information

  • Comments: Kept for as long as the related blog post remains published. If a post is deleted, associated comments are deleted with it.
  • Contact form enquiries: Retained for up to 12 months after the enquiry is resolved, then securely deleted.
  • Newsletter subscriptions: Kept until you unsubscribe. Upon unsubscription, your email address is removed from our mailing list promptly.
  • Server log data: Retained for up to 90 days for security and diagnostic purposes, then automatically deleted.
  • Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymised — retained indefinitely as it cannot be linked to any individual.

Who We Share Your Information With

COSOMA does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service providers: We use trusted third-party services to operate the COSOMA Blog, including web hosting and email delivery providers. These providers process data only on our instructions and are bound by confidentiality obligations.
  • Legal requirements: We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid request from a competent authority under Malawian law.
  • Third-party embeds: The blog may contain embedded content from third-party platforms such as YouTube or Facebook. When you interact with such content, those services may collect data about you independently. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for further information.

Your Rights

You have the following rights in relation to your personal information held by COSOMA:

  • Right of access — You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Right to correction — You may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information we hold about you.
  • Right to deletion — You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations that require us to retain it.
  • Right to withdraw consent — Where processing is based on your consent (such as newsletter subscriptions), you may withdraw that consent at any time.
  • Right to object — You may object to processing based on legitimate interests where you feel it impacts your rights and freedoms.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at cosoma@cosoma.mw with the subject line Privacy Request. We will respond within 30 days.

Data Security

COSOMA takes the security of your personal information seriously. The COSOMA Blog is hosted on a secure server and uses HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and the website. Access to any personal data stored by the blog is restricted to authorised COSOMA personnel only.

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we will notify affected users promptly in the event of a data breach that affects their personal information.

Links to Other Websites

The COSOMA Blog may contain links to external websites, including the main COSOMA website at cosoma.mw and other third-party sites. This Privacy Policy applies only to the COSOMA Blog. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any external websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Children’s Privacy

The COSOMA Blog is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us at cosoma@cosoma.mw and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to This Policy

COSOMA may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the COSOMA Blog following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how COSOMA handles your personal information, please contact us:

Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA)
Off Paul Kagame Road, Adjacent to Maula Prison
P.O. Box 3064, Lilongwe, Malawi
Email: cosoma@cosoma.mw
Phone: +265 981 186 562
Website: cosoma.mw

Last updated: June 2025