Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Digitel Africa (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website www.digitel.africa or use our digital services.

This policy is designed to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as well as other applicable data protection laws.

By accessing our website or using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Who We Are

Digitel Africa is a digital services agency providing comprehensive technology solutions including:

• Web Development: Website design and development, WordPress solutions, e-commerce platforms, and custom web applications
• App Development: Mobile and web application development, UI/UX design, custom integrations, and AI automation solutions
• Cloud Computing: Server maintenance, cloud infrastructure, security services, automated backups, load balancing, and disaster recovery solutions

Our website address is: https://www.digitel.africa

For data protection matters, you can contact us using the details provided in the Contact Us section.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, company name, and mailing address when you enquire about our services or request a quote
• Account Information: Username, password, and profile details if you register for an account on our website
• Communication Data: Messages, feedback, and other content you provide when contacting us through forms, email, or other communication channels
• Project Information: Business requirements, technical specifications, and other details necessary to deliver our services
• Payment Information: Billing details required to process payments for our services (note: payment card details are processed by secure third-party payment processors)

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution
• Log Data: IP address, access times, pages viewed, referring URL, and other browsing actions
• Location Data: Approximate geographic location based on your IP address
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Information collected through cookies, pixels, and similar tracking technologies (see Section 6)

3.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party sources, including:

• Business partners and referrals
• Cloud service providers (AWS, Azure, Cloudflare) when managing your infrastructure
• Analytics providers

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

4.1 Service Delivery

• To provide, maintain, and improve our web development, app development, and cloud computing services
• To process and fulfil your requests and orders
• To manage your account and provide customer support
• To communicate with you about projects, updates, and service-related matters

4.2 Business Operations

• To send you quotes, invoices, and payment reminders
• To improve our website functionality and user experience
• To analyse usage patterns and optimise our services
• To conduct research and development

4.3 Marketing and Communications

• To send you promotional materials and newsletters (with your consent)
• To inform you about new services, features, or offerings
• To conduct surveys and gather feedback

4.4 Security and Compliance

• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, and security threats
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service
• To protect our rights, property, and safety, and that of our users

5. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Under the GDPR, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take pre-contractual steps at your request (e.g., providing our web development or cloud services)
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, marketing, and fraud prevention, provided these interests do not override your rights
• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for specific purposes (e.g., receiving marketing communications)
• Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

6.1 What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website. They help us provide you with a better experience and allow certain features to function properly.

6.2 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly. These cannot be disabled.
• Functional Cookies: Enable enhanced functionality and personalisation, such as remembering your preferences.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting anonymous statistical information.
• Marketing Cookies: Used to track visitors across websites to display relevant advertisements (only with your consent).

6.3 WordPress-Specific Cookies

Our website runs on WordPress, which uses the following cookies:

• Comment Cookies: If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies for your convenience. These last for one year.
• Login Cookies: Temporary cookies to verify browser cookie acceptance, login session cookies (lasting two days or two weeks with “Remember Me”), and screen options cookies (lasting one year).
• Post Edit Cookies: If you edit or publish content, a cookie indicating the post ID is saved for one day.

6.4 Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. You can also withdraw consent for non-essential cookies at any time.

6.5 Gravatar

If you leave a comment, an anonymised hash of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to check if you use it. The Gravatar privacy policy is available at: https://automattic.com/privacy

7. Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

7.1 Service Providers

Third-party vendors who assist us in operating our business and delivering services, including:

• Cloud infrastructure providers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Cloudflare, Oracle)
• Hosting and server management providers
• Payment processors
• Email service providers
• Analytics providers
• Customer support tools

7.2 Business Partners

Partners with whom we collaborate to deliver integrated solutions, subject to appropriate data protection agreements.

7.3 Legal and Regulatory Authorities

When required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or to protect our rights and safety.

7.4 Business Transfers

In connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the successor entity.

7.5 With Your Consent

We may share your information with other parties when you have given us explicit consent to do so.

Note: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

8. International Data Transfers

As a digital services provider working with global cloud platforms, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including countries that may not provide the same level of data protection.

When we transfer data internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Ensuring recipients are in countries with adequate data protection laws
• Obtaining your explicit consent where required
• Working with service providers who maintain appropriate certifications (such as ISO 27001)

9. How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Client Data: For the duration of our business relationship and for a period thereafter as required by law (typically 7 years for financial records)
• Comments: Retained indefinitely to recognise and approve follow-up comments automatically
• Account Information: Until you request deletion of your account
• Marketing Data: Until you withdraw consent or opt out
• Website Analytics: Typically retained for 26 months in aggregated form

For registered users, we store the personal information provided in user profiles. Users can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except usernames). Website administrators can also access and modify this information.

10. Data Security

We implement robust technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit
• Encrypted storage for sensitive data at rest
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Access controls and authentication mechanisms
• Automated backup systems
• 24/7 monitoring of our infrastructure
• Compliance with industry standards such as ISO 27001

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to taking all reasonable steps to protect your information.

Media Uploads: If you upload images to our website, please avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS), as visitors may be able to download and extract this information.

11. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have the following rights under the GDPR:

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: You can request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can request limitation of how we process your data
• Right to Data Portability: You can request to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to Object: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You can file a complaint with a supervisory authority

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact Us section. We will respond to your request within one month.

Note: The right to erasure does not apply to data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

12. Your Rights Under CCPA

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

12.1 Right to Know

You have the right to request information about:

• The categories of personal information we have collected about you
• The sources from which we collected your personal information
• The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling your personal information
• The categories of third parties with whom we share your personal information
• The specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you

12.2 Right to Delete

You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

12.3 Right to Correct

You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.

12.4 Right to Opt-Out

You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell your personal information.

12.5 Right to Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.

12.6 Categories of Information Collected

In the preceding 12 months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information:

• Identifiers (name, email, IP address)
• Commercial information (services purchased, project details)
• Internet or network activity (browsing history on our site, interactions with our services)
• Professional or employment-related information (company name, job title)

12.7 How to Exercise Your Rights

To submit a request, please contact us using the details in the Contact Us section. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

13. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

14. Third-Party Services and Embedded Content

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or embedded content (such as videos, images, or articles). These third-party services have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.

Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you have visited that website directly. These external sites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with.

14.1 Spam Detection

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service to protect our website and users.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy
• Notify you via email or prominent notice on our website (for significant changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

For GDPR-related enquiries, you may also contact our Data Protection representative at the address above.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.