Privacy Policy

Who we are

Hostsawa provides web hosting, domain registration, servers and software licenses. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it and what rights you have over it.

If you have a question about this policy, email [email protected].

What we collect

When you buy a service. Your name, email address, postal address, phone number and the details of what you bought. We need these to create your account, issue invoices and contact you about the service.

When you register a domain. The contact details a registry requires. Domain registries, including KeNIC for .ke names, require accurate registrant details and we are obliged to pass them on.

When you pay. Payments are handled by our payment providers. We receive confirmation that a payment succeeded and a reference, but we do not store your card number.

When you contact support. The content of your tickets, live chat conversations and emails, so we have a history of what was asked and what we did.

When you visit the site. Standard server logs (IP address, browser, pages requested) and, if you allow it, analytics. See our Cookie Policy for what is set and how to refuse it.

Why we use it

To provide the service you bought, and to bill you for it
To contact you about your account: renewals, invoices, outages and security notices
To answer your support requests
To meet our legal obligations, including registry requirements and tax records
To understand how the site is used, where you have allowed analytics cookies

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it for other companies to market to you.

Domain registries and registrars, where a registry requires registrant details
Payment providers, to take payment
Suppliers who run parts of our service, such as our billing system, email delivery and live chat, which process data on our instructions only
Authorities, where the law requires it

How long we keep it

Account and billing records are kept for as long as you are a customer and then for the period Kenyan tax and company law requires. Support tickets are kept so we have a service history. Server logs are kept for a short period for security and troubleshooting.

Your rights

Under Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019, overseen by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, since Hostsawa is based in Kenya, you can ask us to:

See the personal data we hold about you
Correct it, if it is wrong
Delete it, where we are not required to keep it
Stop using it for a particular purpose, including marketing
Give you a copy in a portable form

Email [email protected] and we will respond within the period the law allows. You also have the right to complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

Security

Accounts are protected by passwords you control, traffic to this site and to the client area is encrypted, and access to customer data inside Hostsawa is limited to staff who need it to do their job. No system is perfectly secure, but if a breach affects your personal data we will tell you and the regulator as the law requires.

Where your data is held

Hostsawa operates from Kenya, where Hostsawa is based. Some of the suppliers we use to run the service operate outside Kenya, which means your data may be processed abroad. Where that happens we rely on the safeguards the Data Protection Act allows.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. Material changes affecting how we use your data will be notified to you by email.