Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Hostking (Pty) Ltd ("Hostking", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information. By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
1. General
Hostking is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of its customers and website visitors. This Privacy Policy applies to all information collected through our website, client portal, and services.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:
Full name, company name, billing address, email address, phone number, payment details, IP address, domain registration details, support communications, and any other information you voluntarily provide.
We may also collect non-personal information such as browser type, device information, pages visited, referring URLs, and usage statistics.
3. How We Collect Information
Information is collected when you:
Register an account, place an order, submit a support ticket, communicate with us, browse our website, or interact with cookies and similar technologies.
4. How We Use Your Information
Hostking may use your information to:
Provide and manage services, process payments, verify identity, respond to support requests, send service notices, send invoices and reminders, improve services, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.
Website designs shown as examples
When you ask us for a free website design or use our website builder, we may show the design we make for you as an example on our websites, so other people can see our work. We always hide your phone number, email address, WhatsApp number and street address. The business name, the kind of business and the town may be shown. You can say no by ticking “Don’t show my design as an example” on the form, or at any time by emailing webdesign@hostking.host, and we will remove it. Our team checks every design before it is shown.
Spam and phishing filtering
To protect the mailboxes we host, our mail servers check incoming email for spam and phishing. Our spam filtering system reads our mail server logs, not the contents of mailboxes. For suspicious incoming email it keeps, for up to 7 days, the sender’s domain and sending server, the spam filter’s results, the subject line, and a one-way code in place of each recipient address. We use this only to find spam and phishing campaigns that reach several of our customers and to add filtering rules against them on all our servers. These rules raise a message’s spam score so it goes to the spam folder; they do not delete email. Staff can review and remove any rule.
To help judge whether a suspicious campaign is phishing, spam or legitimate mail, we send the sender’s domain, sending servers, spam filter results, message counts and up to three subject lines to Anthropic, the provider of the Claude AI service, in the United States. Email addresses and long numbers are removed from the subject lines first. We never send message contents or recipient addresses.
5. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA & GDPR)
We process personal information based on contractual necessity, legal obligations, legitimate business interests, and your consent where applicable.
6. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to improve website functionality, analyze traffic, and enhance user experience. You may disable cookies in your browser, but some features may not function correctly.
7. Sharing of Information
We do not sell personal information.
We may share information with trusted third parties such as payment processors, domain registrars, data centers, fraud prevention services, and legal authorities when required.
Anthropic PBC (United States): AI tools that help us filter spam and phishing, and help our support team understand technical problems and prepare replies. We only share what is needed to deal with your request, and a staff member always checks and sends the reply. Anthropic does not use this information to train its AI.
8. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. However, no system can be guaranteed 100% secure.
9. Data Retention
We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy and to comply with legal and contractual obligations.
10. Your Rights
You have the right to access, correct, update, or request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and contractual restrictions.
Account deletion requests may be sent to support@hostking.host.
11. International Data Transfers
Your information may be processed and stored in countries where we or our service providers operate. We take reasonable steps to ensure adequate protection. Information handled by Anthropic’s AI tools, for spam and phishing filtering and for support, is processed in the United States.
12. Marketing Communications
You may opt out of marketing communications at any time. Operational service messages will still be sent.
13. Children’s Privacy
Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Continued use of our services constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
15. Contact Information
Email: support@hostking.host