This policy explains what personal information Plusto collects, why we collect it, who we share it with and the choices you have. We follow South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and, where it applies to you, the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
1. Who is responsible for your information
Plusto (“we”, “us”) is responsible for the personal information described in this policy. You can reach us about anything in this policy at thedigitalnomad@plusto.com.
2. What we collect
Information you give us. When you use the Build my website form or contact us, we collect what you enter, such as your name, business name, WhatsApp number, email address, type of business, location, your current website or social media link, and anything you tell us about your business.
Information you send us later. If you send us your logo, photos, service lists or other material (for example on WhatsApp or by email), we keep it to build your website.
Information from your browser. To show prices in your local currency, your browser asks a country lookup service which country your internet connection appears to be in, based on your IP address. We use the country only to choose the currency and wording; we don’t store your IP address for this. Our hosting provider also keeps standard server logs, such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested, for security and troubleshooting.
If you become a client, we also keep the details needed to provide the service and bill you, such as invoices and correspondence.
3. Why we use it
We use your information to:
- prepare your free website preview and send it to you;
- contact you about your enquiry, including by WhatsApp, phone or email;
- build, host and look after your website if you sign up, and bill you;
- keep our website and systems secure and working properly; and
- meet our legal and accounting obligations.
We rely on your request or consent when you submit a form, on what is needed to perform our agreement with you, on our legitimate interest in running and protecting our business, and on legal obligations where they apply. We don’t sell your personal information, and we don’t use it for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
4. Marketing
We will only send you marketing messages where the law allows it, for example where you have agreed or you are an existing client. Every marketing message will tell you how to opt out, free of charge.
5. Who we share it with
We only share personal information with service providers who help us run Plusto, and only what they need. These include our website hosting provider, our email and office software providers (including the spreadsheets where enquiries are recorded), WhatsApp for messaging, and the country lookup service mentioned above. We expect them to protect your information and to use it only on our instructions or under their own privacy terms.
We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect our rights or the safety of others, or as part of a sale or restructuring of our business.
6. Information stored outside your country
Some of our service providers store or process information outside South Africa or outside your own country. When that happens, we take reasonable steps to make sure your information stays protected to the standard required by POPIA and, where it applies, the GDPR.
7. How long we keep it
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above, or as long as the law requires (for example, accounting records). If you asked for a preview and didn’t go ahead, you can ask us to delete your details at any time.
8. Keeping it safe
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including secure (HTTPS) connections, access controls and reputable service providers. No method of sending or storing information online is completely secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security. If a security breach affects your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant regulator where the law requires it.
9. Cookies and browser storage
Our website does not currently use advertising or analytics cookies. It stores a few small settings in your browser, such as whether you chose light or dark mode and whether you have already seen the opening animation. These settings stay on your device and are not used to track you. If we add analytics or similar tools in future, we will update this policy first.
10. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have the right to:
- ask whether we hold personal information about you and get a copy of it;
- ask us to correct information that is wrong or out of date;
- ask us to delete your information, or to stop or limit how we use it;
- object to direct marketing at any time;
- withdraw consent you have given, without affecting what we did before; and
- where the GDPR applies, ask for your information in a portable format.
To use any of these rights, email thedigitalnomad@plusto.com. We may need to confirm your identity first. We will respond within the time the law allows.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first so we can try to fix it. You may also complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa or, if you are in the EU or UK, to your local data protection authority.
11. Children
Our services are meant for businesses and adults. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children.
12. Other websites
Our website links to other websites, such as example sites and social platforms. They have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they handle your information.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows the latest version. If we make important changes, we will make that clear on this page.