What I do with your information

Last updated: October 2026

Who I am

Cold Start Digital, a web design business based in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. You can reach me on 074 004 2807 or at info@coldstartdigital.co.za.

What I collect

When you use the contact form or message me, I collect your name, your business name if you give it, your phone number, your email address if you give it, and whatever you write in your message.

That is it. There is no tracking pixel, no advertising cookie and no analytics profile being built on you as you browse this site.

Why I collect it

To reply to you, to prepare a quote, and to keep a record of our conversation so you do not have to explain your business twice. If you become a client, to deliver the work and manage billing.

Where it goes

Into my own client records, which only I have access to, and into my email. It is not sold, rented or shared with anyone for marketing.

To deliver a website I work with technical specialists and service providers — hosting companies, payment gateways and similar. They receive only what is necessary to do their part, and they are bound to keep it confidential.

How long I keep it

Enquiries that do not become work are kept for up to two years, in case you come back. Client records are kept for as long as you are a client and then for five years afterwards, which is what South African tax and company record-keeping rules require.

Ask me to delete your details sooner and I will, unless I am legally required to keep them.

Your rights

Under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act you have the right to:

• Ask what information I hold about you
• Ask me to correct anything that is wrong
• Ask me to delete it
• Object to me using it
• Complain to the Information Regulator if you think I have handled it badly

To exercise any of these, email me at info@coldstartdigital.co.za. It costs nothing and I will respond within a reasonable time.

Marketing

I do not run a mailing list and I will not add you to one. If I ever start sending anything like that, it will be because you asked for it, and every message will have a working unsubscribe link.

If I contact you first about your business — direct outreach — I will say where I got your details, and one reply asking me to stop is all it takes.

Cookies

This site does not set tracking cookies. Fonts are loaded from Google Fonts, which means Google's servers see your IP address when the page loads. That is standard for most websites, but you should know it happens.

Security

The site runs over an encrypted connection, so anything you send through the form is protected in transit. My client records are password protected and access is limited to me.

No system is perfect. If something ever goes wrong that affects your information, I will tell you and I will tell the Information Regulator, as the law requires.

Changes

If this notice changes I will update the date at the top. Material changes affecting existing clients will be communicated directly.