Privacy Policy

📅 Effective Date: June 2026 • Last Updated: June 2026

1. Introduction

Hostking South Africa (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect your information when you use our website at www.hostking.co.za or any of our services.

We operate in South Africa and comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) No. 4 of 2013. By using our services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide:

Name, email address, phone number and billing address when you register
Payment information — processed securely by our payment processors (we do not store card details)
Domain registration details required by ICANN
Support ticket content and communications with our team
Website content and data you upload to our hosting services

Information collected automatically:

IP address and browser type when you visit our website
Pages visited, time spent and referring URLs via Google Analytics
Server logs relating to your hosting activity
Cookies — see our Cookie section below

3. How We Use Your Information

To provision and manage your hosting, domain and email services
To process payments and issue invoices in ZAR (South African Rand)
To send service notifications, renewal reminders and account updates
To provide customer support via live chat, email and support tickets
To comply with UAE law and respond to lawful requests from UAE authorities
To improve our website and services through analytics
To send promotional communications — only where you have opted in

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.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Contract: Processing necessary to deliver the services you have purchased
Legal obligation: Processing required under South African law, including POPIA and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA)
Legitimate interests: Security monitoring, fraud prevention and service improvement
Consent: Marketing communications where you have explicitly opted in

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share your data only in these circumstances:

Payment processors: Secure payment processing for transactions in ZAR (South African Rand)
Domain registries: ICANN-required WHOIS data for domain registrations
Infrastructure providers: Data centre and server providers under data processing agreements
Legal compliance: Where required by South African law or by lawful order from the Information Regulator or other SA authorities
Google Analytics: Anonymised website usage data
Crisp chat: Live chat support — subject to Crisp’s privacy policy

6. Data Retention

Account data: retained for the duration of your account and up to 5 years after closure
Billing records: retained for 7 years in line with South African financial record-keeping requirements
Support ticket history: retained for 3 years
Website access logs: retained for up to 90 days
Hosting data: deleted within 30 days of account termination after the grace period

7. Your Rights

Under the POPIA, you have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations
Object to processing for marketing purposes
Request your data in a portable format
Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@hostking.host. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Cookies

Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly
Analytics cookies: Google Analytics — anonymised usage data
Support cookies: Crisp live chat — maintains your chat session
Marketing cookies: Meta Pixel — measures advertising effectiveness

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality.

9. Security

SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
Secure password hashing in our client portal
Two-factor authentication (2FA) available and recommended for all accounts
Regular security audits of our infrastructure
Access controls limiting staff access to personal data

Payment card data is never stored by Hostking — all payment processing is handled by our payment processors on PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure.

10. International Data Transfers

Our hosting infrastructure is located in EU-based data centres. Your data may be processed outside South Africa. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with POPIA requirements.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed at individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. Contact us at info@hostking.host if you believe a minor has submitted data to us.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or UAE law. Material changes will be notified to active customers via email. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly.