Privacy Policy
Last updated 3 September 2026
Who we are
Ethanol Digital (“Ethanol”, “we”, “us”) is a software and AI studio based in Harare, Zimbabwe, working with clients across Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. We are responsible for the personal information handled through this website.
Contact: info@ethanol.co.zw · Crastermatic Complex, Burnley Road, Workington, Harare, Zimbabwe
What this policy covers
This policy explains what personal information we collect through ethanol.co.zw, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. It does not cover information you give us under a separate signed agreement once you become a client — that is governed by that agreement.
Information we collect
When you contact us
- Contact form: your name, email address, phone number and the message you send.
- Our AI assistants (Dowa and Suro): whatever you type into the chat. This normally includes your name, email, phone number, whether WhatsApp is a good way to reach you, your business name, and details about the project or work you want done. We store the full text of the conversation.
- Direct email: anything you send us at info@ethanol.co.zw.
- Guides and downloads: if you sign up to receive one of our guides (such as the AI Automation guide), we collect your email address, your name if you give it, and the date you consented. We also record which emails in that series were delivered, opened or clicked, and which PDFs you downloaded, so we can see whether the series is useful and stop sending if it isn’t.
Automatically, when you visit
- Technical and security data: your IP address and browser user-agent are processed briefly to keep the site available and to rate-limit automated abuse of the contact form and AI assistants.
- Server logs: our hosting provider records standard request logs (including IP address and timestamps) for security and troubleshooting.
- Analytics: if you accept cookies, Google Analytics and the Meta Pixel collect usage information such as pages viewed, approximate location, device type and how you arrived. If you decline, none of this loads. See our Cookie Policy.
How we use your information and our legal bases
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Respond to your enquiry, prepare a quote or proposal, and follow up about a call | Taking steps at your request before entering a contract; our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries |
| Keep the site secure and prevent abuse (rate-limiting, logs) | Our legitimate interest in protecting the site |
| Understand how the site is used and improve it (analytics) | Your consent |
| Send you a guide series you asked for, and measure whether it lands (delivery, opens, clicks, downloads) | Your consent |
| Comply with law and defend legal claims | Legal obligation; our legitimate interest |
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decisions that have a legal or similarly significant effect on you.
The AI assistants
Dowa and Suro are chat assistants powered by Anthropic’s Claude API. When you chat with them:
- Your messages are sent to Anthropic to generate a reply. Anthropic acts as our processor and, under its API terms, does not use API inputs or outputs to train its models.
- The conversation and the details you provide are stored in our database so our team can follow up.
- Please don’t enter sensitive personal information (for example health, financial account details, or government ID numbers) or someone else’s confidential information into the chat. Share only what’s needed for us to help.
Who we share it with
We use a small number of service providers who process data on our behalf under contract:
| Provider | What they do |
|---|---|
| Supabase | Database — stores contact form, AI assistant and guide sign-up data |
| Anthropic | AI processing for the Dowa and Suro assistants |
| Resend | Sends the guide emails and reports delivery, opens and clicks |
| Vercel | Website hosting and server logs |
| Upstash | Rate-limiting to prevent abuse |
| Analytics (only with your consent) | |
| Meta | Meta Pixel — audience and ad measurement (only with your consent) |
We may also disclose information if required by law, to enforce our terms, or to protect our rights, users or the public.
International transfers
Some of our providers store or process data outside Zimbabwe and the UK, including in the European Union and the United States. Where information is transferred across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision.
How long we keep it
We keep enquiry and AI assistant data for as long as needed to deal with your enquiry and for a reasonable period afterwards (normally up to 24 months), unless you become a client — in which case it is kept for the life of that relationship and as our records policy requires — or you ask us to delete it sooner. Security logs are kept for a short period. Analytics data is retained according to the settings in Google Analytics. Guide sign-up records are kept while you are subscribed and for a short period after you unsubscribe.
Marketing emails
If you signed up for a guide series, every email includes an unsubscribe link and you can opt out at any time — we act on it straight away and stop sending. Unsubscribing from the guide does not affect replies to a direct enquiry you have made.
Your rights
Depending on where you are, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to how we use it, receive a copy in a portable format, and withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these, email us at info@ethanol.co.zw. We may need to verify your identity first.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information you can complain to a regulator — in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk); in Zimbabwe, the authority responsible under the Cyber and Data Protection Act.
Security
Access to submissions is restricted to our team and protected by authentication. Data is encrypted in transit. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Children
This site is for business enquiries and is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect their information.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it last changed. Significant changes will be highlighted on this page.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your information: info@ethanol.co.zw.