Privacy Policy

Introduction

Aksion.et ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Website or use our Services.

We process personal data in accordance with the Ethiopian Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024 ("the Proclamation") and other applicable laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. This Policy sets out the legal basis on which we process your data and your rights as a data subject.

By using the Website or our Services, you consent to the data practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Website and Services.

Information We Collect

We collect personal data that you voluntarily provide to us when you register for an account, subscribe to our newsletter, make a purchase through the Data Shop, fill out a contact form, or otherwise communicate with us. This may include your name, email address, phone number, organization name, job title, billing address, and payment information.

We automatically collect certain technical data when you access the Website, including your IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time spent on pages, and other usage statistics. This information is collected through server logs, cookies, and similar tracking technologies.

We may also receive information about you from third-party sources, such as payment processors, social media platforms when you interact with our content, and publicly available business directories that we compile as part of our B2B data products.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the specific purpose and context, our legal bases for processing include:

Consent — where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, such as receiving marketing communications.

Contractual necessity — where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, such as delivering data products you have purchased or providing account access.

Legitimate interests — where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving the Website, securing our platform, analyzing usage trends, or preventing fraud, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Legal obligation — where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation under Ethiopian law, such as responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to operate, maintain, and improve the Website and Services, including to process transactions, manage user accounts, authenticate access, and deliver the data products and content you request.

We analyze usage patterns and user behavior to improve the relevance and quality of our editorial content, data products, and user experience. This includes aggregated analytics that do not identify individual users.

We may use your contact information to communicate with you about your account, transactions, service updates, security alerts, and responses to your inquiries. With your consent, we may also send you newsletters, product announcements, and marketing communications. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link provided in each email or by contacting us.

We use technical data to monitor and ensure the security, stability, and performance of our Website, to detect and prevent fraudulent or unauthorized activity, and to comply with legal obligations.

Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, remember your preferences, support authentication and session management, and understand how users engage with the Website.

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your web browser. You may configure your browser settings to refuse all or some cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being set. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality and performance of the Website, including the ability to remain logged into your account.

We use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and visitor behavior patterns. These services use cookies to compile statistical reports on website activity. The information generated is transmitted to and stored by the analytics provider on servers that may be located outside Ethiopia. We have configured our analytics to anonymize IP addresses where possible.

We do not use cookies or tracking technologies to build personal profiles or to make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers — We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as payment processing, email delivery, hosting, analytics, and customer support. These providers are contractually bound to process your data only on our instructions and in compliance with this Policy and applicable law.

Legal Compliance — We may disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights or property, prevent fraud, or protect the safety of our users or the public.

Business Transfers — In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, personal data held by us may be among the assets transferred. You will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our Website of any change in ownership or use of your personal data.

Cross-Border Transfers — Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside Ethiopia where our service providers operate. We take appropriate measures to ensure that such transfers comply with the Data Protection Proclamation and that your data receives an adequate level of protection.

Data Retention and Security

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. When determining retention periods, we consider the nature and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process the data, and applicable legal requirements.

Account information is retained for the duration of your account's active status and for a reasonable period thereafter to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Usage data and analytics information are typically retained in aggregated or anonymized form.

We implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls, regular security assessments, and staff training on data protection obligations.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you acknowledge that you provide your personal data at your own risk.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under the Ethiopian Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right of Access — You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and, if so, access to that data along with information about the purposes of processing, categories of data processed, and recipients to whom the data has been disclosed.

Right to Rectification — You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

Right to Erasure — You may request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or when you withdraw consent and no other legal basis for processing exists.

Right to Restriction — You may request restriction of processing in certain situations, such as while we verify the accuracy of contested data.

Right to Object — You may object to processing of your personal data based on our legitimate interests, including for direct marketing purposes.

Right to Data Portability — Where processing is carried out by automated means and based on consent or contract, you may request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the Contact section below. We will respond to your request within the timeframe prescribed by applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Children's Privacy

The Website and Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child without verified parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately.

Third-Party Links

The Website may contain links to third-party websites, plugins, and services that are not operated by us. Clicking on those links may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of every website you visit.

Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated to registered users via email or a prominent notice on the Website.

Contact and Complaints

If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us through our contact page.

If you believe that we have not adequately addressed your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Ethiopian Data Protection Commission or the relevant supervisory authority under the Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024.