Privacy Policy

1. Responsible Party

This Privacy Policy applies to EchoForge Software (Pty) Ltd("Echo Software", "we", "us", or "our"), a company registered in South Africa. We operate the website at echosoftware.co.za ("the Site").

We are the responsible party as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and the responsible controller under applicable data protection laws.

For all privacy-related enquiries, contact us at: info@echosoftware.co.za

2. Personal Information We Collect

We collect the minimum personal information necessary to provide our services.

Information you provide directly

• Name
• Email address
• Company name (optional)
• The content of messages you send us via our contact form

Information collected automatically

• IP address (collected by our hosting and network infrastructure, Vercel and Cloudflare)
• Browser type and version (via server access logs)
• Pages visited and timestamps (server logs)

Cookies and local storage

We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies, and the Site does not set any non-essential cookies. We use your browser's local storage only to remember your theme preference (light or dark). This stays on your device and is never sent to us or any third party. A short notice about this is shown on your first visit.

3. Purpose of Collection

We collect and process your personal information only for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries submitted through our contact form
• Providing quotes, proposals, and information about our services
• Fulfilling contractual obligations once a client relationship is established
• Maintaining server security and diagnosing technical issues (server logs)
• Complying with legal obligations

We will not use your personal information for direct marketing without your explicit, informed consent. If you consent to marketing communications, you may withdraw that consent at any time by emailing us.

4. Voluntary Disclosure

Providing your personal information through our contact form is entirely voluntary. However, if you choose not to provide your name and email address, we will be unable to respond to your enquiry.

Server logs (IP address, browser type) are collected automatically as a technical necessity of operating a web server. You may prevent this by not visiting the Site.

5. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share it only with the following parties and only to the extent necessary:

• Resend Inc. - our email delivery provider, which receives your name, email, and message content in order to deliver enquiries to our inbox. Resend processes this data as a data processor on our behalf. See Resend's Privacy Policy.
• Vercel Inc. - our hosting provider, which processes server logs including IP addresses in order to serve the Site. See Vercel's Privacy Policy.
• Cloudflare, Inc. - our DNS and network provider, which may process technical connection data (including IP addresses) to route traffic to the Site. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or in response to a lawful request by a public authority.

6. Retention of Personal Information

We retain contact form submissions (name, email, company, message) for a period of 24 months from the date of receipt, unless a client relationship is formed - in which case information is retained for the duration of the relationship and for a further period as required by applicable law (e.g., tax legislation).

Server logs are retained for a limited period by our infrastructure providers (Vercel and Cloudflare) in line with their standard practices.

When retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymise personal information.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@echosoftware.co.za.

• Right of access - You may request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and a copy of that information.
• Right to correction - You may request that inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information be corrected.
• Right to deletion - You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Right to object - You may object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time.
• Right to complain - If you believe we have not handled your personal information lawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. Our Site is served over HTTPS and hosted on Vercel's infrastructure, which maintains industry-standard security controls.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

9. International Data Transfers

Our email delivery provider (Resend), hosting provider (Vercel), and network provider (Cloudflare) may process your personal information on servers located outside of South Africa. Where such transfers occur, we rely on the recipient's compliance with applicable data protection laws, including standard contractual clauses where required under POPIA.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your rights, contact us: