Your information, handled plainly

01Who we are

Forge is a web, brand and social media studio in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. In this notice, "we" and "us" mean Forge, and "you" means anyone who visits this website or gets in touch with us.

We follow Zimbabwe's Cyber and Data Protection Act, 2021, and the regulations made under it. For any question about your information, message us on WhatsApp or email .

02What this website collects

Nothing, on its own. The site has no analytics, no advertising or tracking pixels, no cookies and no chat widget. Its fonts, scripts and images are all served from our own hosting, so your visit is not reported to any other company.

Like every website, our hosting provider may keep standard server logs, such as the IP address that made a request, the page requested and the time. These are used only to keep the site secure and working, and are not used to identify or profile you.

03What your browser remembers

Two small features use storage in your own browser. Neither contains personal information, and neither is sent to us.

You can clear both at any time in your browser's settings.

04Forms and WhatsApp

Our forms, such as the free Digital Health Check request, the contact form and the Branding Cart, do not send anything to a server. When you press send, your browser opens WhatsApp with your message already written. Nothing reaches us until you choose to send that message yourself.

05When you contact us

When you message, email or call us, we receive what you choose to share, usually your name, phone number, business name and details about your business and project. This is what we use it for.

• Replying to you and answering your questions.
• Preparing a Health Check, a recommendation, a preview or a quote.
• Building, delivering and supporting the work you ask us for, and sending your monthly reports.
• Invoicing you and keeping the financial records the law requires.

We do not sell your information, and we will not add you to marketing lists without asking first.

06Who we share it with

We share it only with the services below, which we need to do the work, and only as much as each one needs.

• Hosting, email and file storage providers that run our systems and your website.
• Payment providers such as Paynow, EcoCash and banks, when you pay us.
• Platforms you ask us to manage for you, such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) and TikTok.
• Partners you ask us to involve, such as a print shop for your printing.
• Our accountant and, where the law requires it, government authorities such as ZIMRA.

Some of these services store data outside Zimbabwe. We choose established providers and share the minimum needed.

07How long we keep it

Enquiries that do not become projects are deleted within 12 months. Project files and messages are kept while you are a client and for a reasonable time afterwards, so we can support your site and answer questions. Invoices and other financial records are kept for as long as Zimbabwean tax law requires.

08Websites we build for clients

When we build or run a website for a client, the information that site collects from its own visitors belongs to that client. We handle it on their behalf and only on their instructions, under the data processing terms in our agreement. Every Forge site includes a privacy notice, and Plus sites and above add consent on forms.

Depending on how much personal information they handle, our clients may need their own data controller licence from POTRAZ. We will point you in the right direction, but this is a legal matter, so please confirm your position with POTRAZ or a lawyer.

09Your rights

You can ask us to do any of these at any time.

• Tell you what information we hold about you and give you a copy.
• Correct anything that is wrong or out of date.
• Delete your information, where we do not need to keep it by law.
• Stop using your information for a particular purpose.

Message us on WhatsApp or email us and we will respond promptly. If you are not happy with our answer, you can complain to POTRAZ, which is Zimbabwe's data protection authority.

10Changes and contact

If we change how this website works, for example by adding analytics, we will update this notice first and change the date at the top.