Privacy policy
How I look after your details
This policy explains what personal information I collect when you use this website, send me an enquiry or book a call, why I collect it, who helps me handle it, and your rights. This website is run by Sharona Smith, an independent Shopify and eCommerce specialist working with businesses in the UK and South Africa. I'm responsible for your information (the "controller"). If you have any questions, email hello@sharonasmith.net.
What I collect and why
| When | What I collect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You send an enquiry | Your name, email address, business or store name, store web address (if given), business billing country, your message, and the services and estimates from the plan builder. | To reply to you, check which prices apply and prepare a quote. |
| You book a free chat | The details you enter in Calendly (such as your name, email address and any answers you give to booking questions), the date, time and time zone you choose, and booking confirmations and reminders. | To arrange the call, send you the meeting link and remind you about it. |
| We have a video call | Your name or display name, your email address if you join through a calendar invite, and your audio and video while the call is happening. | To talk through your store and what you need. |
| We email each other | Your emails and anything you choose to include in them. | To answer your questions and, if we work together, to provide my services. |
| You visit the website | Technical information your browser sends, such as your IP address and browser type, which the hosting provider records in its server logs. The site also remembers your preferred currency on your own device using your browser's local storage. This isn't sent to me. The fonts are hosted on this website, so no font requests go to third parties. | To deliver and secure the website, and to remember your currency choice. |
I don't intend to record or transcribe our calls. If that ever changes, I'll update this policy first and tell you before the call.
Please don't send passwords, payment card details or other sensitive information through the enquiry form or a booking. If I need access to your Shopify store, I'll ask you to give me staff or collaborator access through Shopify instead.
You don't have to give me any of this information, but I need your name, email address, business name and billing country to reply to an enquiry.
My legal reasons for using your information
- Taking steps at your request before a contract: replying to your enquiry, arranging a call and preparing a quote.
- Performing a contract: providing and invoicing my services if we work together.
- Legitimate interests: running and securing my website, and keeping a record of our conversations so I can follow up properly. I only rely on this where it doesn't override your rights.
- Legal obligation: keeping business and tax records.
I don't use your information for automated decision-making or profiling.
Marketing
I won't add you to a mailing list or send you marketing emails, and I never sell your details or share them for anyone else's marketing.
Who helps me handle your information
I use a small number of trusted service providers. They handle your information on my behalf and only for the purposes described here.
- Netlify hosts this website, keeps server logs and receives enquiry form submissions, which I can then see in my Netlify account. Netlify also filters form submissions for spam.
- Calendly runs the booking page for the free chat. It stores your booking details and sends confirmation and reminder emails. Calendly's own booking pages are covered by Calendly's privacy policy.
- Google Workspace provides my email and calendar. Enquiry notifications, our emails and calendar events for booked calls are stored there.
- Google Meet, part of Google Workspace, hosts our video calls. Calendly creates the Meet link when you book.
I'd also share information if the law required it.
International transfers
Some of these providers are based in, or may process information in, countries outside the UK and South Africa, including the United States. Each provider publishes its own data protection terms, which explain how it protects information that's transferred internationally. If you'd like more information about this, email hello@sharonasmith.net.
How long I keep it
Enquiries and bookings that don't lead to work together: I keep these for up to 12 months from our last meaningful contact, in case you'd like to pick up the conversation again, and then delete them. This includes the copies in Netlify, Calendly, my email and my calendar, and any copies I've downloaded. The deletion is done by me, not automatically. The providers I use may keep their own system logs and backups for a limited time afterwards, in line with their own policies.
Clients: if we work together, I keep contracts, invoices, accounting records and relevant correspondence for as long as I need them to provide my services and for the period required by the law that applies to my business.
Server logs: kept by Netlify for the period set by Netlify.
Your currency choice: stays in your browser until you clear your browsing data.
Keeping it secure
I take reasonable steps to keep your information secure, including limiting who can access it and using reputable service providers. No method of sending or storing information online is completely secure, so I can't guarantee absolute security.
Your rights
Your rights depend on the data protection law that applies to you. To use any of them, email hello@sharonasmith.net. I may need to confirm your identity first. Some rights have exceptions, for example where I have to keep records by law.
If you're in the UK
Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to:
- access the information I hold about you;
- have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected;
- have your information deleted;
- restrict how I use your information;
- object to me using your information on the basis of legitimate interests;
- receive information you've given me in a commonly used format, or have it sent to someone else (data portability).
I'll respond within one month. If a request is complex, this can be extended by up to two more months, and I'll tell you if that happens.
If you're unhappy with how I've handled your information, please tell me first so I can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
If you're in South Africa
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the right to:
- ask whether I hold personal information about you and request access to it;
- ask me to correct or delete information that's inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained;
- object, on reasonable grounds, to me processing your information;
- be told if your information has been accessed by someone unauthorised.
I'll respond within a reasonable time. If you're unhappy with how I've handled your information, please tell me first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Regulator: inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this policy
If I change how I handle your information, I'll update this page and the date at the top.