Privacy Policy

At Electric KE, we are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with transparency, integrity, and care. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit https://electric.ke, why we collect it, how we use it, and the rights you have over it.

This policy is written in accordance with the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019 (No. 24 of 2019) and its accompanying regulations, including the Data Protection (General) Regulations, 2021. Where applicable to international visitors, we also observe principles consistent with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Who We Are

Our website address is: https://electric.ke. Electric KE is a Kenyan digital publication dedicated to covering electric vehicles, clean energy, sustainable mobility, and green technology across Africa. We are the data controller responsible for the personal information collected through this website.

For the purposes of the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019, the data controller is:

What Data We Collect & Why

We collect personal data only when there is a lawful basis for doing so. The categories of data we may collect include:

• Identity data — your name or display name when you register or leave a comment.
• Contact data — your email address, used for notifications or account management.
• Technical data — your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, and device type, collected automatically for security and spam-prevention purposes.
• Usage data — pages visited, time spent on site, and interaction patterns, collected via analytics tools (see Section 7).
• User-generated content — any comments, posts, or other content you voluntarily submit to the site.
• Cookie data — preferences and session information stored via cookies (see Section 5).

We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health information, financial account details, national identification numbers, or biometric data through this website.

Comments

When you leave a comment on Electric KE, we collect the information you enter in the comment form — typically your name, email address, and website URL — along with your IP address and browser user agent string. This information assists us in spam detection and the moderation of comments before publication.

Your email address may be used to generate an anonymised hash (a one-way cryptographic identifier), which is then shared with the Gravatar service to check whether you have a profile picture associated with that address. Gravatar is operated by Automattic, Inc.

We moderate all comments before they appear publicly. We reserve the right to remove or decline to publish comments that contain spam, hate speech, misinformation, or content that violates our editorial standards.

Media & Uploaded Files

If you are an authorised contributor or editor and upload images or media files to Electric KE, please ensure that those files do not contain embedded metadata, including EXIF GPS location data. Images uploaded to the website may be downloadable by visitors, and any location data embedded within them could inadvertently disclose your physical whereabouts or other sensitive information.

Most smartphones and cameras embed GPS coordinates, timestamps, device model information, and other metadata into image files by default. We recommend stripping this metadata before uploading.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Electric KE uses cookies for functional, security, and analytical purposes. We do not use cookies for invasive advertising targeting or the sale of your personal data.

Below is a summary of the cookies we set and their purpose:

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse all cookies, accept only certain cookies, or delete cookies that have already been set. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of this website.

Embedded Content from Other Websites

Articles and pages on Electric KE may include embedded content sourced from third-party platforms — such as YouTube videos, Twitter/X posts, Instagram media, Google Maps, or interactive data tools. Embedded content from other websites behaves in exactly the same manner as if you had visited those websites directly.

Those third-party websites may:

• Collect data about you, including your IP address and browser information.
• Set their own cookies on your device.
• Use additional third-party tracking scripts or pixels.
• Monitor your interaction with the embedded content.
• Build a profile of your browsing behaviour, particularly if you are logged in to an account on that platform.

Electric KE is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party platforms. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external services whose content is embedded on our site.

Analytics & Third-Party Tracking

Electric KE may use web analytics services — such as Google Analytics — to understand how visitors engage with the site. These tools collect anonymised or pseudonymised data about traffic sources, page views, session duration, and device types. This helps us improve our content and editorial offering.

Analytics data is processed in aggregate and is not used to identify you personally. Where Google Analytics is in use, data may be transferred to Google's servers, including servers outside Kenya.

Who We Share Your Data With

Electric KE does not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for commercial purposes. We share personal data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Password reset requests: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email as a security measure.
• Spam detection services: Visitor comments may be submitted to automated spam-detection services (such as Akismet) to identify and filter out abusive content.
• Gravatar: A hashed version of your email address may be shared with Gravatar to retrieve your profile picture.
• Analytics providers: Anonymised usage data may be shared with analytics platforms as described in Section 7.
• Legal obligations: We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or at the request of a competent authority in Kenya, including the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to a successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections outlined in this policy.

How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

• Comments: Approved comments and their associated metadata are retained indefinitely to enable automatic recognition and approval of follow-up comments. You may request deletion at any time.
• Registered user accounts: Personal information stored in your user profile is retained for as long as your account remains active. If you request account deletion, your data will be erased within 30 days, except where we are legally obliged to retain it.
• Technical/log data: Server logs, including IP addresses, are typically retained for 30–90 days.
• Cookies: Duration varies per cookie type, as detailed in the table in Section 5.

Your Rights Over Your Data

Under the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at privacy@electric.ke with the subject line "Data Rights Request". We will respond within 21 days in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2019.

Where Your Data Is Sent

Electric KE is hosted on servers that may be located within or outside Kenya. By using this website, you acknowledge that your data may be processed internationally. Where data is transferred outside Kenya, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is protected to a standard at least equivalent to that required by Kenyan law.

Specifically, visitor comments may be submitted to an automated spam-detection service for analysis. Analytics data may be processed on servers operated by Google LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions.

Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our website.
• Access controls restricting who within our team can access personal data.
• Regular software and security updates to our website platform.
• Secure, password-protected administrative interfaces.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you suspect any unauthorised use of your data, please notify us immediately at privacy@electric.ke.

Children’s Privacy

Electric KE is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@electric.ke and we will promptly delete such data from our records.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Your continued use of the site following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. If you disagree with a material change, you should discontinue use of the site and, if applicable, request deletion of your data.