Ethiopia Human Rights MonitorDocumenting violations

Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 17, 2026

Ethiopia Human Rights Monitor (“EHRM”, “we”, “us”) operates this website at ethiohrm.org as an independent .org initiative based in Maryland, United States. We are committed to protecting the privacy and safety of everyone who uses this platform, including people who report human rights violations. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your choices. This website does not solicit or accept donations.

This Privacy Policy is provided in English, which is the authoritative version. Translations elsewhere on the site are provided for convenience only.

1. Information we collect

  • Reports you submit: incident details (category, region, description, dates, alleged perpetrators) and any evidence you choose to attach (images, PDFs, video links). Reports may be submitted anonymously; you are not required to provide your identity.
  • Optional contact information: if you choose not to remain anonymous, the name and contact details you provide.
  • Volunteer applications: name, email, optional phone, region, areas of interest, skills, availability, and motivation.
  • Monitor / administrator accounts: usernames, email addresses, and securely hashed passwords for authorized staff.
  • Analytics (automatic): privacy-preserving website traffic data such as pages visited, timestamps, and referring sites. Visitors are counted using a salted, one-way hash. We do not store IP addresses or other directly identifying information for analytics.
  • Cookies: we use a single strictly-necessary cookie to keep authorized monitors signed in. We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.

2. How we use information

  • To document, review, verify, and publish human rights information in the public interest.
  • To operate, secure, and improve the platform.
  • To contact you only if you provided contact details and consented to follow-up.
  • To understand aggregate site usage.

3. How we share information

We do not sell or rent personal information. We may share information only: (a) with authorized monitors/administrators who review submissions; (b) when required by law or valid legal process; (c) to protect the safety, rights, or security of individuals or the public; or (d) with service providers strictly necessary to host or operate the platform, under appropriate confidentiality obligations. Verified incidents may be published, but reporter contact details are never published.

4. Data retention

We retain information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described here and to maintain an accurate historical record, unless a longer or shorter period is required or permitted by law. You may request deletion of personal information you submitted (see “Your rights”).

5. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information, including password hashing, access controls, and encrypted connections (HTTPS) in production, consistent with the Maryland Personal Information Protection Act (Md. Code, Com. Law §§ 14-3501 et seq.). No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

6. Children’s privacy

This website is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, consistent with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). You must be at least 18 years old (or have the consent of a parent or legal guardian) to submit a report or volunteer application. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

7. Your rights and choices

You may request to access, correct, or delete personal information you submitted, or withdraw consent to follow-up, by contacting us. Because reports can be submitted anonymously, we may be unable to locate records without sufficient identifying details (for example, your reference code).

8. Maryland and U.S. disclosures

  • Maryland Online Consumer Protection Act & Personal Information Protection Act: we describe our data practices and security measures in this policy, and we will notify affected individuals of a security breach as required by Maryland law.
  • “Do Not Track”: our analytics are privacy-preserving and do not track individuals across third-party websites; we apply a privacy-by-design approach regardless of browser Do Not Track signals.

9. International users

This platform is operated from the United States. If you access it from outside the U.S., your information will be processed in the United States.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

11. Contact

For privacy questions or requests, please use the contact options published at ethiohrm.org.
Ethiopia Human Rights Monitor (ethiohrm.org), Maryland, United States.

This policy is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland and applicable U.S. federal law.