Effective date: July 15, 2026
Oromia Human Rights Monitor (“OHRM”, “we”, “us”) operates this website at oromiahrm.org, 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.
Depending on what a reporter chooses to describe, a submitted report may include categories that Maryland law treats as sensitive personal data, for example, information revealing racial or ethnic origin, health condition (including injuries), sex life or sexual orientation (including reports of sexual and gender-based violence), citizenship or immigration status, or a precise physical location. We only process sensitive data as reasonably necessary to operate this documentation platform, we do not sell sensitive data under any circumstances, and reports describing sensitive categories are handled with the same anonymity, access controls, and confidentiality protections described throughout this policy. By ticking the consent checkbox and submitting a report, you consent to us processing the information, including any sensitive categories, that you choose to include.
We do not sell or rent personal information, and we never sell sensitive personal data (see “Sensitive data categories” above). We do not use personal information for targeted advertising and do not engage in profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. 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.
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”).
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 reasonable-security-procedures standard in the Maryland Personal Information Protection Act (Md. Code, Com. Law §§ 14-3501 et seq.). Where Ethiopia's Personal Data Protection Proclamation applies to information we process, we aim to honor its protections as well. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
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) and Maryland's data-minimization requirements for a "known child" under the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act. 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 [email protected] and we will delete it.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to: confirm whether we are processing your personal data, access it, correct it, delete it, obtain a portable copy, and appeal a denial of any of these requests. Because this platform does not sell personal data, use it for targeted advertising, or engage in the kind of profiling these rights are usually paired with, there is generally nothing to opt out of in those categories. To exercise a rights request, contact [email protected] with your reference code (for a report) or the email you used (for a volunteer application or monitor account); we will respond consistent with applicable law, generally within 45 days. Because reports can be submitted anonymously, we may be unable to locate or verify records without sufficient identifying details.
This platform is operated from Maryland, United States. If you access it from outside the United States, your information will be processed in the United States. Because this platform's subject matter concerns human rights conditions in Ethiopia and many reporters, witnesses, and volunteers may be located there, Ethiopian data-protection law may separately apply to some of the information we process, in addition to U.S. and Maryland law; this requires its own legal assessment and is not resolved by Maryland-law compliance alone.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.
This policy is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, United States.
