Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account information: Email address, password (stored as a one-way cryptographic hash), display name
• Profile information: Profile photo
• User content: Reviews, photos, staff kudos, and tags you submit
• Business information: If you add or claim a business, we collect business details including name, address, phone, website, hours, and photos
• Payment information: Processed securely by Stripe, Inc. We do not store your credit card number, CVV, or full card details on our servers
• Communications: Information you provide when you contact us for support

Information Collected Automatically

• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and timestamps
• Location data: With your permission, we collect approximate geographic coordinates from your browser to show nearby businesses. You can deny or revoke this permission at any time through your browser settings
• Ad interaction data: Impressions, clicks, placement, and page path for advertisements

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• To display reviews, business information, and staff kudos publicly
• To process advertising purchases and payments
• To send verification codes for business claims via email or SMS
• To send notifications about your account activity (configurable in your notification preferences)
• To moderate content using automated tools, including AI-based sentiment analysis for reviews and content review for advertisements
• To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues
• To comply with legal obligations

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We share information with the following categories of service providers who process data on our behalf:

• Stripe, Inc. — Payment processing
• Twilio, Inc. — SMS verification codes
• OpenAI — Content moderation (review text and ad content are analyzed; no personal identifiers are sent)
• Cloudflare, Inc. — Image storage and content delivery

We may also disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our company, our users, or the public.

Public information: Your display name, reviews, photos, staff kudos, check-ins, and badges are publicly visible on the Service.

4. Data Retention

We retain your account information and content for as long as your account is active. After account deletion:

• Personal identifiers (email, display name) are removed within 30 days
• Reviews and photos may be retained in anonymized form
• Payment records are retained as required by tax and financial regulations
• Server logs are retained for up to 90 days

5. Your Rights

All Users

• Update your display name and profile photo at any time
• Edit or delete your reviews
• Configure your notification preferences
• Request deletion of your account and personal data by contacting us at privacy@reputater.com

California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you
• Right to Delete: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. No opt-out is necessary
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@reputater.com or use the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in our footer.

European Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Legal basis for processing: We process your data based on (a) your consent (account creation, location access), (b) performance of a contract (providing the Service), and (c) legitimate interests (security, fraud prevention)
• Right to access: You may request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure: You may request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability: You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@reputater.com. We will respond within 30 days.

6. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• Passwords stored using BCrypt one-way hashing
• JWT-based authentication with signed tokens
• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Secure payment processing through Stripe (PCI DSS compliant)
• Rate limiting on API endpoints to prevent abuse

No method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Cookies and Local Storage

We use browser localStorage to store your authentication token. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies.

Third-party services embedded in the Service (such as OpenStreetMap map tiles) may set their own cookies. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for details.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, where our servers are located. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and acknowledge that data protection laws in the United States may differ from those in your country.

10. Third-Party Data Sources

Some business listing data is sourced from OpenStreetMap, which is made available under the Open Database License (ODbL). This data is © OpenStreetMap contributors.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the revised policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact:

Petersen Software Solutions LLC
Email: privacy@reputater.com