Search
Sign inSign up

Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 1, 2026 | Effective: March 1, 2026

Verified Directory ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website, API, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you:

  • Create an account: Email address, name, password (hashed), and optional profile picture
  • Submit a business listing: Business name, address, phone number, email, website, hours of operation, description, categories, and other business details
  • Claim a business: Proof of ownership documents, business registration information
  • Contact us: Name, email, and message content
  • Use the API: API keys and usage metadata

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access the Service, we automatically collect:

  • Device information: Browser type, operating system, device identifiers
  • Log data: IP address, access times, pages viewed, referring URL
  • Usage data: Search queries, features used, interaction patterns
  • Cookies and similar technologies: Session cookies, authentication tokens, analytics cookies

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information from:

  • Business verification services to validate business information
  • Public databases and registries
  • Authentication providers if you sign in via third-party services

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

2.1 Provide and Improve the Service

  • Create and manage your account
  • Process and display business listings
  • Verify business information and ownership claims
  • Respond to your inquiries and support requests
  • Analyze usage patterns to improve features and user experience
  • Calculate trust scores and verification status

2.2 Communication

  • Send transactional emails (account verification, password reset, listing status updates)
  • Send service announcements and updates
  • Respond to your comments, questions, and requests

2.3 Security and Legal

  • Detect, prevent, and address fraud and security issues
  • Enforce our Terms of Service and other policies
  • Comply with legal obligations
  • Protect the rights, property, and safety of our users and the public

2.4 AI and Machine Learning

  • Generate business summaries and keywords to improve searchability
  • Detect potentially fraudulent or spam submissions
  • Improve search relevance and recommendations

Note: We do not use your personal data to train AI models for purposes unrelated to the Service without your explicit consent.

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

3.1 Public Information

Business listings are intended to be publicly accessible. The following information may be visible to all users and via our API/MCP:

  • Business name, address, contact information, and descriptions
  • Categories, tags, and hours of operation
  • Verification status and trust score
  • AI-generated summaries and keywords

We do not publicly expose: Your personal account email, internal admin notes, review/moderation details, or claim documentation.

3.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who assist us in:

  • Hosting and infrastructure (Vercel, Supabase)
  • Email delivery (Resend)
  • Analytics (Vercel Analytics)
  • Payment processing (if applicable)

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only as directed by us.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law or in response to:

  • Subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process
  • Government requests
  • To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
  • In connection with an investigation of fraud or other illegal activity

3.4 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.

4. API and MCP Data Access

Our API and MCP server provide programmatic access to public business data. When you or third parties access data through these interfaces:

  • Only approved and published business listings are accessible
  • Personal user data (account emails, etc.) is never exposed
  • Internal moderation notes and review details are never exposed
  • API usage is logged for security and rate limiting purposes
  • MCP tool invocations are logged for debugging and audit trails

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as:

  • Your account is active
  • Necessary to provide the Service
  • Required to comply with legal obligations
  • Necessary to resolve disputes and enforce agreements

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., audit logs).

Business listings may be retained even after account deletion if they are publicly valuable directory information. In such cases, the listing will be disassociated from your personal account.

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you. You can request a copy of your data in a portable format by contacting us.

6.2 Correction

You can update your account information at any time through your dashboard settings. For business listings, you can submit edit requests which will be reviewed by our team.

6.3 Deletion

You can request deletion of your account and personal data. Note that some information may be retained as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

6.4 Opt-Out

You can opt out of:

  • Marketing emails by clicking "unsubscribe" in any marketing email
  • Analytics cookies through your browser settings

6.5 California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights:

  • Right to know what personal information we collect and how it's used
  • Right to delete personal information
  • Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
  • Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

6.6 European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights to:

  • Access, correct, or delete your personal data
  • Restrict or object to processing
  • Data portability
  • Withdraw consent at any time
  • Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

7. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information:

  • Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest
  • Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
  • Regular security assessments and updates
  • Access controls and audit logging
  • Row Level Security (RLS) on database tables

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies:

  • Essential cookies: Required for authentication and basic functionality
  • Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Service (Vercel Analytics)
  • Preference cookies: Remember your settings (e.g., theme preference)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect Service functionality.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete such information.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. These countries may have different data protection laws. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers, including standard contractual clauses.

11. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we may also send you an email notification.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

  • Email: privacy@verifieddirectory.com
  • Address: Verified Directory, Inc., San Francisco, CA 94102

For GDPR-related inquiries, you may also contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@verifieddirectory.com.

Related Documents