Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Tradefolk ("we", "our", or "us") values your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our platform, which provides website creation and management services for tradespeople (the "Platform"), in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

2.1. Information You Provide Us

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, business details, and payment information provided during account registration.
• Content: Any information or content you upload to the Platform, such as text, images, or business descriptions.

2.2. Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: Information about your interactions with the Platform, such as pages viewed, features used, and time spent on the Platform.
• Device Information: Details about the device used to access the Platform, including IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers. This information is collected via automated tracking tools and cookies.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Requirement)

Under the GDPR, we rely on the following legal frameworks to process your data:

• Consent: For non-essential tracking mechanisms (such as Google Analytics and Reddit tracking pixels). You provide this choice via our cookie consent banner.
• Contractual Necessity: To create your account, manage subscriptions, process billing, and deliver the core website management services of our Platform.
• Legitimate Interests: To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor server health, maintain platform security, and improve our services.
• Legal Obligation: To satisfy statutory accounting, tax laws, or regulatory transparency reporting requirements.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To Provide Services: To create and manage your account, host your website, and deliver our services.
• To Improve the Platform: To analyze usage patterns, troubleshoot issues, and develop new features.
• To Communicate with You: To send account-related notifications, respond to inquiries, and share updates or marketing materials (with your consent where required by law).
• To Ensure Security: To detect and prevent fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, or other harmful activities.
• To Comply with Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

5. Third-Party Data Processors

We do not sell your personal information. To operate the Platform, we securely share pseudonymised or necessary records with trusted third-party providers who act as data processors under strict data protection agreements:

• Stripe: Processes payment data, handles subscriptions, and runs fraud prevention diagnostics. Your financial data is securely encrypted directly by Stripe.
• Cloudflare: Used for content delivery network optimization, firewall protection, and bot management.
• Google Analytics: Processes aggregated, non-identifiable user behavior metrics to help us optimize site performance.
• Reddit Pixel: Measures advertising conversion rates and helps optimize our marketing campaigns on the Reddit network.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy or as required by law to meet regulatory tax and reporting duties.

7. Your GDPR Rights and Choices

As a resident of the UK or EU, you hold the following statutory rights under the GDPR regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: You can request a digital copy of all personal records we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request immediate correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You can request that we completely delete your personal data from our active systems.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can object to or limit how we handle your information.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: For cookie-based processing, you can instantly revoke your consent at any time using the floating "Consent Preferences" widget on our website, or via our Cookie Policy page.

8. Data Security

We implement strict technical and organizational security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure. However, no method of electronic transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

10. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with the effective date. Your continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

11. Contact Us

To exercise your privacy rights, submit a data erasure request, or ask questions about our compliance framework, please contact our data team at admin@tradefolk.com (with support queries directed to support@tradefolk.com).