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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 July 2025

At Trade Finder NI ("we", "us", "our"), we are committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all users, businesses, and visitors to our website (www.tradefinderni.com). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

a. Business Users

  • Full name and email address
  • Business name and business email
  • Password (stored securely and hashed)
  • Business categories and subcategories
  • Membership level and plan
  • Contact details including address, phone number, and postcode
  • Business profile information (e.g. description, images, ratings)
  • Opening hours and service coverage
  • Reviews and job-related data
  • Session data (authentication token and expiration)
  • Chat messages and correspondence with users

b. General Users

  • First and last name
  • Email and password (securely stored)
  • Phone number and postal address
  • Areas of interest and preferences
  • Notification preferences
  • Session token and expiry
  • Chat data, job submissions, and reviews

c. Contact Forms

We collect your email address and the submission date when you submit our contact form.

d. Chats

We store chat communications, including message content, timestamps, sender/recipient data, and unread message counters.

e. Reviews

Reviews may include a score, feedback, and job reference where applicable.

f. Job Offers

Job offers include title, description, pricing, acceptance status, and associated user or business IDs.

g. Reset Sessions

For password recovery, we store a token, your account ID, timeout expiration, and account type.

2. How We Use Your Information

  • Provide and improve our services and user experience
  • Publish and manage business listings
  • Enable communication between users and businesses
  • Process job offers, quotes, and reviews
  • Monitor service usage and prevent abuse
  • Manage authentication, sessions, and secure logins
  • Send notifications and marketing (where consented)
  • Respond to contact form inquiries
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

3. Legal Basis for Processing

  • Contractual necessity – for account creation, service access, and job processing
  • Consent – for marketing communications or optional features
  • Legal obligation – for compliance and dispute resolution
  • Legitimate interest – to protect our platform and users from fraud, abuse, or misuse

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your data. However, we may share it with:

  • Service providers supporting infrastructure, storage, or analytics
  • Legal or regulatory bodies as required
  • Buyers or successors in a business merger, acquisition, or sale

5. Data Retention

  • As long as your account is active
  • For 12 months after account closure or inactivity
  • Longer where required by law or for dispute resolution

Chat data, reviews, and job records may be kept for transparency or audit unless removal is requested.

6. Data Security

  • Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text
  • Sensitive data is restricted and access-controlled
  • Authentication tokens are securely issued and managed
  • We regularly update and audit our systems

7. Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Maintain login sessions
  • Analyze traffic and usage patterns
  • Support analytics tools like Google Analytics

You can manage cookies via your browser settings.

8. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Request correction or deletion
  • Object to or restrict processing
  • Request data portability
  • Withdraw consent at any time
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

To exercise your rights, contact us at support@tradefinderni.com.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for users under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be posted here with an updated date.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about your data:

Trade Finder NI
📧 Email: support@tradefinderni.com
📍 Northern Ireland