Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

GrowLocal, LLC ("GrowLocal," "we," "us," or "our") values your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use growlocal.site, our customer dashboard, onboarding forms, and the websites we host on your behalf.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you have questions, contact us at [email protected].

2. What We Collect

(a) Information you provide directly:

• Account information -- name, email address, and password
• Business information -- business name, description, address, phone number, and other details submitted during onboarding
• Content -- logos, photographs, written text, and other materials you upload for your website
• Payment information -- processed through Stripe. We never directly store your credit card number, CVV, or full card details. Stripe handles payment data under its own PCI-compliant systems
• Communications -- messages you send us through support channels or your dashboard

(b) Information collected automatically:

• IP address and approximate geolocation
• Browser type and version, operating system, and device information
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
• Referral source -- where you came from before visiting our site
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 6)

(c) Information from third parties:

• Etsy -- product catalog data, if you connect your Etsy shop
• Stripe -- payment confirmations and subscription status
• Affiliate referral sources -- if you were referred by an affiliate partner, we receive a referral identifier

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Build and host your website -- using your business information, content, and preferences to design and maintain your site
• Process payments -- managing your subscription billing through Stripe
• Communicate with you -- sending service updates, responding to support requests, and notifying you of important changes
• Improve the service -- analyzing usage patterns to make GrowLocal better for everyone
• Feature your site in our portfolio -- showcasing your website in our marketing materials (you can opt out -- see our Terms of Service)
• Comply with legal obligations -- responding to lawful requests and protecting our rights
• Prevent fraud and abuse -- detecting and blocking unauthorized or malicious activity

4. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only with the following parties and only as necessary:

• Stripe -- payment data for processing subscriptions and transactions
• Cloudflare -- site content, images, and traffic data for CDN delivery and storage
• AI providers (Anthropic) -- your business information may be sent as prompts during the AI-assisted site generation process. This data is used solely to generate your website content and is subject to the AI provider's data handling policies
• Email service provider -- your email address for transactional and service communications
• Advertising measurement providers (Meta and Google) -- if you explicitly allow marketing cookies, we share limited browser identifiers, contact-data hashes, and signup, lead, or purchase events to measure and improve GrowLocal's advertising. We do not send customer-site visitor activity to these providers
• Affiliates -- limited information (that you signed up and your subscription status) for commission tracking purposes
• Legal authorities -- if required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect our rights, property, or safety
• Business transfers -- if GrowLocal is acquired, merged, or sells substantially all of its assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change

5. Your Site Visitors

When we host a website for you, we serve it to your visitors. In this context:

• You are the data controller for the personal information of visitors to your website
• GrowLocal is the data processor -- we host and serve your site on your behalf, but you are responsible for how visitor data is collected and used
• If your site collects visitor information (e.g., through contact forms or lead capture), you are responsible for your own privacy policy and compliance with applicable data protection laws

We provide the tools; you are responsible for using them lawfully and transparently.

6. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

• Session management -- keeping you logged in and maintaining your preferences
• Analytics -- understanding how people use our platform so we can improve it
• Optional advertising measurement -- only after you opt in, measuring GrowLocal signups, preview requests, and purchases through Meta Pixel and Google Ads

Meta and Google marketing tags are disabled by default. If you choose “Allow marketing,” Meta may set _fbp and related cookies, and we may send matching conversion events from our server. We use these only on GrowLocal-owned pre-purchase surfaces, never on a customer's purchased website or custom domain.

You can allow or reject marketing cookies from the consent prompt and change that choice at any time through Cookie settings. Essential login and security cookies cannot be disabled. Browser privacy controls that signal Global Privacy Control are treated as a rejection.

7. Data Retention

We retain your data according to the following schedule:

• Account data -- retained for the duration of your subscription plus 120 days after cancellation
• Content (logos, photos, text) -- deleted 120 days after subscription ends (you may request a copy before deletion)
• Payment records -- retained for 7 years as required by tax law
• Automated backups -- automatically deleted after 30 days via lifecycle policy

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access -- request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correct -- update or correct inaccurate information
• Delete -- request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Object -- object to certain uses of your information
• Portability -- request your data in a portable format

California residents (CCPA): Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have additional rights:

• The right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used
• The right to delete your personal information
• The right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell personal information for money. Optional advertising measurement is off until you opt in, and you can withdraw that choice through Cookie settings
• The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.

9. Security

We take the security of your data seriously. Our measures include:

• HTTPS encryption on all connections
• Encrypted storage for sensitive data
• Access controls limiting who can access your information internally
• Regular automated backups to prevent data loss

No system is 100% secure. While we implement commercially reasonable safeguards, we cannot guarantee absolute security. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your account.

10. Google User Data

Some GrowLocal features let you connect your Google account — for example, syncing your Google Calendar with your GrowLocal calendar, or connecting Google Search and Business Profile data to your dashboard. When you connect, Google asks for your permission first, and we only receive the data you approve.

• What we access: only the Google data needed for the feature you connected — calendar events for calendar sync; search performance and business listing data for the marketing dashboard.
• How we use it: solely to provide that feature to you inside your GrowLocal dashboard — for example, showing your Google Calendar events on your business calendar and keeping the two in sync. We do not use Google user data for advertising, and we never sell it.
• How we store it: access tokens and synced data are stored encrypted, and access is limited to the systems that run the feature.
• Who sees it: no one else. We do not share Google user data with third parties except the subprocessors that host our infrastructure, and no human reads it except with your permission, when needed for security, or where required by law.
• Disconnecting: you can disconnect at any time inside your dashboard, or revoke GrowLocal's access from your Google account permissions. When you disconnect, we stop syncing and delete the stored tokens.

GrowLocal's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

11. Children's Privacy

GrowLocal is a business service and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us immediately and we will delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice via email to the address associated with your account.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the service after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise your privacy rights, contact us at:

[email protected]

See also our Terms of Service and Disclaimers for additional information.