Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how HoundSquare ("we," "us") collects, uses, and shares personal data, and the rights you have over it. It is written to be consistent with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).
1. Overview #
HoundSquare is a platform for local businesses and the consumers who discover them. For business data that a business puts into the platform, the business is the controller and HoundSquare is the processor. For the limited personal data we collect directly (such as your sign-in email and how you use the site), HoundSquare is the controller.
2. What we collect #
We maintain an internal inventory of every category of personal data on the platform. In plain English, the main categories are:
- Account & identity — your email address and sign-in activity (we use passwordless magic links, so we do not store passwords).
- Business information — details a business publishes about itself: name, locations, hours, services, products, and imagery.
- Contact & messaging — leads and messages exchanged through the platform, and (for connected integrations) associated tokens.
- Usage & device — analytics events, approximate location derived from your request, and device/browser metadata.
- Consumer activity — favorites and searches, tied to a hashed identifier rather than to your name where possible.
- Billing — billing contact details and payment-method tokens held by our payment processor (we never store raw card numbers).
3. How we use it #
We use personal data to operate and secure the service, authenticate you, render business pages to consumers, deliver notifications and (where you opt in) newsletters, process payments, provide AI-assisted features, and improve the platform. We do not sell personal data.
4. Your rights #
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Access — obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Deletion — ask us to delete your personal data.
- Portability — receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
- Correction & objection — correct inaccurate data or object to certain processing.
Signed-in users can exercise these rights from your privacy dashboard. Anyone can submit a data-subject request through the same page. We respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.
5. Cookies #
We use cookies and similar technologies across four categories: strictly necessary (required for the site to function), functional (remember your preferences), analytics (help us understand usage), and marketing (measure and improve outreach). Strictly necessary cookies are always on; the others are controlled by your consent. Our current consent banner offers a simple accept-all or necessary-only choice over this four-category model; finer-grained controls may be added later. You can change your choice at any time through the cookie banner.
6. Data retention #
We keep personal data only as long as necessary to provide the service and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Businesses can configure retention windows for certain data categories. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your personal data, retaining only what we are legally required to keep or a minimal hashed suppression record to honor removal requests.
7. Children's privacy #
HoundSquare is not directed to children. Consistent with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the service is not intended for anyone under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
8. Subprocessors #
We use vetted third-party service providers ("subprocessors") to help operate the platform — for infrastructure, email, payments, and optional integrations. The current list, including each vendor's role and the categories of data involved, is published at Subprocessors. We provide advance notice of material changes to that list as required by law.
9. Data Protection Officer #
For privacy inquiries, or to reach our Data Protection Officer, see DPO Contact or email dpo@houndsquare.com.
10. Changes #
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated in advance where required, and the "last updated" date above will reflect the revision.