Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Black-Families.com ("we", "us", "our") is a verified directory and digital platform for Black-owned businesses. Our registered contact email is hello@black-families.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly:

• Account data — name, email address, password (hashed), and referral code.
• Business listings — business name, description, category, location, contact details, logo, and gallery images.
• Payment data — billing transactions are processed by Stripe. We store only a payment status and session reference; we never store card numbers.
• Referrals — contact names and emails you provide when sending a referral.
• Newsletter — email address if you subscribe.

We also collect limited technical data automatically (IP address, browser type, page visits) via server logs for security and abuse prevention.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your account and business listings.
• To process payments and send payment confirmations.
• To send transactional emails (email confirmation, password resets, verification updates).
• To send newsletter updates if you have subscribed (you may unsubscribe at any time).
• To calculate your Trust Score and surface relevant referral features.
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and spam.

4. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with:

• Stripe — for payment processing (governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy).
• Vercel — for hosting and blob storage of uploaded media.
• Google (Gmail SMTP) — for sending transactional emails.
• Law enforcement or regulators when required by applicable law.

Business listing information (name, category, location, contact) is publicly visible in the directory by design.

5. Cookies & Sessions

We use a single signed session cookie (bf_session) to keep you logged in. It expires after 7 days and contains your user ID, email, name, and role — no tracking pixels or advertising cookies are used.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account and business data for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g. financial records).

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of your account and associated data.
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Data portability (receive a copy of your data).

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@black-families.com.

8. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by updating the date above and, where appropriate, by email. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy? Email us at hello@black-families.com.