Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Proudly Northern Irish is a directory built on trust. We only collect the information we genuinely need to run the Platform, we never sell your personal data, and we give you clear control over your information. This policy explains exactly what we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have. We comply with UK data protection law and the UK GDPR.

When you create an account, submit a business listing, or use the Platform, we collect:

• Your name and email address (required to create an account)
• Business name, address, phone number, website, and description you submit for a listing
• Account login credentials (passwords are stored securely in hashed form — we never see or store your raw password)
• A profile avatar and any details you choose to add to your account
• IP address, browser type, and device information for security and to keep the Platform reliable
• Records of reviews or favourites you submit on the Platform

We do not collect sensitive categories of personal data unless you voluntarily provide them as part of a listing description.

We use your information for these purposes:

• Process, manage, and display your business listing in the directory
• Provide account access, authentication, and customer support
• Send important service updates about your listing or account (never marketing without your consent)
• Improve, personalise, and maintain the Platform
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access, and ensure overall security
• Comply with our legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. Ever.

The business details you submit — name, address, phone, website, and description — are displayed publicly as part of your directory listing, exactly as you provide them. This is the core purpose of the directory.

Your email address and password are never shared publicly. We only disclose personal information where required by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Proudly Northern Irish, our users, or the public.

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards where needed to provide the service or meet legal obligations.

If you delete your account, we remove your personal data within a reasonable timeframe, except where we are required by law to keep certain records (for example, transactional or regulatory records). Business listings you have published may be handled separately as described in our Terms of Service.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational safeguards, including:

• Encrypted password storage
• Full HTTPS encryption in transit
• Role-based access controls and principle of least privilege
• Regular security reviews and monitoring

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we take the protection of your data seriously and work continuously to keep it safe.

Proudly Northern Irish uses essential cookies for session management, authentication, and security. These are necessary for the Platform to function — for example, keeping you logged in and protecting your account.

We may use lightweight analytics to understand how the Platform is used so we can improve it. You can control or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings; disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform.

Under UK data protection law and the UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure — request deletion of your data
• Restriction — object to or restrict certain processing
• Portability — receive your data in a usable, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@proudlyni.co.uk. We will respond within the timeframes required by law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site before providing it with your personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where changes are significant, notify account holders by email. We encourage you to review this page periodically.