Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

CheckWaldo ("CheckWaldo", "we", "us", "our") operates a directory of verified, AI-readable business profiles at checkwaldo.com. This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use the site, why we collect it, and what your rights are over it.

If you have questions about this policy, contact us at [email protected].

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use CheckWaldo, we may collect:

• Enquiry details: your name, phone number, email address, and message when you contact a business through their profile.
• Waitlist signups: your email address if you join our early-access waitlist.
• Review submissions: your name, contact details, ratings, and any photos or written feedback you submit about a business.
• Business claim details: if you claim or manage a business profile, the contact and verification details you provide to us.
• Technical data: standard hosting and server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited) collected automatically by our infrastructure providers.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Pass your enquiry or review to the relevant business;
• Verify reviews and business claims to keep listings trustworthy;
• Send you confirmation emails relating to your enquiry, review, or waitlist signup;
• Operate, secure, and improve the CheckWaldo platform;
• Comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Sharing your information with businesses

When you send an enquiry to, or leave a review for, a business through their CheckWaldo profile, we share the details you provide (such as your name, contact details, and message) directly with that business. Once received, the business acts as a separate data controller for that information — how they store it, respond to you, and use it afterwards is governed by their own practices, not this policy.

We'd encourage you to review the individual business's own privacy practices where relevant, particularly if you're sharing sensitive details in an enquiry message.

5. Other people we share data with

We use a small number of trusted service providers to run CheckWaldo, each acting as a processor on our behalf:

• Vercel — hosting and infrastructure
• Airtable — storing waitlist signups and review submissions pending verification
• Resend — sending enquiry and confirmation emails
• Cloudflare — DNS, security, and bot verification

We may also disclose information where required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of CheckWaldo, our users, or the public.

6. Our legal basis for processing

We rely on legitimate interests to operate enquiries, reviews, and the core directory service; consent where you opt in to marketing communications or the waitlist; and contract where processing is necessary to provide a service you've requested (for example, claiming a business profile).

7. How long we keep your data

We keep enquiry and review data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purpose it was collected for, and to meet our legal and accounting obligations, after which it is deleted or anonymised. Waitlist emails are kept until you unsubscribe or we launch the relevant feature, whichever comes first.

8. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you;
• Ask us to correct inaccurate data;
• Ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten");
• Ask us to restrict or object to processing;
• Request a portable copy of your data;
• Withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis for processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

9. Cookies

CheckWaldo uses a minimal set of strictly necessary cookies to keep the site running. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

10. International data transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, to ensure your data remains protected to UK standards.

11. Children's data

CheckWaldo is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy or how we handle your data can be sent to [email protected].