Privacy Policy
Last updated: 12 August 2026
DeafDiscovery helps people discover Deaf-owned businesses around the world. This Privacy Policy explains, in plain language:
- What information DeafDiscovery collects
- Why DeafDiscovery uses it
- What becomes public
- What stays private
- Which services help DeafDiscovery operate
- What choices are available to users
For privacy questions or requests, contact: [WAVEIN_CONTACT_EMAIL]
Business listings
If you submit a business to DeafDiscovery, we collect information you choose to provide. This may include:
- Business name
- Category
- Location
- Service area
- Business description
- Founder story
- Business hours
- Price information
- Photos
- Owner introduction video
- Video transcript
- Sign languages used
- Local, online, or both availability
- International shipping information
- Website
- Other supported business information
Once a business listing is approved, information intended for the business profile becomes publicly visible. Please do not include information in public-facing business fields that you do not want visitors to see.
Reviews
If you leave a review, DeafDiscovery collects:
- The name you provide
- Star rating
- Review text
Published reviews are publicly visible on the relevant business profile. DeafDiscovery currently does not require a visitor account to leave a review. DeafDiscovery does not independently verify every reviewer's identity.
Business suggestions
If you suggest a business, DeafDiscovery collects the information you provide so that the suggestion can be reviewed. A community suggestion does not automatically create a public listing. Information submitted specifically for admin review is not publicly displayed unless appropriate information is later used to create or update an approved business profile.
Business claims
If you use Claim this profile, DeafDiscovery may collect information such as:
- Your name
- Email address
- Relationship to the business
- Supporting business or social link
- Explanation
- Other information you voluntarily provide for verification
This information is used to manually review the claim. Claim information and private administrative notes are not publicly displayed. A successful claim does not automatically mean a business has received a formal DeafDiscovery verification status.
Reports
If you report a listing, review, or other issue, DeafDiscovery collects:
- The report reason
- Any optional explanation or information you provide
Reports are used for moderation and platform safety. Reports and private admin notes are not publicly displayed.
Usage and product analytics
DeafDiscovery records limited aggregate activity to understand whether the directory is useful. This may include:
- Business profile views
- Contact-method clicks
- Shares
- Saves or favorite actions
Contact-method analytics may record which type of contact button was clicked, such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Email, or Website. These analytics events are associated with the relevant business rather than a visitor account.
DeafDiscovery does not use these analytics to build advertising profiles, and does not currently use third-party advertising analytics.
DeafDiscovery's own application code does not explicitly record IP addresses. However, the infrastructure providers that host and deliver DeafDiscovery (described below) may temporarily process technical information such as IP addresses as a normal part of hosting, security, abuse prevention, or request delivery.
Information stored on your own device
DeafDiscovery may use browser local storage for features such as:
- Theme or dark-mode preference
- Language preference
- Saved/favorited businesses
These preferences remain on your own browser or device and may not follow you to another device. DeafDiscovery does not need a user account for these local preferences.
Important: when you save a business, a separate aggregate "save" event is also logged to DeafDiscovery's database (tied to the business, not to you) — even though your actual list of saved businesses stays stored locally on your device and is never sent to us.
What DeafDiscovery does not currently do
- Run behavioral advertising
- Sell personal information
- Require an account just to browse businesses
- Use personal information to build advertising profiles
- Provide internal customer-to-business messaging
- Provide an internal booking system
- Provide an internal ordering system
- Use third-party ad-tracking scripts
Services that help DeafDiscovery operate
DeafDiscovery uses a small number of service providers to operate the platform. Current core providers include:
Supabase
Used for the database, authentication where required, file storage, business data, administrative data, and photos and videos.
Vercel
Used to host and deliver the DeafDiscovery website.
These service providers may process information as necessary to provide their services to DeafDiscovery. DeafDiscovery does not sell personal information to these providers.
International processing
DeafDiscovery is designed for businesses and visitors around the world. DeafDiscovery's infrastructure providers may process or store information in locations outside your own country.
Data retention
DeafDiscovery keeps information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. This can include operating active business listings, reviewing submissions, reviewing business claims, handling reports and moderation, preventing abuse, maintaining platform security, resolving disputes, and meeting legal obligations where applicable.
Public business information generally remains visible while the listing remains active. If a listing is removed, its public information will be removed from public display. Some limited administrative, moderation, security, backup, or dispute-related information may need to be retained for a reasonable period after public removal.
Your choices
You may contact DeafDiscovery to request correction or removal of information connected to you — for example, a business listing, a review, a business claim, incorrect business information, uploaded content, or other personal information you have submitted.
For business-profile problems, you may also use Report an issue. For privacy requests: [WAVEIN_CONTACT_EMAIL]
DeafDiscovery may need to verify that a person requesting changes or deletion is genuinely connected to the information before making certain changes.
Privacy rights
Depending on where you live, privacy laws may provide rights regarding your personal information, which may include rights to ask what personal information DeafDiscovery holds about you, correct inaccurate personal information, request deletion in certain circumstances, object to or restrict certain processing, and withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing.
Some rights apply only in particular circumstances and differ depending on location. DeafDiscovery will review valid privacy requests in accordance with applicable law.
Children's privacy
DeafDiscovery is a general-audience business discovery platform and is not specifically designed for children. DeafDiscovery does not intentionally build profiles about children or target children with advertising. If DeafDiscovery becomes aware that personal information involving a child has been collected or published in circumstances where it should not have been, DeafDiscovery will review the situation and take appropriate action.
Security
DeafDiscovery uses technical and administrative measures intended to protect private information. Current measures may include database access controls, Row Level Security, admin-only permissions, upload file restrictions, review/report rate limiting, manual moderation, and restricted access to private claim/report information.
No online service can guarantee absolute security. If someone believes they have found a privacy or security issue, they can contact: [WAVEIN_CONTACT_EMAIL]
Changes to this Privacy Policy
DeafDiscovery may update this Privacy Policy as the service changes. When meaningful changes are made, DeafDiscovery will update the "Last updated" date shown at the top of this page. If a future change materially affects how personal information is handled, DeafDiscovery may provide additional notice where appropriate.
Contact
For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns: [WAVEIN_CONTACT_EMAIL]