Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information [Company legal name] (“FirstNear”, “we”, “us”) collects when you use our website and service (the “Service”), how we use it, and the choices you have. We do not sell your personal information.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Your name, email address and business details (name, address, phone, website, services, hours, photos).
• The business name and city you type to run a scan.
• Answers to our setup questions, such as your tone of voice and ideal customer.
• Messages you send us.

Information from Google and other platforms

When you connect your Google account, we access your Google Business Profile through Google’s APIs. This can include your profile details, reviews and review replies, posts, photos, and performance data such as calls, bookings, direction requests, website clicks and searches. We only request the access needed to run the Service. We may also read the public listings of your business and its competitors on platforms such as Google Maps, Yelp, Apple Maps and Bing.

Payment information

Payments are handled by Stripe. We do not store your full card number. We receive limited details from Stripe, such as the last four digits, card type and billing status.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, we collect basic technical data such as IP address, browser type, pages visited and the date and time of visits, using server logs and privacy-friendly analytics. We use only the cookies needed to run the site and keep you logged in, unless you agree to others.

2. How we use information

• To provide the Service: run scans, improve and manage your profiles, write posts and review replies, and send reports.
• To take payments and manage your subscription.
• To contact you about your account, your results and changes to the Service.
• To check what AI assistants say about businesses in your area.
• To keep the Service secure, prevent abuse and meet legal obligations.
• To improve the Service, using aggregated data that does not identify you.

If you ask for a scan and give us your email, we may send you a small number of follow-up emails about your results. You can unsubscribe at any time.

3. Google user data

FirstNear’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. In particular:

• we use Google user data only to provide and improve the features you see in the Service;
• we do not sell it, and we do not use it for advertising;
• we do not use it to train general AI models;
• humans on our team read it only with your permission, for support or security, or when the law requires.

You can remove our access at any time from your Google account permissions or your Business Profile managers.

4. Who we share information with

We share information only with service providers that help us run the Service, under contracts that protect it:

• hosting and databases (for example Vercel and our database provider);
• payments (Stripe);
• email delivery;
• map and search-ranking data providers;
• AI providers that help us write posts and review replies (for example Anthropic). They process the data on our behalf and may not use it to train their models.

We publish content to the platforms you connect, such as your Google Business Profile, because that is the Service. We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect our rights or users, or as part of a sale or merger of our business, in which case this policy continues to apply.

5. How long we keep information

We keep your information while your account is active. After you cancel, we delete or anonymize your data, including Google data, within 90 days, except for records we must keep by law, such as invoices. Scan requests without a subscription are deleted after 12 months.

6. Security

We protect your information with encryption in transit, access controls and limited staff access. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep your data safe and will tell you promptly if a breach affects you.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• access the personal information we hold about you;
• correct or delete it;
• receive a copy in a portable format;
• object to or limit certain uses, and opt out of marketing emails;
• withdraw consent where we rely on it.

Residents of California and other US states with privacy laws can exercise these rights, and we will not discriminate against you for doing so. We do not sell or “share” personal information as those laws define it. If you are in the UK, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. To make a request, email hello@example.com. We will reply within 30 days.

8. International transfers

We and our providers may process data in the United States and other countries. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses.

9. Children

The Service is for businesses and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect their data.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. If a change is material, we will email you before it applies. The effective date at the top shows the latest version.

11. Contact

[Company legal name], [Business address]. Email: hello@example.com. See also our Terms of Service.