Privacy Policy

Effective Date: November 21, 2024

Khalil Hammami ("us", "we", or "our") operates the Local Guides Directory (LGD) app and website (the "Service").

This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information when you use our Service and the choices you have associated with that data.

Information We Collect

Types of Information

We collect several different types of information for various purposes to improve our Service to you.

Personal Information

While using our Service, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you ("Personal Information"). Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

Email address (For account creation only)
Full Name (For LGD profile)
City (For LGD profile listing)
Country (For LGD profile listing)
Social Links: Google Maps profile, ~~Twitter~~ (optional), ~~Facebook~~ (optional)

The data we collect depends on the features you choose to use. You can choose not to provide some information, but doing so may limit your ability to use certain Service features.

Sensitive Personal Information

We do not currently knowingly collect information that is generally considered "Sensitive Personal Information" under most privacy laws (such as detailed financial information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health data, or genetic/biometric data for unique identification).

Previously, precise geolocation data was collected, which can be considered sensitive in some jurisdictions. As noted in the "Precise Location Data (Historical Note)" section, we no longer collect precise geolocation data.

Users may voluntarily provide information in their LGD profile (e.g., social links) which could inadvertently reveal information that might be considered sensitive. We advise users to be mindful of the information they share publicly.

Precise Location Data (Historical Note): Early versions of our Service included features that utilized precise location data (e.g., for displaying maps and nearby places). The collection of precise location data for these features has been discontinued in current versions of the Service. We no longer request or collect precise location data from your device for our own app features.

Third-party services integrated into our app (like AdMob) may still infer approximate location based on other data such as your IP address for purposes like serving geographically relevant advertisements. Please review the privacy policies of these third-party services (listed below) for details on their data collection practices, including any location data they may infer or collect. You can typically control ad personalization features, which may use such inferred location, through your device's ad settings or the opt-out tools mentioned in the "Opting Out of Data Sale and Targeted Advertising" section.

In addition to the information described above, we may collect your device identifier ("Device ID"). A Device ID is a unique identifier that is assigned to your device. We use Device ID to:

Identify and troubleshoot bugs in the app.

We will not share your Device ID with third parties without your consent, except as necessary for the functioning of third-party services integrated into the app.

You can opt out of the collection of your Device ID by uninstalling the app. However, Device ID is essential for core app functionality and analytics.

Data Stored on Your Device

The information you choose to enter in the app is stored locally on your device and is not directly collected by us.

Third-Party Services

We utilize several third-party services that may collect information used to identify you. You can find the privacy policies of these services below:

We use AdMob, a third-party advertising platform by Google, to display ads in our app. AdMob may personalize these ads based on your interests and activity in our app and other websites and apps.

You can opt out of interest-based advertising by visiting your device settings and adjusting ad preferences. You can also visit https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/142293?hl=en (opens in a new tab) or https://youradchoices.com/control (opens in a new tab) for more information.

Log Data

We collect information that your phone sends whenever you use our Service (Log Data). This Log Data may include information such as your device's Internet Protocol ("IP") address, device name, operating system version, the configuration of the app when utilizing our Service, the time and date of your use of the Service, and other statistics.

Cookies

Cookies are files with small amounts of data that may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device's internal memory.

Our Service does not explicitly use these "cookies." However, the app may use third-party code and libraries that use "cookies" to collect information and improve their services. You have the option to accept or refuse these cookies and know when a cookie is being sent to your device. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service. Please have a look at the third-party service's privacy policy for information on their use of cookies.

Use of Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide and improve the Service
To identify and troubleshoot bugs in the App
Understand how users interact with the Service
Personalize the Service
Improve the user experience
Send you promotional communications (with your consent)

Legal Basis for Data Collection

We collect and use your Personal Information based on the following legal grounds:

Your consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
Contractual Necessity: To provide you with the Service.

Data Retention

We will retain your Personal Information only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will also retain and use Log Data for internal analysis purposes. Log Data is generally retained for a shorter period, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our Service, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer periods.

Transfer of Data

Your information, including Personal Information, may be transferred to — and processed in — computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

Your Data Protection Rights

You have certain rights regarding your personal information, which may vary depending on your location. We are committed to upholding these rights.

General Rights

Right to Know: You have the right to be informed about how your data is collected, used, and shared. This policy aims to provide this information. For further clarification, please contact us.

Rights for Residents of the European Economic Area (EEA) under GDPR

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right of Access: You have the right to request copies of your personal data.
Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.
Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
Right to Object to Processing: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions, particularly for direct marketing purposes or processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
Right to Withdraw Consent: If we are processing your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, particularly in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of your personal data infringes the GDPR.

To exercise any of these GDPR rights (excluding lodging a complaint, which is done directly with the supervisory authority), please contact us using the contact information provided in the "Data Controller" section.

Your Virginia Privacy Rights (VCDPA)

If you are a Virginia resident, you have specific rights regarding your personal data under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). These rights include:

Right to Access: You have the right to confirm whether we are processing your personal data and to access such personal data.
Right to Correct: You have the right to request that we correct inaccuracies in your personal data.
Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete personal data provided by or obtained about you.
Right to Data Portability: You have the right to obtain a copy of your personal data that you previously provided to us in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale: While we do not "sell" personal data in the traditional sense, the VCDPA's definition of "sale" can be broad. You have the right to opt-out of the "sale" of your personal data. Please see the "Opting Out of Data Sale and Targeted Advertising" section for more details on how this applies to targeted advertising.
Right to Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising: You have the right to opt-out of the processing of your personal data for purposes of targeted advertising. See the "Opting Out of Data Sale and Targeted Advertising" section for instructions.
Right to Opt-Out of Profiling: You have the right to opt-out of the processing of personal data for decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you. We do not currently engage in such profiling.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact information provided in the "Data Controller" section. You may also be able to designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. We will respond to your request consistent with applicable law. If we deny your request, you have the right to appeal our decision by contacting us.

Rights for Residents of Brazil under LGPD

If you are a resident of Brazil, you have specific rights regarding your personal data under the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD). These rights include:

Confirmation of Processing: The right to obtain confirmation of the existence of processing of your personal data.
Access to Data: The right to access your personal data.
Correction of Incomplete, Inaccurate, or Outdated Data: The right to request the correction of your personal data that is incomplete, inaccurate, or out-of-date.
Anonymization, Blocking, or Deletion: The right to request the anonymization, blocking, or deletion of unnecessary or excessive personal data, or data processed in non-compliance with the LGPD.
Data Portability: The right to request the portability of your personal data to another service or product provider, upon express request, subject to commercial and industrial secrets.
Deletion of Data Processed with Consent: The right to request the deletion of personal data processed with your consent, except in cases where retention is permitted by law.
Information about Sharing: The right to obtain information about public and private entities with which we have shared your personal data.
Information about Consent: The right to information about the possibility of denying consent and the consequences of such denial.
Revocation of Consent: The right to revoke your consent at any time.
Review of Automated Decisions: The right to request the review of decisions made solely based on automated processing of personal data affecting your interests.
Lodging a Complaint: The right to lodge a complaint with the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) in Brazil.

To exercise any of these LGPD rights, please contact us using the contact information provided in the "Data Controller" section.

Security

We take several steps to protect your information, including:

We use encryption to protect your information when it is transmitted and stored.
We regularly review our security procedures to ensure that your information is protected.

Links to Other Sites

Our Service may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third-party's site. We strongly advise you to review

Children’s Privacy

Our Services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us. We will take the necessary steps to remove the information from our servers.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

I may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, you are advised to review this page periodically for any changes. I will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately after they are posted on this page.

Opting Out of Data Sale and Targeted Advertising

Sale of Personal Information

We appreciate your privacy and do not sell your personal information in the traditional sense (i.e., for monetary gain). However, some privacy laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) have a broad definition of "sale" that may include sharing of personal information for targeted advertising.

Targeted Advertising:

We use AdMob, a third-party advertising platform by Google, to display ads in our app. AdMob may personalize these ads based on your interests and activity in our app and other websites and apps. This may be considered "sharing" or "sale" of data under certain privacy laws.

You can opt out of interest-based advertising through several methods:

Device Settings: Adjust your mobile device's ad preferences.
For Android: Open "Settings" > "Google" > "Ads" and enable "Opt out of Ads Personalization."
For iOS: Open "Settings" > "Privacy" > "Advertising" and enable "Limit Ad Tracking." (Note: Paths may vary slightly by OS version and device.)
Industry Opt-Out Tools: You can also visit industry opt-out pages like:
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Opt-Out Tool (opens in a new tab)
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out Tool (opens in a new tab)
- Google provides information on controlling your ad experience here: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/142293?hl=en (opens in a new tab)

Please note that opting out of targeted advertising does not mean you will no longer see ads; it means the ads you see may be less relevant to your interests.

Review Schedule

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed annually or as needed to ensure it remains up-to-date with our practices and legal requirements.

Data Protection Officer (DPO)

We have not appointed a formal Data Protection Officer. However, for any inquiries related to data protection and privacy, please contact our designated privacy contact person using the details provided in the "Data Controller" section.

Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

Khalil Hammami

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us at: khalil (a) exydev (dot) tn

Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us via the email address provided in the "Data Controller" section.