Purpose of This App

Look Local ("Look Local," "we," "us," or "our") is a community-driven local business directory built to help neighbors find and support the businesses right around them. Through the app, you can search for businesses by city, view their contact information, hours, website, and services, and reach out directly. Business owners can create an account to claim and manage a free listing for their own business, giving them a simple way to be found by people who live nearby. This Privacy Policy explains, in detail, what information we collect through the Service, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and the choices available to you.

Information We Collect

1. Account information

When you create a Look Local account, we collect:

• Your name (as you provide it)
• Your email address
• A password, which we never store in readable form - only a one-way cryptographic hash that cannot be reversed to recover your actual password
• Your account role (for example, general user or business owner)
• Two-factor authentication details you set up (an authenticator app secret, or a record that email-based codes are used), used only to verify it's really you signing in

2. Information from Google Sign-In

If you choose "Continue with Google" instead of creating a password, Google sends us three pieces of information after you approve the sign-in: your name, your email address, and a unique Google account identifier (a long number that lets us recognize your account on future visits). We do not receive your Google password, and we do not request access to anything else in your Google account. See "Google User Data" below for full detail on how this specific information is used.

3. Business listing information

If you claim or manage a business listing, we collect and publicly display the business details you provide: business name, street address, phone number, fax number, website, description, category tags, logo image, hero/banner image, and social media links. This information is intentionally public, since the purpose of a business listing is to be found by potential customers.

4. Claim requests

If you submit a request to claim a business listing, we collect the message you write and associate it with your account and the business, so our team can review and act on the request.

5. Technical and usage information

• IP address - used to (a) suggest the nearest local business directory to you, (b) protect the site against spam and abuse (for example, our per-IP rate limit on new account creation), and (c) as part of a security audit trail described below. We do not use IP address for advertising.
• Browser user-agent string - used for basic security/session tracking (recognizing your device for "keep me signed in") and troubleshooting.
• Security audit log - we keep a log of account security events (login attempts, password/2FA changes, account creation, business claim requests) each stamped with a timestamp and IP address, used to detect abuse and help you if your account is compromised.

6. Cookies

We use a small number of first-party cookies, described in the table below. We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies, and we do not sell or share cookie data with ad networks.

How Look Local Accesses, Uses, Stores, and Shares Google User Data

This section comprehensively discloses how the Look Local app handles data obtained through Google Sign-In (Google's OAuth service). It applies specifically and exclusively to the "Continue with Google" sign-in feature - it does not apply to any other part of this Privacy Policy.

How We Access Google User Data

When you choose "Continue with Google," Look Local requests access to only the openid, email, and profile scopes - Google's basic, non-sensitive identity scopes. Through this, Google discloses to us exactly three pieces of information: your name, your email address, and a unique Google account identifier ("sub"). We do not request, and Google does not grant us, access to your Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Google Photos, or any other Google product or service. We never see or receive your Google password.

How We Use Google User Data

We use the name, email address, and Google account identifier described above for exactly one purpose: to create your Look Local account (the first time you sign in) and to authenticate you (confirm it's really you) every time you sign in afterward. We do not use this data for advertising, for building marketing or analytics profiles, for training any machine-learning or AI model, or for any purpose other than account creation and authentication.

How We Store Google User Data

Your name, email address, and Google account identifier are stored in our production database, encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) between your browser, Google, and our servers, and protected by the same access controls that protect the rest of our user database (see "Security" below). We retain this data for as long as your Look Local account remains active. If you delete your account, we delete this data along with it, except where we're required to retain limited records by law.

How We Share Google User Data

We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share your Google user data with any third party, for advertising or for any other purpose. It is never disclosed to data brokers, advertisers, or analytics platforms. The only "sharing" that occurs is the data flow inherent to the sign-in process itself (your browser to Google, Google back to our servers) and, if applicable, our database hosting provider that stores it on our behalf - a service provider, not a third party we share data with independently. We may disclose it if legally required to do so (for example, in response to a valid subpoena).

Other Google Sign-In Details

• Linking to an existing account: if you already have a Look Local account under the same email address, signing in with Google links to that existing account rather than creating a duplicate, since Google has already verified you own that email address.
• Revoking access: you can disconnect Look Local from your Google account at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions. This does not delete your Look Local account.
• Look Local's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs to any other app adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

How We Use Your Information

• To create, maintain, and secure your account.
• To authenticate you when you sign in, including two-factor verification and Google Sign-In.
• To operate the business directory - displaying listings, processing claim requests, and connecting business owners with our team.
• To detect and prevent spam, abuse, and fraudulent account creation (including automated checks like hCaptcha and per-IP rate limiting).
• To respond to support requests and communicate with you about your account.
• To send you account-related emails, such as two-factor verification codes and claim-request updates - we do not send marketing email based on Google account data.

We do not use your information to serve you advertisements, and we do not build advertising profiles from it.

How We Share Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone. We share information only with the service providers necessary to operate the site, each of which processes only what's needed for its specific function and is not permitted to use your data for its own purposes:

• Email delivery provider - to send account verification codes and claim-request notifications.
• Google - when you choose to sign in with Google (see "Google User Data" above).
• hCaptcha - to verify you're not a bot when creating an account.
• A free IP-geolocation lookup service - to suggest the nearest business directory based on your IP address.
• Our hosting provider - to run the servers and database the Service runs on.

We may also disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Look Local, our users, or the public.

Data Retention

We retain account information for as long as your account remains active. Security audit log entries (login/security events) are retained for a limited period for fraud-prevention purposes. If you'd like your account and associated personal data deleted, contact us using the information below and we will delete it, except where we're required to retain certain records by law.

Your Rights and Choices

• You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your account data at any time by contacting us.
• You can revoke Look Local's access to your Google Account at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
• You can clear cookies at any time through your browser settings; doing so will simply sign you out and reset your preferred directory.
• You can decline to use Google Sign-In and instead create an account with just an email address and password.

Security

Passwords are stored using industry-standard one-way hashing and are never stored or logged in plain text. We support two-factor authentication for account sign-in. All traffic to this site is encrypted with HTTPS. Access to production data is restricted to authorized personnel.

Children's Privacy

Look Local is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we've collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the Service changes. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

Questions about this policy, or want to access, correct, or delete your data? Contact us at [email protected].