1. Introduction

TRENCHLESSNET ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.

By using our Service, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with our policies, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide, including:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and password when you create an account
• Profile Information: Company name, business address, service areas, certifications, and other business details for contractor profiles
• Contact Requests: Information you provide when submitting contact forms or lead requests
• Payment Information: Billing address and payment details processed through our payment provider (Stripe)
• Communications: Messages, feedback, and correspondence with our support team

Automatically Collected Information

When you access our Service, we automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
• Usage Data: Pages viewed, time spent on pages, navigation paths, and search queries
• Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address
• Cookies and Tracking: Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Provide Services: Operate and maintain the contractor directory, process search queries, and facilitate connections between users and contractors
• Account Management: Create and manage user accounts, process subscriptions, and provide customer support
• Communication: Send transactional emails, service updates, and marketing communications (with your consent)
• Improvement: Analyze usage patterns to improve our Service, features, and user experience
• Security: Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Legal Compliance: Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Contractors: When you submit a contact request or lead, your information is shared with the relevant contractor(s)
• Service Providers: Third-party vendors who assist with hosting, analytics, payment processing, and email services
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government request
• Protection of Rights: To protect our rights, property, safety, or the safety of others

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information. Types of cookies we use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Service to function properly (authentication, security)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our Service (via Plausible Analytics)
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (theme, language)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect Service functionality.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance
• Usage Data: Aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

For California Residents (CCPA)

• Right to know what personal information we collect and how it's used
• Right to request deletion of your personal information
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

For European Residents (GDPR)

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@trenchlessnet.com.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure storage with access controls
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Employee training on data protection

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

9. Third-Party Services

Our Service integrates with third-party services that have their own privacy policies:

• Stripe: Payment processing - Privacy Policy
• Google: Authentication and maps - Privacy Policy
• Plausible Analytics: Privacy-focused analytics - Privacy Policy
• AWS: Cloud hosting and storage - Privacy Policy
• Resend: Email delivery - Privacy Policy

10. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected in accordance with this policy.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically for any changes. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Email: info@trenchlessnet.com
• Contact Form: Contact Page