Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 3/6/2026

Welcome to Garmendz.com ("we," "our," or "us"). Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit our website.

1. Information We Collect

We do not require you to create a Garmendz account. However, depending on your interaction, we collect:

  • Authentication Data: If you sign in via Google or Facebook (through Firebase), we receive your unique identifier (uid) and first name. We do not store your email or password.
  • Sensitive Personal Information: With your explicit consent, we collect your precise geolocation (latitude and longitude) to verify you are physically present at a business location for a "Verified Review."
  • Security Identifiers: For guest reviews, we store a one-way cryptographic hash of your IP address and Browser User-Agent string to prevent spam. We do not store your raw IP address.
  • User-Generated Metrics: Ratings on cleanliness, pricing, and safety.

2. Automated Decision-Making Technology (ADMT)

We use automated computation to process individual ratings (A-F) into a numerical "Business Grade" or GPA.

  • Logic: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.
  • Purpose: To provide a consolidated compatibility score for the community.
  • Your Rights: You have the right to request information about how these scores are calculated and the right to opt out of automated profiling.

3. How We Use and Share Information

  • Service Providers: We share necessary tokens with Firebase (Google), Meta (Facebook), and Cloudflare (Turnstile) to facilitate logins and block bots.
  • Location Privacy: Geolocation data is used instantly for verification and is not sold, shared for cross-context behavioral advertising, or kept in our permanent logs.
  • Retention: We retain reviews indefinitely but purge security hashes and authentication tokens every 48 hours to 30 days unless a legal hold is required.

4. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA & AB 566)

California residents have the following rights:

  • Right to Limit: You can limit the use of your Sensitive Personal Information (Geolocation) strictly to the purpose of review verification.
  • Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your reviews. Since you do not have an account, you must provide your "Guest ID" or authentication identifier.
  • Opt-Out Preference Signals: We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals. If your browser sends an opt-out signal, we will display a confirmation message: "Opt-Out Request Honored."

5. Third-Party Integrations

Our services utilize third-party SDKs. Please review their policies:

  • Google/Firebase Privacy Policy
  • Cloudflare Privacy Policy