Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 8, 2026

1. Introduction

Bentu ("we," "our," or "us") operates the Bentu platform and related services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our website and services (collectively, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Account information: Email address, display name, and authentication credentials when you create an account.
• Feedback and content: Ratings, reviews, comments, lists, rankings, and other content you submit through the Service.
• Location data: Approximate location inferred from your IP address or derived from businesses you interact with, used to personalize your experience.
• Device information: A randomly generated device identifier stored locally on your device for abuse prevention and rate limiting.
• Business information: If you register as a business user, we collect business name, contact information, and branding assets you provide.
• Payment information: If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment processing is handled by a third-party payment processor. We do not store your full credit card number.
• Usage data: Information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited and features used.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service.
• To process and display your feedback and rankings.
• To personalize your experience, including local discovery and recommendations.
• To facilitate communication between consumers and businesses.
• To process payments and manage subscriptions.
• To send you Service-related communications (which you can opt out of).
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• To comply with legal obligations.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information in the following circumstances:

• With businesses: Feedback you submit about a business may be visible to that business. By default, your feedback is anonymous. Your contact information is only shared if you explicitly opt in.
• Public content: Lists, ideas, and other content you choose to make public will be visible to other users.
• Service providers: We use third-party services for hosting, payment processing, mapping, and AI-powered features. These providers access data only as needed to perform services on our behalf.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, or legal process.

5. Data Storage and Security

We use commercially reasonable security measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit and at rest, row-level access controls, and secure authentication. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you delete your account, we will make reasonable efforts to remove your personal data, though some information may be retained as required by law or for legitimate business purposes (such as fraud prevention).

7. Your Rights and Choices

• Access and correction: You can access and update your account information through your settings.
• Email preferences: You can manage your email notification preferences or unsubscribe from communications at any time.
• Content deletion: You can delete feedback, lists, and other content you have created.
• Account deletion: You may request deletion of your account by contacting us.
• Data portability: You may request a copy of your personal data by contacting us.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have additional rights under applicable data protection laws (such as the CCPA or GDPR). To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address below.

8. Cookies and Local Storage

We do not use traditional tracking cookies or third-party analytics trackers. We use your browser's local storage to save preferences, session information, and a device identifier for abuse prevention. You can clear this data at any time through your browser settings.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third-party providers for functionality such as mapping, business data, AI-powered insights, and payment processing. These providers have their own privacy policies governing their use of your data. We encourage you to review their policies.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on the Service with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at hello@bentu.co.