Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 27 March 2025

1. Who We Are

BoatingWise (“BoatingWise,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is the controller of your personal information collected through this website and related services (together, the “Platform”). We respect your privacy and take data protection seriously. This Privacy Notice explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, how long we keep it, and how you can exercise your rights.

2. What We Collect and Why

1. Visiting Our Platform

   • Usage Data: We collect information about your device and browsing actions, such as IP addresses, pages viewed, and approximate location (derived from IP or device settings).

   • Cookies: We use cookies and similar technologies to make our Platform function smoothly and to understand usage patterns. You can manage cookie preferences via our Cookie Settings.

2. Providing Feedback or Reviews

   • When you leave feedback or a review about a Provider (boating professional), we collect details like your name, contact information, and information about the services you received. We use this information to:

     • Publish reviews (with your consent).

     • Verify authenticity and prevent fraudulent or unfair reviews.

     • Help other Users find reliable Providers.

   • We may contact you after you leave a review to confirm its authenticity or request additional details for fraud prevention.

3. Location Data

   • If your device settings allow, we may collect approximate or precise location data to help match you with suitable Providers. You can adjust location settings in your device preferences at any time.

4. Complaints or Enquiries

   • If you contact us with questions or concerns about a Provider or our Platform, we’ll collect the information you provide (e.g., name, contact details, and details of the issue). We use it to address and investigate your complaint or enquiry.

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

   • We may use AI-driven tools to help process reviews, detect spam or fraudulent activity, and improve recommendations. AI processing is always in accordance with this Privacy Notice and applicable data laws.

3. How We Use and Share Your Information

1. Business Purposes

   • We use your data to provide, maintain, and improve our Platform, detect and prevent fraud, perform usage analytics, and communicate with you (including customer support, service updates, and relevant marketing if you’ve opted in).

2. Data Sharing

   • Providers: If you request information or services from a Provider, we’ll share the details you have provided (e.g., name, contact information, and job specifications) so they can contact you.

   • Service Providers: We work with select third parties (e.g., IT services, analytics providers) who help us run our business. These partners only process data under our instructions and are bound by confidentiality.

   • Legal/Regulatory: We may disclose information to regulators or law enforcement where required by law or to protect our rights and the rights of others.

3. International Transfers

   • Your personal data may be transferred or stored outside your home country. We will ensure safeguards (such as contractual protections) are in place as required by law to protect your information when transferred abroad.

4. Data Retention

We keep your personal information for as long as needed to fulfill the purposes described in this Notice and comply with our legal obligations. For example:

• Reviews and Feedback: We typically retain review details for up to six years to maintain the integrity of our Platform and help Users evaluate Providers.

• Complaints: Records of complaints and related communications are retained as long as reasonably necessary to resolve and document issues.

We may securely archive certain data beyond these periods if needed for legal or compliance purposes.

5. Marketing Communications

1. Direct Marketing

   • We may use your email address or phone number to send you marketing messages about our services, updates, or news we believe could be of interest. You can opt out of receiving marketing at any time.

2. Location-Based Marketing

   • With your device or browser location enabled, we might tailor marketing to your general region or harbour area. You can disable location at any time through your device settings.

6. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights under data protection laws, including:

• Access: The right to request a copy of your personal information.

• Rectification: The right to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

• Erasure: The right to request we delete your personal information when no longer needed.

• Restriction: The right to ask us to restrict certain data processing activities.

• Objection: The right to object to processing in certain circumstances (e.g., direct marketing).

• Portability: The right to request we transfer your personal information to another provider in a structured, commonly used format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us (see Section 8).

7. Security Measures

We take reasonable measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, or alteration. However, no system can be 100% secure. If you suspect any unauthorised use or breach, please contact us immediately.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to how we process your data, please contact:

Privacy Team at BoatingWise

Email: tom@boatingwise.com

We will respond as soon as we can and within any legally required timeframe.