Privacy Policy - LinkWatcher Marketplace

1. Introduction

Welcome to the LinkWatcher Marketplace Privacy Policy. This policy describes how RIUH PORTAL CO. L.L.C ("we," "us," or "our"), a company registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our marketplace platform that connects advertisers (buyers) with website publishers for link building and content placement services.

By using the LinkWatcher Marketplace, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information Collected from Buyers (Advertisers)

When you use our marketplace as a buyer, we collect:

• Account Information: Name, email address, organization name, and workspace details
• Order Information: URLs for link placement, anchor text, content requirements, order history, and order status
• Communication Data: Messages exchanged with publishers, review comments, and support communications
• Review and Rating Data: Ratings and reviews you provide for publishers and completed orders
• Usage Data: Browsing patterns, search queries within the marketplace, Smart Browse AI interactions

2.2 Information Collected from Publishers

When you use our marketplace as a publisher, we collect:

• Account Information: Name, email address, organization name, and workspace details
• Domain Information: Domain names, domain metrics (Domain Rating, Domain Authority, spam score, organic traffic), website categories, and niches
• Domain Verification Data: Verification tokens, DNS records, and ownership verification status for domains claimed as owned (not applicable for resellers)
• Service Offerings: Pricing for guest posts and link insertions, content writing availability and pricing, turnaround times, content requirements, prohibited niches, allowed link types, maximum outbound links, and example posts
• Financial Information: Bank account details (IBAN, account holder name, bank name) or PayPal email address for payout processing
• Earnings Data: Order earnings, platform fees, payout history, and available balance
• Communication Data: Messages exchanged with buyers, rejection reasons, and support communications
• Review and Rating Data: Ratings and reviews you receive from buyers

2.3 Payment Information

Important: We do not collect or store credit card information, debit card information, or any payment card details from buyers. All payment processing is handled securely by our third-party payment processors:

• Stripe: For marketplace order payments and press release payments
• Paddle: For alternative payment processing

These payment processors collect and process payment information directly according to their own privacy policies and PCI-DSS compliance standards. We only receive transaction confirmations and order identifiers from these processors.

For publishers, we collect bank account details or PayPal information solely for the purpose of processing payouts of your earnings.

2.4 Automatically Collected Information

We automatically collect:

• Log Data: IP addresses, browser type and version, device information, operating system, pages visited, time and date of visits, time spent on pages, and referral sources
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Session cookies, preference cookies, and analytics cookies (see Section 8 for details)
• AI Interaction Data: When you use our Smart Browse AI feature, we collect your search queries and preferences to provide personalized domain recommendations

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 For Buyers

We use buyer information to:

• Process and manage marketplace orders
• Facilitate communication with publishers
• Calculate and display platform fees and total costs
• Process refund requests
• Enable the review and rating system
• Provide Smart Browse AI recommendations
• Send order status notifications and important updates
• Improve our marketplace services
• Prevent fraud and ensure platform security

3.2 For Publishers

We use publisher information to:

• Verify domain ownership (for domains claimed as owned)
• Display your offerings in marketplace listings
• Process admin approval of your domain listings
• Facilitate communication with buyers
• Calculate earnings and platform fees (2.5% of order subtotal)
• Process payout requests (minimum $50 threshold)
• Transfer funds to your bank account or PayPal account
• Enable the review and rating system
• Send order notifications and payout updates
• Improve our marketplace services
• Prevent fraud and ensure platform integrity

3.3 General Platform Use

We use collected information to:

• Operate and maintain the marketplace platform
• Analyze usage patterns and improve user experience
• Provide customer support
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes between buyers and publishers
• Detect and prevent fraudulent activities
• Send administrative communications and service updates

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 Between Platform Users

• Buyers can view publisher domain information, pricing, turnaround times, and public reviews
• Publishers can view buyer order requirements and communication
• Reviews and ratings are publicly displayed for transparency

4.2 Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party providers who assist us in operating our platform:

• Payment Processors (Stripe, Paddle): For processing payments and handling buyer payment information
• Email Service Providers: For sending transactional emails, notifications, and communications
• Cloud Infrastructure Providers: For hosting our platform and databases
• Analytics Providers: For understanding platform usage and improving services
• AI Service Providers: For Smart Browse recommendations and content analysis

These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and are only permitted to use your information for the specific services they provide to us.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to:

• Comply with legal obligations, court orders, or regulatory requirements
• Protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users
• Detect, prevent, or address fraud, security issues, or technical problems
• Enforce our Terms of Service and other agreements

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change and provide options regarding your information.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Data in transit is protected using SSL/TLS encryption
• Database Security: Stored data is protected with encryption and access controls
• Payment Security: All payment card processing is handled by PCI-DSS compliant providers (Stripe and Paddle)
• Access Controls: Limited employee access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Domain Verification: Secure token-based verification system for domain ownership claims
• Regular Audits: Periodic security assessments and updates

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to:

• Maintain your account and provide services
• Comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax records, transaction history)
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
• Maintain earnings and payout records for publishers

Specific retention periods:

• Account Information: Retained while your account is active and for 7 years after closure
• Order Data: Retained for 7 years for legal and financial record-keeping
• Financial Records: Retained for 7 years in compliance with UAE tax laws
• Communication Logs: Retained for 3 years for dispute resolution
• Reviews and Ratings: Retained indefinitely unless removed for policy violations

You may request deletion of your information, subject to legal retention requirements.

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 Access and Correction

You have the right to:

• Access your personal information stored on our platform
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Update your account details, domain information, and service offerings
• View your order history, earnings, and payout records

7.2 Data Portability

You may request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format.

7.3 Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated data, subject to:

• Completion of any pending orders
• Settlement of outstanding financial obligations
• Legal retention requirements for financial records

7.4 Marketing Communications

You can opt out of marketing communications while still receiving:

• Order notifications and updates
• Administrative communications
• Payout notifications (for publishers)
• Security alerts

7.5 Cookie Preferences

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings (see Section 8).

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

• Essential Cookies: Required for platform functionality, authentication, and security
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and choices
• Analytics Cookies: Understand how users interact with our platform
• Session Cookies: Maintain your logged-in state

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may impact platform functionality.

9. Third-Party Links

Our marketplace may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., publisher domains). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

10. Children's Privacy

Our marketplace is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If we discover that we have collected information from a child, we will delete it promptly.

11. International Data Transfers

Our platform is operated from the United Arab Emirates. If you access our services from other jurisdictions, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the UAE. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), we implement appropriate safeguards to protect your information in accordance with GDPR requirements.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our platform
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending email notifications for significant changes

Your continued use of the marketplace after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us:

For data protection inquiries, please use the subject line "Privacy Request - Marketplace"

14. Specific Privacy Notices

14.1 For EU/EEA Users (GDPR)

Under GDPR, you have additional rights including:

• Right to be forgotten (erasure)
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to object to processing
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

Legal basis for processing:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to provide marketplace services
• Legitimate Interest: Fraud prevention, platform improvement, analytics
• Consent: Marketing communications, non-essential cookies
• Legal Obligation: Tax records, financial reporting

14.2 For California Users (CCPA)

California residents have the right to:

• Know what personal information is collected
• Know whether personal information is sold or disclosed
• Access collected personal information
• Request deletion of personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights

14.3 Domain Verification Privacy

For publishers claiming domain ownership:

• Verification tokens are securely generated and unique to your domain
• DNS records are checked automatically for verification purposes
• Ownership verification status affects your marketplace privileges but not pricing
• Resellers do not require verification and provide services without ownership claims

14.4 Earnings and Payout Privacy

For publishers:

• Your earnings data is confidential and not shared with buyers or other publishers
• Bank account and PayPal information is encrypted and stored securely
• Payout requests trigger email notifications to our admin team for processing
• Minimum payout threshold of $50 applies
• Payout processing typically takes 5-7 business days after approval