Privacy Policy

1. Scope & Data Controller

This policy applies to https://solarb2bdirectory.com and all associated pages, tools, and forms (the “Service”). Solar B2B Directory is not currently operated by a registered corporate entity, so the party responsible for your personal data is the project team maintaining the Service, reachable at contact@solar-directory.com. We have not yet designated a formal EU representative under Art. 27 GDPR, as the project has not reached the scale or registration status that requires one; we will appoint one and update this page if that changes. See our Imprint for our current operating status.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of data:

• Account & vendor data: name, work email address, company name, job title, and listing details (tagline, description, pricing, features, integrations) submitted when you claim or manage a software listing on the dashboard.
• Verification data: to confirm you are authorized to manage a listing, we compare the domain of the email address you provide against the vendor's published website domain and send a one-time passcode (OTP) to that email address.
• Usage & analytics data: pages viewed, search and filter queries, referring URL, approximate location (derived from IP address), device and browser type, and timestamps.
• Outbound click data: when you click “Visit Website” on a listing, we log the listing identifier, destination URL, and timestamp before redirecting you to the vendor's site, so vendors can see aggregate referral traffic from their listing.
• Billing data: if you purchase featured placement, our payment processor collects and stores your payment card details directly; we receive only the resulting transaction status, plan tier, and invoice records — never full card numbers.
• Cookies & similar technologies: see Section 5 below.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Art. 6)

Where GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases: performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) to create your account, verify listing ownership, and administer paid placement; legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) to secure the Service, understand aggregate usage, and improve the directory; consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) for non-essential cookies and any marketing communications; and legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) where we must retain records for tax, accounting, or regulatory purposes.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data to:

• Operate, maintain, and secure the directory and vendor dashboard;
• Verify listing ownership and process claim requests;
• Process payments for featured placement and issue invoices;
• Respond to support requests and vendor inquiries;
• Measure aggregate traffic and outbound clicks so vendors can evaluate listing performance;
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, or fake reviews; and
• Comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.

We do not sell personal data to third parties, and we do not use vendor or visitor data to train third-party advertising profiles.

5. Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use three categories of cookies. You can accept or decline non-essential cookies via the cookie banner shown on your first visit, or at any time by clearing your browser's local storage for this site.

• Strictly necessary: session and authentication cookies required for login, the vendor dashboard, and remembering your cookie preference. These cannot be disabled as they are essential to the Service.
• Analytics & performance: used to understand aggregate page views, search behavior, and outbound clicks so we can improve the directory and give vendors listing-performance insights. Loaded only if you accept.
• Functional: remember display preferences such as your last-viewed category filter. Loaded only if you accept.

6. How We Share Information

We share personal data only with:

• Service providers (processors): hosting and infrastructure, email delivery (for OTP and transactional email), analytics, and payment processing vendors, each bound by a data processing agreement and permitted to use data only to provide their service to us.
• Other business users: aggregate, non-identifying traffic and click statistics may be shared with the vendor of a listing to show how it is performing on the directory.
• Legal & safety: where required to comply with a legal obligation, enforce our Terms of Service, or protect the rights, property, or safety of Solar B2B Directory, our users, or the public.
• Corporate transactions: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to continued protection under this policy.

7. International Data Transfers

Our hosting and service providers may process data outside your country of residence, including outside the EEA, UK, or Switzerland. Where we or our processors transfer personal data originating in those regions to a country without an adequacy decision, we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or another lawful transfer mechanism, together with supplementary safeguards where required.

8. Data Retention

We retain account and listing data for as long as your account or listing remains active, and for a reasonable period afterward to resolve disputes and comply with legal obligations. Billing records are retained as required by tax law (typically up to 7 years). Aggregate usage and outbound click statistics are retained in identifiable form for up to 24 months and may be kept longer in aggregated, non-identifying form.

9. Your Rights as a Data Subject

If GDPR applies to you, you have the right to: access the personal data we hold about you (Art. 15); request correction of inaccurate data (Art. 16); request erasure (Art. 17); request restriction of processing (Art. 18); receive your data in a portable format (Art. 20); object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling (Art. 21); and withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting prior lawful processing (Art. 7(3)). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@solar-directory.com. We will respond within one month, as required by Art. 12 GDPR.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is a B2B directory intended for business professionals and is not directed to, and does not knowingly collect personal data from, individuals under 16 years of age.

11. Security

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures — including encryption in transit, access controls, and least-privilege permissions — to protect personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the “Last updated” date at the top of this page, and where changes are significant, we will provide additional notice (such as a banner on the Service or an email to registered vendors).

13. Contact Us

Questions about this policy or how we handle your data — or any other inquiry — can be sent to contact@solar-directory.com. Our current operating status is described on our Imprint page.