Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how BuyCanadianFirst (BCF) handles personal information through its website and directory features, including accounts, business claims, listing management, contact requests, listing enquiries, and site-security functions.

BCF is operated by an individual based in Malaysia. BCF does not currently operate through a company incorporated in Canada. BCF is a business discovery platform. Some information displayed in the directory concerns businesses and comes from source-supported records, owner-managed information, or other approved sources. Business-directory information and personal information are not automatically treated as the same thing.

2. Business-directory information and personal information

BCF keeps a practical distinction between information used to describe a business and information associated with an identifiable individual using BCF.

Some business-related information may also relate to an identifiable individual. BCF does not treat the label “business information” as a blanket determination that information falls outside applicable privacy law.

3. Information we handle

Account features support information such as username, first and last name, display name, email address, account authentication information, profile information, and account or security metadata needed to operate the account.

Business claims may involve claimant name, account and email information, contact number, position or relationship to the business, comments, claim status, timestamps, authority attestation, and security information used to review or protect the claim process.

BCF may handle public business fields and internal source or provenance information used to support, review, display, correct, or manage directory listings. Internal provenance and review fields are not necessarily displayed publicly.

Where a listing provides an enquiry form, BCF may process the sender’s name, email address, message, listing context, and anti-spam verification information.

BCF may receive contact and support requests, including messages about a business or listing, correction requests, and related information needed to understand and respond to the request. Do not send passwords, payment information, security codes, or other credentials through contact forms.

Technical and security information

BCF processes technical information needed to operate and protect site features, including authentication and session information, form-validation information, anti-spam verification information, and security-related data used by protected submission flows.

4. How we use information

BCF uses information to operate and protect the directory, administer accounts and claims, allow authorized listing management, maintain business listings, route enquiries and contact requests, respond to support or correction requests, validate forms, prevent spam and abuse, and troubleshoot site operation.

A successful business claim establishes authority to manage permitted listing information only. It does not by itself establish business ownership, Canadian registration, Canadian ownership, Made in Canada status, manufacturing in Canada, product origin, or BCF verification.

5. Accounts and business claims

Account information supports registration, login, password, profile, and account-management functions. Claim information supports review of whether a claimant has authority to manage a listing and administration of the claim workflow.

Claim review information is distinct from the public trust attributes BCF may maintain for a business.

6. Contact requests

When you send BCF a Contact request, the information you provide is intended to be used to understand the request, route it to the appropriate review path, respond to you, and protect the form from spam or abuse.

If your message concerns a particular business, BCF may use the listing URL or business name you provide to identify the relevant directory record. Do not send passwords, payment information, security codes, or other credentials through the Contact form.

7. Service providers and external services

BCF’s primary VPS hosting is provided by Contabo in Germany. Personal information may be accessed or administered by the operator from Malaysia. Other service providers may process or store information in other jurisdictions.

BCF uses Cloudflare Turnstile on protected forms to help detect and prevent automated or abusive submissions. When Turnstile is used, verification information is processed so the submission can be checked before it is accepted.

BCF uses email services to send site-related messages where configured. Email messages may contain information needed to deliver or respond to the relevant request.

8. Cookies and browser storage

WordPress and UsersWP support authentication cookies and session mechanisms for signed-in users. GeoDirectory location functionality includes browser local storage for location-search history when enabled. WordPress also uses browser session storage for certain browser feature checks.

BCF uses browser storage and session mechanisms where needed for site functionality, authentication, location features, and security. If BCF introduces additional analytics, advertising, or tracking technologies, this policy and any related cookie information should be updated to reflect those practices.

9. Retention

BCF keeps personal information for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it is handled, including account administration, claim review and management, responding to requests, security, dispute or review needs, and applicable operational or legal requirements.

Different records may have different lifecycles. This policy does not state a single fixed retention period because the current platform does not establish one period that accurately applies to all account, claim, form, email, security, backup, and directory-related records.

10. Safeguards

BCF uses technical and administrative measures intended to protect information and site functions. Current measures include authentication and nonce mechanisms, form validation, and Cloudflare Turnstile verification on protected forms.

No online service is free from security risk. BCF reviews safeguards in relation to the information and functionality being protected.

11. Access, correction and account choices

WordPress provides platform tools for personal-data export and erasure, and the current account system includes an account-deletion workflow. The exact handling of every claim, listing, form, backup, and related record after an access, correction, or deletion request depends on the record and applicable requirements.

You may contact BCF to ask about personal information associated with you or to request a correction. BCF may need to verify your identity before acting on a privacy request.

12. Changes to this policy

BCF may update this Privacy Policy when its services, data practices, legal requirements, or supporting technologies change. The “Last updated” date at the top of the page identifies the version presented here.

13. Contact us about privacy

For questions about this Privacy Policy or BCF’s handling of personal information, use the privacy contact below.