Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 2026

Intro Hero ("we", "us") is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. This policy explains what we collect, why, and who we share it with, in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Information We Collect

Account Information

We use passwordless "magic link" sign-in — we collect your email address to create an account and send you a one-time sign-in link. We do not collect or store a password.

Business Information

When you submit your business for listing, we collect:

• Business name and description
• Contact information (email, phone, website)
• Business address and location
• Category and service information
• Images and promotional materials
• Your self-certification that the business operates in the UK

Payment Information

Listings and featured upgrades carry a one-time fee, paid via GoCardless using Instant Bank Pay (a direct UK bank transfer). GoCardless collects your bank details directly to process the payment — we never receive, see, or store your bank account or card details. We keep only the payment status, amount, and a transaction reference so we can confirm your listing is paid for.

If you subscribe to the optional lead capture forms add-on, that's billed differently: GoCardless sets up a recurring UK Direct Debit (Bacs) mandate on your bank account and collects a monthly payment against it until you cancel. As with the one-time fee, GoCardless holds your bank details directly and we never receive or store them — we keep only the subscription status and GoCardless's own reference for your mandate and subscription, so we can confirm your form should stay active.

Lead Capture Forms

If you switch on a lead capture form for your listing, visitors can submit an enquiry through it. We store their answers (which may include their name, email, phone number, and any message they write) encrypted, and email them to you as a notification — we don't use this data for any other purpose, and it isn't linked to a visitor account since the form doesn't require one.

Ratings and Reviews

If you rate or review a listed business, we store the rating, any written review text, and a link to your account (so we can prevent duplicate or fraudulent submissions and remove content that breaches our Terms). To confirm submissions come from a real person rather than a bot, we use Cloudflare Turnstile, which processes limited technical signals about your browser and device — see Cloudflare's privacy policy.

AI-Powered Search

If you use our AI-powered search feature, the text of your search query is sent to Anthropic, our AI provider, to generate business recommendations. We do not send your account details alongside this query.

Listing Analytics

If you have a listing, we count anonymous views of your listing page and clicks on its phone, email, and website links, so we can show you how it's performing. We do not record who viewed or clicked — no IP address, cookie, or account is linked to these counts, only the listing itself and a timestamp.

Personal Information from Enquiries and Newsletter

When you contact us, make an enquiry, or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect:

• Your name and email address
• Phone number (if provided)
• Message content and enquiry details

Automatically Collected Information

We automatically collect certain information when you visit our website:

• IP address and browser information
• Pages visited and time spent on site
• Referring website and search terms
• Device and operating system information

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain our directory services (performance of a contract)
• Process business listing submissions and payments (performance of a contract)
• Display genuine ratings and reviews, and prevent fraudulent submissions (legitimate interest)
• Show business owners anonymous performance analytics for their own listing (legitimate interest)
• Deliver lead capture form submissions to the business that owns the listing, and bill the optional monthly subscription for that feature (performance of a contract)
• Respond to enquiries and customer support requests (legitimate interest / contract)
• Send newsletter updates, where you've asked to receive them (consent)
• Improve our website and user experience (legitimate interest)
• Comply with legal obligations, including tax and accounting record-keeping

Information Sharing and Disclosure

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

Public Business Listings and Reviews

Business information submitted for listings, and any ratings or reviews you submit, are made publicly available on our website.

Service Providers (Sub-Processors)

We use the following third-party service providers to operate Intro Hero. Each only receives the data it needs to perform its function:

• GoCardless — processes listing-fee payments (UK-regulated payment institution)
• Cloudflare (Turnstile) — bot-protection for rating/review submissions
• Anthropic — powers our AI search feature
• Resend — sends transactional emails (sign-in links, enquiry notifications, listing status updates)
• BUnny.net — hosts our database
• Netlify — hosts our website and serverless functions

Some of these providers may process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where they do, we rely on their compliance with recognised safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) for the transfer to be lawful under UK GDPR.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law or to protect our rights, property, or safety.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only as long as we need it:

• Account and listing data — for as long as your account or listing is active, plus a limited period afterwards in case you return
• Payment transaction records — up to 6 years, to meet UK tax and accounting record-keeping requirements
• Ratings and reviews — for as long as the related listing remains published, unless removed for breaching our Terms
• Enquiry and newsletter messages — for as long as needed to respond, or until you ask us to delete them
• Listing analytics (anonymous view/click counts) — kept indefinitely as listing performance history, since they aren't linked to any person
• Lead capture form submissions — for as long as the listing they were made against remains active, so the business owner retains their enquiry history

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no internet transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights and Choices

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request erasure of your information (subject to legal and contractual requirements, such as payment record-keeping)
• Restrict or object to certain processing
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent at any time (for example, unsubscribing from the newsletter)
• Update your business listing information

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email below. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, you also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Cookies and Tracking

We use a small number of strictly necessary cookies to keep you signed in and to protect the site. We don't currently use analytics or advertising/marketing cookies. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date."

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your information, please contact us: