Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data Forgewake LLC (“we”) collects when you use Shipdeed, why, who receives it and what rights you have. Forgewake LLC, 1021 E Lincolnway, Suite 10722, Cheyenne, WY 82001, USA, is the controller. Contact: privacy@shipdeed.com.

1. What we collect

Account and security

• Email address and a one-way hash of your password (we never see the password itself).
• Your two-factor authentication enrolment (the shared secret is held by our authentication system), sign-in times and session information.

Identity verification

• We use an identity verification provider that checks a photo ID and a selfie. The document and selfie images are processed and kept by that provider; we do not store them.
• We receive and keep the result: verification status, first and last name, date of birth and the country of the document.

Payments and payouts

• Card and bank details are entered directly with our payment processor and are not stored by us. We keep payment references, amounts, the payment method type and the status of each payment, payout and refund.
• For sellers, our payment processor collects the information required to open a payout account (which may include tax and bank details). We receive only whether the account is ready to receive payouts.

Listings, verification and deals

• Listing content, including confidential details you enter.
• Access credentials you provide to connect a data source. They are encrypted before storage and, unless you choose monthly refreshes, deleted right after the data retrieval.
• Business data retrieved from connected sources (for example monthly sales, installs and subscriber counts) and a cryptographic fingerprint of each response. These records are kept unchanged as evidence.
• Offers, deal records, checklist confirmations, disputes and messages between users.

Confidentiality agreement evidence

• When you accept a listing's confidentiality agreement we record the time, your account, the agreement version, a fingerprint of the exact text, and your IP address and browser user agent. The seller sees that you signed, but not your IP address or user agent.

Technical data

• Server logs (IP address, request path, time, user agent) and counters used to limit abusive request rates.

2. Why we use it, and our legal bases

• To provide Shipdeed and perform our contract with you: accounts, listings, verification, messaging, offers, payments, payouts and transfers.
• To meet legal obligations: identity, anti-money-laundering and sanctions checks, tax and accounting records, responding to lawful requests.
• For our legitimate interests: preventing fraud and off-platform circumvention (including automated flagging of messages that appear to contain contact or payment details), securing the service, enforcing our Terms and confidentiality agreements, and resolving disputes.
• With your consent, where we ask for it, for example to keep a data-source credential for monthly refreshes. You can withdraw consent at any time.

We do not sell personal data, do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising, and do not use advertising or analytics trackers.

3. Who receives it

• Service providers acting on our instructions: hosting and database provider, authentication system, payment processor, identity verification provider, email delivery provider, and DNS and network security services.
• Your counterparties: buyers who sign an NDA see the seller's confidential listing details; parties to a deal see each other's messages, offers and deal records. We show whether a user is identity-verified, not their documents.
• Data sources you connect receive requests from us made with the access you granted.
• Authorities and advisers where required by law, to protect rights and safety, or in connection with legal claims.
• A successor in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, subject to this policy.

4. International transfers

We are based in the United States and process data there and in other countries where our providers operate. For transfers from the EEA, UK or Switzerland we rely on the European Commission's standard contractual clauses (and the UK addendum) or another lawful transfer mechanism.

5. How long we keep it

• Account data: while your account is open, then up to 12 months unless needed for the items below.
• Deal, payment, identity-result and NDA records: 7 years after the deal or agreement, for legal, tax and evidence purposes.
• Data-source credentials: deleted immediately after retrieval, or when you stop monthly refreshes or the listing closes.
• Server logs and rate-limit counters: up to 90 days.

6. Security

We use encryption in transit, encryption of stored credentials with keys held separately from the database, row-level access controls, mandatory two-factor authentication for sensitive actions, an append-only audit log for staff actions, and strict browser security policies. No system is perfectly secure; we will notify you and the relevant authorities of a breach as the law requires.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or port your data, to object to or restrict processing, to withdraw consent, and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. California residents may also request disclosure of the categories of data collected and shared. Some records (such as completed deal and NDA records) may be retained where the law or legitimate evidence needs require it.

To exercise your rights, email privacy@shipdeed.com from the address on your account. We respond within 30 days (45 days where the law allows). EU and UK residents may complain to their data protection authority.

8. Cookies

Shipdeed uses only strictly necessary cookies to keep you signed in and to protect forms against forgery. We do not use advertising or analytics cookies, so we do not show a cookie banner.

9. Children

Shipdeed is not for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

10. Changes

We will post updates here and notify you of material changes by email before they take effect.