Privacy Policy

Scope and accountability

This policy applies to DowntownDirectories.com and personal information under its control. Downtown Directories is an independent commercial network of city-based professional-service platforms. It is not a medical, dental, legal, accounting or other professional practice.

Individual city platforms may publish additional or separate privacy information. When you visit a participating city platform or an independent provider’s website, the privacy policy published on that website applies to information collected there.

DowntownDirectories.com has designated the holder of compliance@downtowndirectories.com to receive privacy questions, access or correction requests, and complaints.

Information we collect

Information you provide directly

If you email us, we may receive your name, email address, organization, city, professional category, message and any other information you choose to provide.

Please do not send medical or dental records, legal files, tax records, financial account information or other confidential professional-service information to DowntownDirectories.com. Contact the relevant participating provider directly for services, consultations and appointments.

Technical and security information

The website host and security systems may automatically record limited technical information such as IP address, browser and device information, requested page, referring page, date and time, and security events. This information is used to operate, secure and troubleshoot the website.

Google Analytics and cookies

With your permission, DowntownDirectories.com uses Google Analytics 4 to understand aggregate website use, including pages viewed, general referral source, device and browser characteristics, approximate geographic information and interactions with site content. We do not intentionally send names, email addresses, enquiry contents or partnership correspondence to Google Analytics.

Google Analytics uses first-party cookies, including cookies commonly named _ga and _ga_<measurement-id>, to distinguish browsers and sessions. Analytics cookies are not placed unless you select Allow analytics. If you decline, the site remains fully available.

A strictly necessary preference cookie named dd_analytics_consent records whether you allowed or declined analytics so the website can respect your selection. The preference is stored for up to one year. You may reopen the consent controls at any time using Cookie preferences in the footer.

Google advertising storage, advertising personalization and Google Signals are disabled by the theme’s analytics integration.

Google Search Console may be used to monitor the website’s presence in Google Search. Search Console verification does not itself install visitor-tracking code or require a website cookie.

How information is used

We use information only for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, including to:

• respond to general, city, partnership, correction and privacy enquiries;
• operate, protect and troubleshoot the website and network;
• understand aggregate site performance and improve content;
• administer participating-provider and exclusive-category relationships;
• maintain business, security and compliance records; and
• meet legal or regulatory obligations.

DowntownDirectories.com does not sell personal information.

Service providers and disclosure

Information may be processed by service providers that support website hosting, email, security, analytics and technical administration. Google processes analytics information under its own terms and privacy practices. Service providers may process information outside British Columbia or Canada, where it may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is processed.

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to obtain professional advice, protect the website or its users, investigate misuse, complete a business transaction, or comply with law, court order or lawful governmental request.

We do not disclose an enquiry to a participating provider unless you ask or authorize us to do so, the enquiry was clearly intended for that provider, or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Retention and security

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, legal requirements, dispute resolution and legitimate business records. Google Analytics data retention is managed through the applicable Google Analytics property settings.

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Access, correction, withdrawal and complaints

Subject to applicable law, you may request access to personal information about you under our control, ask that inaccurate information be corrected, withdraw consent to future analytics collection, or raise a concern about our privacy practices.

To make a request, email compliance@downtowndirectories.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding. If a concern is not resolved, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.

City platforms, participating providers and external websites

DowntownDirectories.com links to participating city platforms, independent providers and other external websites. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. DowntownDirectories.com is not responsible for the privacy, security or content of external websites.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the network, technology or legal obligations change. The date at the top of this page identifies the current version.