Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Nearby Me ("Nearby Me", "we", "us", "our") operates a website that helps people discover and book local classes, activities and events, and helps local businesses ("providers") list their services and take bookings. This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal data when you use nearbyme.org.uk, whether you are a consumer browsing and booking activities or a provider running a business page.

We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy and are committed to handling it in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information we collect

From all users

• Account details: name, email address, phone number, and login credentials (or your Google account identifier if you sign in with Google).
• Search activity: locations, categories, dates and times you search for.
• Communications: messages you send us via the contact form or email, and any support correspondence.
• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, pages viewed, and approximate location, collected automatically via cookies and analytics.

From consumers making a booking

• Booking details: the class or event booked, date, time, number of attendees, and any notes you provide to the provider (for example accessibility needs).
• Payment information: processed directly by our payment processor, Stripe. We do not store your full card number, CVC or expiry date on our servers — see "Payments" below.

From providers (businesses)

• Business details: business name, address, category, description, photos, opening hours, and the classes or services you list.
• Contact and identity details: the name, email and phone number of the person managing the page, and, where you take bookings through us, the identity and bank account information Stripe requires to verify your business and pay you out (collected and held by Stripe, not by us — see "Payments").
• Booking and revenue data relating to the classes you run through Nearby Me.

3. How we use your information

We use personal data to:

• Operate the marketplace: show relevant activities to consumers, and provider pages to searchers.
• Process and manage bookings, payments, confirmations, reminders and cancellations.
• Verify provider identity and manage payouts through Stripe Connect.
• Respond to enquiries, support requests and complaints.
• Send service communications (booking confirmations, account notices) and, where you have opted in, marketing about activities near you.
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse and security incidents.
• Improve the site through aggregated, and where possible anonymised, analytics.
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including tax and accounting requirements around payments.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Contract — to create your account, process a booking, or provide the provider dashboard and payment features you sign up for.
• Legitimate interests — to keep the platform secure, improve our services, and carry out low-impact analytics, balanced against your rights.
• Consent — for optional marketing emails and non-essential cookies, which you can withdraw at any time.
• Legal obligation — for record-keeping required by tax, accounting or law enforcement requests.

5. Payments and Stripe

All payments on Nearby Me are processed by Stripe, Inc. and its affiliates. When you enter payment details to make a booking, or a provider connects a payout account to take bookings, that information is sent directly to Stripe and handled under Stripe's privacy policy. We receive limited information back from Stripe, such as confirmation that a payment succeeded, the last four digits of a card for your reference, and — for providers — payout status. We do not store full card numbers, CVC codes or bank account numbers on our own servers.

6. Who we share your information with

• The provider you book with (or the consumer who books you, if you are a provider) — limited to what is needed to fulfil the booking, such as name, contact details and any notes you add.
• Stripe — to process payments and, for providers, payouts and identity verification.
• Infrastructure and service providers who process data on our behalf under contract, including our database and hosting provider (Supabase), our hosting platform (Vercel), and our transactional email provider (Resend).
• Analytics providers used to understand aggregate site usage.
• Legal and regulatory authorities, where we are required to disclose data by law, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Nearby Me, our users, or others.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

7. International transfers

Some of the service providers listed above (including Stripe) may process data outside the UK and European Economic Area. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under UK GDPR, such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or the provider's own adequacy commitments, to ensure your data receives an equivalent level of protection.

8. Cookies

We use essential cookies to run the site (for example, to keep you signed in) and, with your consent, analytics cookies to understand how the site is used. See our Cookie Policy for full details and how to manage your preferences.

9. Data retention

We keep account and booking data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards to resolve disputes, meet accounting and tax obligations (typically up to 6 years for financial records), and enforce our agreements. When data is no longer needed for these purposes, we delete or anonymise it.

10. Data security

We use technical and organisational measures — including encryption in transit, access controls, and row-level security on our database — to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to industry standards and review our practices regularly.

11. Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

• Be informed about how your data is used (this policy).
• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of your data, subject to our legal and contractual retention needs.
• Restrict or object to certain processing, including direct marketing.
• Request a portable copy of data you provided to us.
• Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 14. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — ico.org.uk, or by phone on 0303 123 1113 — though we would appreciate the chance to resolve your concern directly first.

12. Children's privacy

Nearby Me is not directed at, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from, children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our service or the law. We will post any changes on this page and update the "Last updated" date above. Material changes will be highlighted where appropriate.

14. Contact us

For any questions about this policy or to exercise your data protection rights, contact us at: