Privacy Policy.

At Brokergrade ("we", "our", "us"), your privacy matters. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our website and services. It also tells you about your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Brokergrade is the data controller for the purposes of UK data protection law.

We collect information you provide directly, such as your username, email address, password (encrypted), country, and profile bio when you register. We also collect information automatically, including your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs. We keep this data collection to the minimum needed to operate the platform safely.

We use your information to: create and manage your account; publish and moderate your reviews; personalise your experience and recommendations; respond to your enquiries and support requests; send administrative emails (password resets, account notifications); detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents; analyse usage trends to improve the platform; and comply with our legal obligations.

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases: (a) Contract — to provide you with the service you signed up for; (b) Legitimate interests — to keep the platform secure, prevent abuse, and improve our service; (c) Consent — for optional cookies and marketing communications; and (d) Legal obligation — to comply with applicable law. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before that point.

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences (such as language), and analyse site traffic. Essential cookies are required for the platform to function. You can control or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings, though some features may not work correctly if you do. We use a minimal cookie set — no third-party advertising trackers.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share limited data with trusted third parties who help us operate the platform — including hosting providers, email delivery services, and analytics tools. These providers act as data processors, are bound by confidentiality agreements, and may only use your data to perform services on our behalf. We may also disclose information where required by law or to protect our rights.

Reviews, ratings, your username, avatar, country, and any content you voluntarily post on the platform are public and visible to other users and visitors. Please do not include sensitive personal information (such as your full name, phone number, address, or financial details) in reviews or comments. Once published, reviews may be indexed by search engines.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including password hashing (bcrypt), encrypted connections (HTTPS/SSL), CSRF protection, and regular security audits. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to: access your personal data; correct inaccurate data; request erasure of your account and data ("right to be forgotten"); restrict processing; object to processing; data portability; and withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@brokergrade.co.uk. We will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, tax, or regulatory purposes.

Brokergrade is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than the UK, including jurisdictions that may not provide the same level of data protection as the UK. When we transfer data internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, and we take reasonable steps to ensure your information remains protected.

Our platform contains links to third-party websites, including broker websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make significant changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a prominent notice on the platform. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@brokergrade.co.uk, or write to us via our contact page. We will respond to your enquiry within 30 days.