Franchising.com Privacy Policy

Scope and Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how Franchise Update Media ("Franchise Update Media," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information and personal data (collectively, "Personal Data") when you use Franchising.com, create an account, subscribe to our communications, submit a form, respond to a survey, enter a promotion, apply for a job, or otherwise communicate with us in connection with Franchising.com (collectively, the "Services"). It does not apply to a third-party website or service that has its own privacy policy.

For purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("EU GDPR") and UK data protection law, the data controller is Franchise Update Media, 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300A, Washington, DC 20005 USA. This Policy is a notice of our practices; it is not a contract, and using the Services does not by itself constitute consent to processing for which consent is legally required.

Information We Collect

The Personal Data we collect depends on how you interact with the Services and may include:

• Identifiers and contact information: name, username, postal address, email address, telephone number, account identifiers, and online identifiers such as IP address and cookie identifiers.
• Account and profile information: login credentials, preferences, interests, biography, profile photo, and other information you add to your account.
• Commercial and inquiry information: franchise interests, information requests, subscriptions, event or promotion entries, transaction records, and communications with us or participating businesses.
• Internet, device, and usage information: browser and device type, operating system, referring and exit pages, pages viewed, links clicked, approximate location derived from IP address, timestamps, advertising interactions, and similar activity data.
• Inferences: preferences or interests inferred from information you provide and your interaction with our Services and advertising.
• User content: comments, photos, messages, and other material you choose to submit or make public.
• Employment information: resume, work history, education, references, and other information submitted with a job application.

We collect this information directly from you; automatically from your browser or device; from cookies, pixels, local storage, and similar technologies; and from service providers, advertising and analytics partners, social networks, publicly available sources, participating franchise businesses, and data providers. If you provide Personal Data about another person, you must have authority to do so and, where required, provide that person with this Policy.

Some information is required to provide a requested service or fulfill a contract. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to create your account, respond to an inquiry, process a transaction, or provide the requested service.

How We Use Personal Data

We may use Personal Data to:

• provide, maintain, personalize, and improve the Services;
• create and administer accounts, authenticate users, and provide customer support;
• process franchise information requests, subscriptions, transactions, surveys, contests, promotions, and job applications;
• send transactional, security, service, and administrative communications;
• send marketing communications where permitted by law and honor communication preferences;
• measure audiences and engagement, analyze performance, troubleshoot problems, and improve usability;
• select, deliver, measure, and limit the frequency of contextual or interest-based advertising;
• detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, spam, abuse, security incidents, and illegal activity;
• establish, exercise, or defend legal claims and comply with legal obligations; and
• carry out another purpose disclosed when the information is collected, with consent where required.

Legal Bases for Processing in the EEA and UK

Where the EU GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we process Personal Data under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Contract: processing necessary to provide a service you request or take steps at your request before entering a contract.
• Consent: for optional cookies and similar technologies, certain marketing, and other processing where we specifically ask for consent. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting processing already performed.
• Legitimate interests: operating, securing, analyzing, and improving the Services; responding to inquiries; preventing fraud; and marketing our services, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Legal obligation: complying with applicable law, lawful requests, recordkeeping duties, and regulatory requirements.
• Legal claims and vital interests: where necessary to protect a person, our rights, or the rights of others.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We and our providers use cookies, local storage, pixels, software development tools, and similar technologies. These technologies may process online identifiers, IP address, device and browser information, page URLs, referring pages, interactions, and approximate location. Cookies may be session cookies, which expire when you close your browser, or persistent cookies, which remain for a stated period or until deleted.

We group these technologies into the following categories:

• Strictly necessary: required for security, fraud prevention, network management, form submission, account access, and features you request.
• Functional: remember choices and provide enhanced features.
• Analytics or performance: measure traffic and interactions and help us improve the Services.
• Advertising or targeting: measure campaigns, build or use interest profiles, and deliver advertising on our Services or other sites.

Where consent is required, analytics, functional, and advertising technologies are disabled until you make a choice through our cookie banner or privacy controls. You may accept, reject, or adjust non-essential categories, and you may withdraw consent as easily as you gave it. Strictly necessary technologies cannot be disabled through our controls because they are required to provide the Services, but you may be able to block them through your browser, which can cause parts of the Services to stop working.

You may also delete or block cookies through your browser settings. Browser controls do not necessarily prevent server-side processing or every form of tracking. We recognize legally required browser-based opt-out preference signals as described in the U.S. State Privacy Rights section below.

Third-Party Services and Technologies

The providers we use may change as our Services evolve. Depending on the pages you visit and your privacy choices, we may use the following:

• Google Analytics 4: helps us understand traffic, engagement, device information, referrals, and how visitors use the Services. Google may receive information such as page URL, IP address, device and browser information, online identifiers, and event data. Where required, Google Analytics is activated only after analytics consent. Learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, review Google's Privacy Policy, or use the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
• Google Tag Manager: helps us deploy and manage website tags, including analytics and advertising tags. Tag Manager itself may process limited diagnostic and standard HTTP request-log data; the tags deployed through it may collect data as separately described in this Policy. Our consent configuration controls tags that require consent. See Google Tag Manager data privacy and security.
• Microsoft Clarity: provides aggregated usage analytics and, when enabled, session interaction information such as clicks, scrolling, and mouse movement. See the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
• Crazy Egg: provides heatmaps, session interaction analytics, and website usability measurement. See Crazy Egg's Privacy Policy.
• Plausible: provides website audience measurement and traffic analytics. See Plausible's Data Policy.
• Quantcast: provides audience measurement and advertising-related services. See Quantcast's Privacy Policy and privacy choices.
• LinkedIn: may provide advertising, campaign measurement, and conversion tracking. See LinkedIn's Privacy Policy.
• Feathr: may provide advertising, retargeting, and campaign measurement. See Feathr's Privacy Policy.
• Cloudflare Turnstile: helps protect forms and Services from spam, automated abuse, and malicious activity by evaluating technical browser and device signals. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

Third-party content, such as embedded video, social media features, or advertising, may allow the applicable provider to collect information when you load or interact with it. Your interaction with a third party is governed by that party's privacy terms.

How We Disclose Personal Data

We may disclose Personal Data to:

• Service providers and contractors that host data, operate the Services, provide analytics, security, communications, payment processing, customer support, fulfillment, and other services on our behalf.
• Participating franchise businesses and other partners when you ask for information, request to be contacted, enter a promotion, or otherwise direct us to disclose your information.
• Advertising, analytics, and social media partners as described in this Policy and subject to applicable consent and opt-out rights.
• Affiliates and entities involved in a corporate transaction such as a merger, financing, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal protections.
• Government authorities, courts, advisers, and other parties when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to lawful process, prevent harm or fraud, protect the Services, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We may disclose aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be linked to you. We maintain and use de-identified information in de-identified form and do not attempt to reidentify it except as permitted by law to test our de-identification processes.

If you post information in a public area of the Services, it can be viewed, copied, or used by others. Do not post information publicly that you want to keep private.

International Data Transfers

We operate in the United States, and Personal Data may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in the United States or another country where we or our providers operate. Those countries may have privacy laws that differ from the laws where you live. When required for transfers from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, we use an approved transfer mechanism, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or Agreement, an applicable adequacy decision, or another lawful safeguard. You may contact us to request information about the safeguard relevant to your Personal Data.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and subject to legal exceptions, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a portable copy of your Personal Data; object to or restrict certain processing; withdraw consent; and object to certain direct marketing or profiling. You may unsubscribe from marketing email through the link in the message, manage subscriptions through your account or our Subscription Management page, or contact us. Transactional and security messages may continue while you maintain an account or use a requested service.

To exercise a privacy right, email [email protected] with the subject "Privacy Rights Request" and describe your request and your state or country of residence. We may need to verify your identity using information reasonably related to the request. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law, but we may request proof of authorization and verification of your identity. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

If you are in the EEA or UK, you may lodge a complaint with the data protection authority where you live or work or where you believe a violation occurred. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern.

U.S. State Privacy Rights

Residents of U.S. states with applicable comprehensive privacy laws may have some or all of the rights described above, plus the right to opt out of the sale of Personal Data, targeted advertising, or certain profiling; receive a list of specific third parties to which Personal Data was disclosed where required; and appeal a refusal to act on a request. You will not be discriminated against for exercising an applicable privacy right.

For purposes of these laws, we do not sell Personal Data for money. We may disclose identifiers and internet or device activity to advertising and analytics partners for interest-based advertising and campaign measurement. Some laws may define this activity as a "sale," "sharing," or processing for "targeted advertising." You may opt out using our cookie or privacy controls, by sending an opt-out request to [email protected], or through a legally recognized opt-out preference signal such as Global Privacy Control ("GPC"). Where required, we process a valid GPC signal as a request to opt out for the browser or device sending the signal. We do not use or disclose sensitive Personal Data for purposes that require a separate right to limit under California law.

Additional Information for California Residents

During the preceding 12 months, we may have collected the categories described in Information We Collect: identifiers and contact information; customer records; commercial and inquiry information; internet or other electronic network activity; approximate geolocation; professional or employment information; user content; and inferences. We collect these categories from the sources described above and use them for the business and commercial purposes described in How We Use Personal Data. We may disclose these categories to the recipients described in How We Disclose Personal Data. We may have sold or shared, as those terms are defined by California law, identifiers and internet or network activity with advertising or analytics partners for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not knowingly sell or share the Personal Data of consumers under 16 years of age.

California residents may request to know the categories and specific pieces of Personal Data we collected, request correction or deletion, obtain information about categories of sources and recipients, opt out of sale or sharing, and limit certain uses of sensitive Personal Data where applicable. California's "Shine the Light" law may also permit residents to request information about certain disclosures for third parties' own direct marketing. Submit these requests using the methods in Your Privacy Rights.

If we deny a request and your state gives you a right to appeal, reply to our decision or email [email protected] with the subject "Privacy Request Appeal." We will provide instructions for contacting the appropriate regulator if an appeal is denied where required by law.

Do Not Track

Some browsers transmit a "Do Not Track" signal, but there is no uniform industry standard for interpreting it. We respond to legally recognized opt-out preference signals such as GPC as described above. Our response to other Do Not Track signals may vary unless applicable law requires otherwise.

Data Retention

We retain Personal Data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to provide the Services, maintain business and transaction records, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and protect against fraud and abuse. As a general policy, inactive user accounts, email subscriptions, and business inquiries are scheduled for deletion or de-identification after 730 days of inactivity. Different periods may apply to security logs, consent records, transaction records, backups, legal holds, and information that must be retained by law. We consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the information, the purposes for which it is used, and applicable legal requirements when setting retention periods.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect Personal Data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, disclosure, or access. No transmission or storage system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account or interaction with us is no longer secure, contact [email protected].

Children's Privacy

The Services are intended for a general adult audience and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children under 13 or knowingly sell or share the Personal Data of consumers under 16. If you believe a child has provided Personal Data to us, contact us so we can investigate and delete it as appropriate.

Sensitive Personal Data

Please do not submit Social Security numbers, government identification numbers, financial account credentials, precise geolocation, biometric or genetic information, health information, information revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, union membership, or other sensitive Personal Data unless we specifically request it and provide an appropriate notice. If sensitive Personal Data is required, we will process it only as permitted by applicable law and obtain consent where required.

Links and Third-Party Services

The Services may link to websites and services we do not control. We are not responsible for their privacy or security practices. Review the privacy notice of a third party before providing information to it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. We will post the revised Policy with a new effective date and provide additional notice when required by law. If we want to use previously collected Personal Data for a materially different purpose, we will provide notice and obtain consent where required before doing so.

Contact Us

For privacy questions or requests, email [email protected]. For security concerns, email [email protected].

Franchising.com | Franchise Update Media
1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300A
Washington, DC 20005
USA
(408) 402-5681