Last Updated: November 2025
At Ratelivo, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines what personal information we collect, how we use and safeguard it, and your rights regarding your data. We comply with applicable privacy laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring that your personal information is handled lawfully and transparently.
Information We Collect
We collect personal data that you provide to us directly, as well as some data automatically generated by your use of Ratelivo:
- Information You Provide: When you create a Ratelivo account, submit a review, or contact us, you may provide information such as your name or username, email address, and any content of your reviews or messages. If you choose to use a profile photo or share other optional profile details, those are collected as well.
- Anonymous Reviews: If you post a review without revealing your real name (e.g., using an alias or “Anonymous”), we still collect any data you provide (such as the review text and star rating) and may retain certain technical data to associate the review with your session or account. Keep in mind that even if your review is publicly anonymous, Ratelivo’s system may still log identifying information like IP address or a device ID for security and moderation purposes.
- Automatic Data (Usage and Device Info): We collect data about how you use our platform. This includes your IP address, browser type, device information, referring website, and browsing actions on Ratelivo. We use cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and gather aggregate analytics about site traffic (see our Cookies Policy for details).
- Third-Party Sources: If you log in via a third-party service (for example, using a social media account), or if a business invites you to review via our system, we may receive certain information such as your name or email from those parties. We only use this information for the purposes for which it was provided (e.g., creating your account or sending you an invite).
How We Use Your Information
Ratelivo uses the collected information to operate, improve, and protect our platform, as well as to communicate with users:
- Providing the Service: We use your data to create and manage your account, display your reviews (including associating them with your profile or as “Anonymous” if you chose), and enable features like voting on reviews or following businesses.
- Improving Our Platform: Usage data and feedback help us understand how users interact with Ratelivo. We analyze this data to fix technical issues, develop new features, and improve user experience. For example, tracking which features are most used can guide our platform updates.
- Moderation and Safety: We may process certain information (such as IP address or account history) to detect and prevent fraudulent reviews, spam, or other activities that violate our Terms. If a review is flagged by users or businesses, we will review the associated data and may reach out to the reviewer for verification. In some cases, we might ask you to provide proof of your experience to ensure the authenticity of a review.
- Communications: We use your email address to send important updates about your account or our policies, respond to your inquiries to Customer Service, and (if you’ve opted in) send newsletters or announcements about new features. You can unsubscribe from non-essential communications at any time.
- Legal Compliance: In certain cases, we may need to use or disclose your information to comply with legal obligations. For example, to respond to lawful requests by public authorities, or to enforce our Terms of Use (e.g., investigating misuse of the platform).
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Ratelivo uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience:
- Functional Cookies: These are essential for the site to work – for example, keeping you logged in or remembering your language and other preferences.
- Analytics Cookies: We use these to collect information about site traffic and user interactions (through tools like Google Analytics). This helps us understand usage patterns and improve our services. The data gathered is typically aggregated and does not directly identify individuals.
- Advertising Cookies: If we display advertisements or promotional content, cookies may be used to personalize ads to be more relevant to you and to measure their effectiveness. (At launch, Ratelivo has minimal third-party ads, but businesses may sponsor certain listings – see our Cookies Policy for updates as features evolve.)
You have control over cookies. When you first visit Ratelivo, you will see a cookie notice allowing you to accept or adjust your cookie settings. You can also disable or delete cookies anytime through your browser settings, though please note some parts of our site might not function properly without cookies. For more details, please read our full Cookies Policy (linked separately).
How We Share Information
We treat your personal information with care and do not sell your data to third parties. We only share information in the following circumstances:
- Service Providers: We employ trusted third-party companies to perform functions on our behalf – for example, cloud hosting, data analytics, email distribution, or payment processing for premium services. These providers have access to the personal data necessary to perform their tasks but are contractually obligated to protect it and use it only for our specified purposes.
- Public Content: Keep in mind that any reviews or comments you post on Ratelivo are public. Your reviews will be displayed on business profile pages and can be seen by other users and the reviewed business. If you post under a username or anonymously, that name (but not your email or other private info) will be shown.
- Legal Requirements and Protection: If required by law, or if we in good faith believe it’s necessary, we may disclose information to authorities or other parties. Examples include responding to court orders or subpoenas, addressing intellectual property claims (see our Copyright Policy), preventing fraud or other illegal activity, or protecting the rights, property, or safety of Ratelivo, our users, or the public.
- Business Transfers: In the event that Ratelivo undergoes a business transaction such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user information may be transferred as part of that deal. If such a change affects your personal data, we will notify you (for example, via email or a prominent notice on our site) and outline your choices.
Data Security and Retention
We take security seriously. Ratelivo implements industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access or disclosure. This includes encryption of data in transit, regular security assessments, and restricted access to databases storing user information. While no online service can guarantee complete security, we continuously work to update and improve our protections.
We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy. For example, we keep your account information and reviews for as long as you maintain an account (and potentially longer, if needed to comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes). If you delete your account or a review, we will remove those from public view and eventually from our active systems, though backup copies may persist for a limited duration. Anonymous reviews (if left without an account) are retained for moderation and audit purposes; if such a review is removed, any associated personal data will be deleted or anonymized in accordance with our retention policy.
Your Rights
You have rights regarding your personal information. Subject to applicable law (especially if you are in the EU or similar jurisdictions), you may:
- Access and Portability: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, and information on how we process it. We will provide this in a common format.
- Correction: Ask us to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information. You can also update some info directly (for instance, by editing your profile details in your account settings).
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data. For example, you may delete your reviews or account if you no longer wish to use Ratelivo. We will honor deletion requests and remove your data unless we are required to keep it for legal reasons.
- Objection or Restriction: Object to our processing of your data, or request that we restrict certain processing, if you believe we do not have a legitimate right to continue using it. For instance, you can opt out of marketing emails or object to any profiling activities.
- Withdraw Consent: If we rely on your consent for any specific processing (such as sending marketing newsletters), you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing done before your withdrawal.
To exercise your rights, please contact us via privacy@ratelivo.com. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.
Contact Us about Privacy
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how Ratelivo handles your data, feel free to reach out. You can contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) or Privacy Team at privacy@ratelivo.com. We will do our best to address your inquiry promptly. Additionally, if you believe we have not resolved your privacy concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (for EU users, this could be the Dutch Data Protection Authority, since Ratelivo’s headquarters is in the Netherlands).
By using Ratelivo, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We may update this policy from time to time (for example, if we introduce new features or regulations change). We will notify users of significant changes by posting a notice on our site or via email. This Privacy Policy is always accessible on our site for your reference.
