Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 3, 2026

1. Data Controller

Bringes Technology SRL
VAT: RO45896025
Romania
Contact: privacy@openhardware.directory

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Romanian data protection laws.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Authentication Data

When you sign in using Google OAuth, we receive and store:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your profile picture URL

We do not receive or store your Google password. You may also use the Service anonymously, in which case we create a temporary anonymous session with no personal data.

2.2 User-Submitted Content

When you submit product suggestions, we store the submitted information along with your user identifier to attribute contributions.

2.3 Search & Usage Data

We collect search queries, search results interactions, and browsing patterns to improve the Service and provide relevant content. This data may be used for:

• Improving search quality and content relevance
• Creating and curating content for users
• Marketing purposes and promotional campaigns
• Displaying relevant advertisements and affiliate offers

2.4 User Feedback & Proposals

Product proposals, feedback, and suggestions you submit may be stored and used to improve the Service, create content, and for marketing purposes.

2.5 Analytics Data

With your consent, we use the following analytics services:

• Microsoft Clarity — records anonymized user interactions (clicks, scrolls, page visits) to help us improve the user experience. Clarity may use cookies. Data is processed by Microsoft. See Microsoft's Privacy Statement.
• Cloudflare Web Analytics — a privacy-first analytics service that does not use cookies, does not track individual users, and does not collect personal data. This service loads without requiring consent. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

2.6 Technical Data

Our hosting provider (Cloudflare) may automatically collect standard server logs including IP addresses, browser type, and access times for security and performance purposes.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data based on:

• Consent — for analytics cookies (Microsoft Clarity). You can withdraw consent at any time by clearing your cookies or using our cookie settings.
• Legitimate interest — for cookie-free analytics (Cloudflare Web Analytics), marketing, advertising, content improvement, and security measures.
• Contract performance — for providing the Service when you create an account or submit content.

4. Cookies

4.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Service to function and cannot be disabled:

• Session cookies — to maintain your authentication state
• Cookie consent — to remember your cookie preferences
• Theme preference — to remember your light/dark mode choice

4.2 Analytics Cookies

These cookies are only set with your explicit consent:

• Microsoft Clarity cookies — used to understand how visitors interact with the website

5. Advertising & Affiliate Marketing

The Service may display advertisements and affiliate links. When you click on affiliate links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

We may use aggregated and anonymized data from search queries, user interactions, and browsing patterns to display relevant advertisements and affiliate offers on our platform. We do not share your personal data with advertisers without your explicit consent.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

• Google — for authentication (OAuth)
• Microsoft — for analytics (Clarity), only with your consent
• Cloudflare — for hosting, CDN, and privacy-first analytics

7. Data Retention

• Account data — retained as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
• Anonymous sessions — temporary and automatically expire.
• Analytics data — retained according to the respective analytics provider's policies.

8. Your Rights (GDPR)

As a data subject under GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification — request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure — request deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Restriction — request limited processing of your data
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw consent — withdraw previously given consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@openhardware.directory. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), secure authentication protocols, and regular security reviews.

10. International Transfers

Your data may be processed by our service providers (Google, Microsoft, Cloudflare) in countries outside the European Economic Area. These transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us for deletion.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact & Complaints

For privacy-related inquiries: privacy@openhardware.directory

If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Romanian National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP) at www.dataprotection.ro.