Privacy Policy

Information we collect

Depending on how you use Vessel Star, we may collect:

• Account information, including your name, email address, phone number, authentication details, and account roles.
• Profile and business information, including addresses, company details, qualifications, service categories, social links, and service-area selections.
• Listing information and media, including vessel details, prices, descriptions, photos, videos, YouTube links, and listing location.
• Marketplace activity, including saved boats, saved searches, inquiries, listing changes, publication history, and moderation records.
• Location information you choose to provide through search, listing, service-area, or browser geolocation features. Browser geolocation is requested only after you select the relevant control.
• Technical and usage information, such as device and browser data, request logs, approximate unique-visitor measurements, and security or abuse-prevention signals. We may transform network information into a one-way identifier rather than retain the raw value for analytics.
• Communications with us, including support requests, feedback, privacy requests, and responses to marketplace notifications.

How we use information

We use personal information to:

• Create, secure, and administer accounts.
• Publish and manage listings and professional profiles.
• Connect buyers with sellers and marine-service businesses.
• Provide search, saved-item, alert, location, and media features.
• Review listings and applications, enforce marketplace rules, and prevent fraud, spam, abuse, and unauthorized access.
• Send transactional messages such as verification codes, inquiry notices, listing updates, and security communications.
• Provide optional AI-assisted descriptions, pricing guidance, and service-area tools. Information submitted to an AI feature is processed to answer that request; do not submit unnecessary sensitive personal information.
• Operate, troubleshoot, improve, and measure the service.
• Comply with law and protect our users, rights, and systems.

When we disclose information

We may disclose information:

• Publicly, when you publish a listing or business profile. Public content may include the information and media you choose to post, an approximate listing location, and relevant seller or business contact details.
• To another user when needed to deliver an inquiry or complete a marketplace interaction.
• To service providers that host infrastructure, authenticate users, store media, deliver email, resolve locations, process AI requests, monitor security, or otherwise operate Vessel Star. These include Amazon Web Services and location or boundary-data providers used by features you request.
• To Google when you choose Continue with Google. Google authenticates you and returns basic profile information you authorize, such as your email address and name. Google's own terms and privacy policy govern its handling of information.
• When required by law, legal process, or a valid government request, or when reasonably necessary to protect people, property, rights, and service integrity.
• In connection with a proposed or completed financing, merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale, subject to appropriate confidentiality and lawful-use requirements.

We do not sell personal information.

Service providers and international processing

Vessel Star uses service providers in Canada, the United States, and potentially other jurisdictions. Our primary cloud infrastructure is currently hosted in the United States. Information processed outside your province or Canada may be subject to the laws and lawful-access requirements of that jurisdiction. We remain responsible for personal information under our control and use contractual, technical, and organizational measures appropriate to the service and information.

Browser storage and similar technologies

We use cookies, local storage, session storage, and similar browser technologies when needed for authentication, security, preferences, saved state, and core marketplace functionality. We do not currently use third-party behavioural advertising trackers. Your browser may let you block or remove stored data, but doing so can prevent sign-in and other features from working correctly.

Consent and communications

We obtain consent where required and may otherwise collect, use, or disclose information as permitted by law. You may withdraw consent, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice; this may limit our ability to provide certain features. Transactional and security messages are necessary for the service. Any commercial electronic messages will identify the sender and provide a working way to unsubscribe where required by Canada's anti-spam law.

Retention and deletion

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including providing the service, resolving disputes, enforcing agreements, preventing repeat abuse, maintaining audit records, and meeting legal obligations. Retention periods vary by record type. Deleting an account or listing may not immediately remove backups, legal records, security records, or information already shared with another user.

Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including access controls, private media storage, short-lived upload and display links, authentication controls, and encrypted network connections. No system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your privacy choices and rights

You may update certain information through your account. You may also ask to access personal information we hold about you, understand how it has been used or disclosed, correct inaccurate information, or request deletion where applicable. We may need to verify your identity and may retain or withhold information where permitted or required by law. You may challenge our compliance and may contact the appropriate Canadian privacy regulator if a concern is not resolved.

Children

Vessel Star is not directed to children under 13. Users must be old enough to consent to the handling of their personal information and, to list a vessel or enter a transaction, must have legal capacity to do so. Please contact us if you believe a child has provided personal information improperly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our service or legal obligations change. We will post the revised policy with a new effective date and provide additional notice when a change is material and notice is required.

Contact us

Direct privacy questions, access or correction requests, and complaints to the Vessel Star privacy contact at hello@vesselstar.com.