Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

DirectoryForge collects minimal data required to provide a reliable directory and community platform. We collect information you provide directly, including your name, email address, profile preferences, and any listings or reviews you submit.

When you browse our directory, we collect standard non-identifying telemetry such as browser type, referral headers, and aggregate category search trends to improve directory ranking algorithms.

2. Authentication & Third-Party Logins

We support sign-in via email credentials and OAuth identity providers (including Google and GitHub). When you authenticate via an OAuth provider, we only receive your verified public profile details (email address and display name) permitted by your settings. We never receive or store your third-party account password.

3. Payment Processing via Stripe

Paid services, including 30-day Featured Placements and Pro Memberships, are processed directly by Stripe. DirectoryForge does not store or process your complete credit card numbers or sensitive banking data on our servers. Stripe retains billing details in accordance with standard PCI-DSS compliance regulations.

4. Public Directory Listings & User Submissions

When you submit a software tool, startup, or service for inclusion in DirectoryForge, the URL, product title, description, category, and metadata become public upon editorial quarantine approval. Do not submit confidential or trade-secret information in public listing descriptions.

5. Cookies & Local Storage

We use functional session cookies and local storage exclusively for authentication tokens, theme preferences (Warm Editorial vs Slate Pro), and bookmark synchronization. We do not sell your personal browsing habits to third-party data brokers.

6. Your Rights & Data Deletion

You have the full right to access, export, or permanently delete your DirectoryForge account and associated submissions at any time. To request complete account removal, contact our privacy team at our contact page.