Privacy Policy

Who we are

Companimal ("we", "us") operates this UK dog marketplace. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. For any privacy question, contact us at privacy@companimal.co.uk.

The data we collect

• Account data — your name, email, and password when you register.
• Seller data — where you list dogs: your seller path, licence or charity details, and listing content you provide.
• Verification data — phone number and, for some sellers, identity-verification results processed by our verification partners.
• Enquiry & message data — messages you exchange with other users through the platform.
• Usage & analytics data — anonymous statistics about how the site is used, unless you object, and masked session recordings only if you allow them (see our Cookie Policy).
• Advertising data — if you accept advertising cookies, the pages you visit and key actions you take (such as signing up, sending an enquiry or submitting a listing), shared with Meta to measure our ads.
• Technical data — IP address, device and browser information needed to operate and secure the service.

How and why we use it

• To create and manage your account and listings (legal basis: performance of a contract).
• To connect buyers and sellers and deliver messages (performance of a contract).
• To verify sellers and protect the community from fraud and welfare harms (legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligations).
• To understand and improve how the marketplace is used through anonymous usage statistics (legitimate interests; the cookies rely on the statistical-purposes exemption in PECR, and you can object at any time).
• To diagnose usability problems with masked session recordings, and to link analytics to your account if you are signed in (consent).
• To measure and improve our advertising on Facebook and Instagram (consent, via advertising cookies).
• To send service and, where you have opted in, marketing communications (consent for marketing; you can withdraw at any time).

Analytics & cookies

We use PostHog (hosted in the EU) for anonymous usage statistics and error diagnostics, which run unless you object, and for masked session recordings (on-screen text and anything you type is hidden), which run only if you allow them. If you object, we stop setting analytics cookies and only keep an anonymous count of visits that stores nothing on your device. You can review the categories and change your choice at any time on our Cookie Policy page, or reopen the cookie banner .

Advertising measurement (Meta)

If you accept advertising cookies, we use the Meta Pixel on our website and Meta's Conversions API from our servers to measure which of our Facebook and Instagram ads bring people to Companimal, and to show our ads to people likely to find them useful. We share: the pages you visit; key actions (account created, enquiry sent, listing submitted, payment made, with the listing ID, breed and amount); your IP address and browser details; Meta's cookie identifiers; and a hashed (one-way coded) version of your account ID and of contact details you give us or enter in forms on the site (such as email address, phone number, name and location). We never share message or listing content.

Meta Platforms Ireland Limited is a joint controller with us for collecting and sending this data, and processes it further under its own Privacy Policy, which may involve transfers outside the UK. The legal basis is your consent, which you can withdraw at any time from our Cookie Policy page. Nothing is shared with Meta for advertising unless you accept.

Identity verification

Some sellers complete identity verification through our partner Stripe Identity. This process checks a photo of your government-issued ID against a selfie using facial-recognition technology. That facial check is biometric data — a special category of personal data under UK GDPR — and we only carry it out with your explicit consent, which you give before the check begins. Stripe processes the ID document and image on our behalf as a processor; we receive and keep only the outcome of the check (for example, verified / not verified, and the date), not the document image or the biometric template itself. You can decline, but some seller features may then be unavailable. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting privacy@companimal.co.uk; withdrawal does not affect verification already completed.

Sharing your data

We share data with the service providers that help us run the platform — for example payment processing, identity and charity verification, image moderation, email delivery, and hosting. We do not sell your personal data. Some providers may process data outside the UK; where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.

Social media publishing and YouTube API Services

How long we keep it

We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above, to meet legal and regulatory obligations, and to resolve disputes. As a guide:

• Account data — while your account is open, and deleted or anonymised within 12 months of closure, unless we must keep it longer by law.
• Listings and listing content — while the listing is live, then archived for up to 12 months for dispute resolution and safety, after which it is deleted or anonymised.
• Messages between users — for the life of the account and up to 12 months afterwards, to support dispute resolution and our safety obligations.
• Identity-verification outcomes — for the life of the account; the underlying ID image and biometric template are not retained by us (Stripe applies its own retention as processor).
• Payment and transaction records — for 6 years, to meet tax and accounting obligations.
• Marketing-consent records — for the life of the account and a short period after withdrawal, as proof of the consent position.

These periods are a starting point and will be confirmed in our data-retention schedule before launch.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to our use of your personal data, and the right to data portability. To exercise any of these, contact privacy@companimal.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the updated version here and revise the "last updated" date above.