{"id":1715,"date":"2025-12-16T19:52:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T19:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10190\/?page_id=1715"},"modified":"2026-02-04T02:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T02:21:24","slug":"privacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Privacy Policy<\/h1>\n<p><strong>Effective Date:<\/strong> December 16, 2026<\/p>\n<p>EthioSearch.com (&#8220;EthioSearch,&#8221; &#8220;we,&#8221; &#8220;our,&#8221; or &#8220;us&#8221;) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/\">https:\/\/ethiosearch.com<\/a><\/strong> (the \u201cWebsite\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>By accessing or using EthioSearch.com, you agree to this Privacy Policy.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Platform Overview<\/h2>\n<p>EthioSearch.com is an online business directory and community platform that enables users to create accounts, publish listings, interact with other users, submit reviews, make inquiries, and engage in related services offered through the Website.<\/p>\n<p>Personal data may be collected through user registration, listing submissions, bookings or inquiries, reviews, contact forms, and payment-related interactions.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Information We Collect<\/h2>\n<h3>a. Personal Information You Provide<\/h3>\n<p>Depending on how you interact with the Website, we may collect:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Name and username<\/li>\n<li>Email address and phone number<\/li>\n<li>Business name, address, category, and description<\/li>\n<li>Listing images, logos, and media uploads<\/li>\n<li>Booking or inquiry details<\/li>\n<li>Reviews, ratings, and comments<\/li>\n<li>Login credentials (stored securely in encrypted form)<\/li>\n<li>Billing information (processed by third-party payment providers)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>b. Automatically Collected Information<\/h3>\n<p>When you visit the Website, we may automatically collect:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IP address<\/li>\n<li>Browser type and device information<\/li>\n<li>Operating system<\/li>\n<li>Pages visited and time spent<\/li>\n<li>Referring URLs<\/li>\n<li>Cookie and session data<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>3. User Accounts &amp; Listings<\/h2>\n<p>When you register an account or submit a listing on EthioSearch.com:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Certain profile and listing information (such as business name, description, images, category, and location) may be publicly visible<\/li>\n<li>You control what information you choose to publish publicly through your account and listing settings<\/li>\n<li>Reviews, ratings, and comments submitted by users are publicly visible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>EthioSearch is not responsible for personal information you voluntarily choose to make public through listings, profiles, or reviews.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Bookings, Orders &amp; Payments<\/h2>\n<p>EthioSearch may allow bookings, paid listings, or service purchases.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Payments are processed securely through third-party providers (e.g., Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce gateways)<\/li>\n<li>EthioSearch does <strong>not<\/strong> store full credit card numbers<\/li>\n<li>Transaction records may be retained for accounting and legal purposes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>5. Cookies &amp; Tracking Technologies<\/h2>\n<p>EthioSearch.com uses cookies and similar technologies to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maintain user sessions and authentication<\/li>\n<li>Remember user preferences<\/li>\n<li>Analyze website traffic and usage patterns<\/li>\n<li>Improve performance, security, and user experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cookies may be set by EthioSearch.com or by trusted third-party services that support analytics, security, payments, or communications.<\/p>\n<p>You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may limit certain features or functionality of the Website.<\/p>\n<h2>6. How We Use Your Information<\/h2>\n<p>We use collected information to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Create and manage user accounts<\/li>\n<li>Publish and manage listings and directories<\/li>\n<li>Facilitate bookings, inquiries, and transactions<\/li>\n<li>Communicate service updates, confirmations, and support messages<\/li>\n<li>Improve website functionality and user experience<\/li>\n<li>Send newsletters and promotional emails (opt-out available)<\/li>\n<li>Enforce site policies and prevent abuse<\/li>\n<li>Meet legal and regulatory obligations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>7. Sharing of Information<\/h2>\n<p>We do <strong>not<\/strong> sell your personal information.<\/p>\n<p>We may share information with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Service providers<\/strong> (hosting, analytics, email, payment processing)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Listing interactions<\/strong> (when users contact listing owners)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal authorities<\/strong> when required by law<\/li>\n<li><strong>Business transfers<\/strong> in case of merger or acquisition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>8. Third-Party Services &amp; Integrations<\/h2>\n<p>EthioSearch.com may integrate third-party services including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Payment gateways<\/li>\n<li>Mapping services (e.g., Google Maps)<\/li>\n<li>Email marketing platforms<\/li>\n<li>Analytics tools<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We are not responsible for third-party privacy practices. Please review their policies separately.<\/p>\n<h2>9. Data Security<\/h2>\n<p>We implement industry-standard security measures including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>SSL encryption<\/li>\n<li>Secure hosting environments<\/li>\n<li>Restricted administrative access<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.<\/p>\n<h2>10. Data Retention<\/h2>\n<p>We retain personal data only as long as necessary to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Operate listings and user accounts<\/li>\n<li>Comply with legal and tax requirements<\/li>\n<li>Resolve disputes and enforce agreements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may request deletion of your account, subject to legal obligations.<\/p>\n<h2>11. Your Rights (Canada &amp; International Users)<\/h2>\n<p>You may have the right to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Access your personal data<\/li>\n<li>Correct inaccurate information<\/li>\n<li>Request deletion of your data<\/li>\n<li>Withdraw consent for marketing communications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Requests can be made using the contact details below.<\/p>\n<h2>12. Children\u2019s Privacy<\/h2>\n<p>EthioSearch.com is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.<\/p>\n<h2>13. Changes to This Policy<\/h2>\n<p>We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.<\/p>\n<h2>14. Contact Information<\/h2>\n<p>If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data:<\/p>\n<p><strong>EthioSearch<\/strong><br \/>\nEmail: support at ethiosearch.com<br \/>\nWebsite: <a href=\"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/\">https:\/\/ethiosearch.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Privacy Policy Effective Date: December 16, 2026 EthioSearch.com (&#8220;EthioSearch,&#8221; &#8220;we,&#8221; &#8220;our,&#8221; or &#8220;us&#8221;) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit https:\/\/ethiosearch.com (the \u201cWebsite\u201d). By accessing or using EthioSearch.com, you agree to this Privacy Policy. 1. Platform Overview EthioSearch.com is an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1715","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1715"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2407,"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1715\/revisions\/2407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ethiosearch.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}