Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Global Ship Broker ("we", "our", "the Platform") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights over it.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

Account information

• Name, email address, phone number
• Company name and country of registration
• Account type (ship owner, cargo owner, broker)
• Password (stored as a one-way bcrypt hash — never readable)

KYC / identity documents

• Government-issued ID or passport
• Company registration documents where applicable
• Documents are access-controlled and available only to authorised reviewers

Listing and transaction data

• Vessel details, cargo specifications, pricing
• Offer and transaction history
• Messages exchanged via the Platform's messaging system

Usage data

• Pages visited, features used, search queries
• IP address and browser/device information
• Timestamps of key actions

3. How We Use Your Information

• To operate and provide the Platform's core functionality
• To support identity review, platform risk controls, and applicable legal requests
• To process transactions and calculate commissions
• To send transactional emails (verification, password reset, deal notifications)
• To improve matching algorithms and platform quality
• To prevent fraud and ensure platform security
• To support compliance with applicable maritime, financial, and data protection requirements where they apply to the Platform

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases: performance of a contract (operating your account and transactions), legal obligation where applicable, legitimate interests (platform security, fraud prevention, risk review), and consent (marketing communications, where separately obtained).

5. Data Sharing

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

• Other users — limited profile and listing information necessary to conduct transactions
• Payment processors — Stripe and other regulated processors for transaction handling
• KYC verification providers — where applicable for identity verification
• Infrastructure providers — cloud hosting, database, and monitoring services (under data processing agreements)
• Regulatory authorities — when required by applicable law

6. Data Retention

We retain account information for the duration of your account and for a minimum of 7 years after account closure to comply with financial record-keeping obligations. KYC documents are retained for platform risk review and any applicable legal retention requirements. You may request deletion of non-regulatory data by contacting us.

7. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including TLS encryption in transit, access-controlled document endpoints, bcrypt password hashing, JWT authentication with expiry, and rate limiting on authentication endpoints. No system is completely secure; please notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

8. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate personal data
• Request erasure of personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Object to or restrict processing
• Data portability (receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format)
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise these rights, contact info@globalshipbroker.com.

9. Cookies

The Platform uses session cookies for authentication and local storage for application state. We do not use third-party tracking cookies. You can clear stored data by signing out or clearing your browser storage.

10. International Transfers

Your data may be processed in countries outside your own. We ensure that any international transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards in accordance with applicable data protection law.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. Material changes will be communicated by email or a prominent notice on the Platform. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact

For privacy enquiries or to exercise your rights: info@globalshipbroker.com