Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 30, 2026
Introduction
Best in Phoenix is a community-powered local business directory that helps residents and visitors discover, vote for, and review the best businesses in the Phoenix metropolitan area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our platform.
By using Best in Phoenix, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.
Information We Collect
When you use Best in Phoenix, we may collect information you provide directly, such as your name and email address when creating an account, submitting a business listing, claiming a business profile, or writing a review.
We automatically collect certain technical information when you visit our site, including your IP address, browser type, device information, and pages viewed. This helps us improve the platform and ensure security.
When you vote in polls or submit reviews, we collect the content of your submissions along with a voter identifier to prevent duplicate voting. When you create an account, we collect your registration details and track your engagement activity for the rewards program.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to operate and improve Best in Phoenix, including displaying business listings, processing votes, managing the rewards program, and verifying business claims.
Your email address may be used to communicate with you about your submissions, business claims, account activity, or important platform updates. We do not send unsolicited marketing emails.
We use aggregated, anonymized data to understand usage patterns and improve the platform experience for everyone.
Cookies and Tracking
Best in Phoenix uses essential cookies and browser storage to maintain your session and preferences. We also use Cloudflare Turnstile for CAPTCHA verification, which may set its own cookies.
We do not use third-party advertising trackers. Any analytics tools we use are configured to respect your privacy and do not track you across other websites.
Cookies and Storage Details
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognito auth tokens | Essential | Session | Authenticates signed-in users |
| Turnstile token | Essential | Session | CAPTCHA verification to prevent bot abuse |
| bip_favorites | Functional (localStorage) | Persistent | Stores your saved business favorites locally |
| bip_reactions | Functional (localStorage) | Persistent | Tracks your reactions to businesses locally |
| bip_nominations | Functional (localStorage) | Persistent | Tracks your nomination activity locally |
| bip_reviewer_info | Functional (localStorage) | Persistent | Remembers your name and email for review forms |
| _ga / _gid | Analytics | 2 years / 24 hours | Google Analytics for understanding site usage (if configured) |
Information Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
We may share information with service providers who help us operate the platform (such as hosting, email, and cloud storage services), but only to the extent necessary for them to provide their services.
We may disclose information if required by law or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Best in Phoenix, our users, or the public.
Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Specifically:
Account data is retained while your account is active and for 30 days after account deletion to allow for recovery.
Voting data is retained indefinitely in anonymized form (using voter identifiers that are not linked to personal information) to maintain poll integrity.
Review content is retained as long as the review remains published on the platform. Rejected or removed reviews are deleted within 90 days.
Analytics data is retained for up to 26 months before being automatically purged.
You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.
Data Security
We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction, including encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS), secure authentication via AWS Cognito, and access controls on our infrastructure.
While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
Children's Privacy
Best in Phoenix is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@bestinphoenix.com so we can promptly remove the information from our records.
Your Rights
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us at privacy@bestinphoenix.com.
If you have submitted a business listing or claim, you may request removal of your submission at any time.
You can opt out of non-essential communications by following the unsubscribe link in any email we send.
California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.
We do not sell personal information. We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months.
To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@bestinphoenix.com. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.
Your continued use of Best in Phoenix after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
BIP Rewards Program Data
If you participate in the BIP Rewards Program, we collect and process additional data as described below.
Data Collected
Points balance and transaction history (action type, timestamp, points earned or spent). Current level and level progression. Streak data (current streak length, last activity date). Badge unlock records and timestamps. Leaderboard ranking and display name.
Purpose
We use this data to operate the Rewards Program, calculate scores and levels, display your achievements, populate leaderboards, and detect and prevent fraud or abuse.
Retention
Rewards Program data is retained for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your rewards data (including points, levels, badges, and streak history) will be deleted in accordance with the Data Retention section of this policy.
Sharing
Your leaderboard display name and ranking are publicly visible on the Site. Your point balance, detailed transaction history, and streak data are private and visible only to you and to Site administrators.
Giveaway & Sweepstakes Data
If you enter a Giveaway or sweepstakes on the Site, we collect and process additional data as described below.
Data Collected
Entry records, including points spent and entry timestamps. Winner status and prize fulfillment information. Shipping address (if a physical prize is awarded). IRS Form W-9 information (if prize value is $600 or more).
Purpose
We use this data to administer Giveaways, select winners, fulfill prizes, and comply with applicable tax reporting requirements.
Retention
Giveaway entry records are retained for three (3) years for legal and tax compliance purposes. W-9 forms and 1099-MISC records are retained for seven (7) years in accordance with IRS record-keeping requirements.
Sharing
Winner names may be publicly announced on the Site and our social media channels. Tax documents (W-9 and 1099-MISC information) are shared with the IRS as required by law. For business-sponsored Giveaways, winner contact information (name and email or shipping address) may be shared with the Giveaway sponsor solely for the purpose of prize fulfillment.
Referral Program Data
If you participate in the BIP Rewards Referral Program, we collect and process additional data as described below.
Data Collected
Referral link usage and click data. Referred user identifiers (linked to the referrer's account). Referral credit timestamps and point awards.
Purpose
We use this data to credit referral points to the referring user and to detect and prevent fraudulent referral activity.
Sharing
Referral relationships are not publicly displayed. Referred users are not informed of who referred them. Referral data is visible only to you and to Site administrators.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at privacy@bestinphoenix.com.