Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 1, 2026

1. Data Controller

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR / RGPD), the Data Controller is the individual operator of The AV Index. While we operate as an independent research project, we maintain the highest standards of data protection. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, you can contact us directly at privacy@theavindex.com.

2. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contractual Necessity: To provide the core services you signed up for (e.g., maintaining your account and rankings).
• Consent: For optional analytical cookies and newsletters, which you can withdraw at any time.
• Legitimate Interests: To protect our platform from fraud and improve system performance.

3. Information We Collect

We believe in strict data minimization. We only collect the following personal information:

• Email Address: Used strictly for account identification, transactional emails, and password resets.
• Name: Used to personalize your experience.
• Authentication Credentials: Passwords are cryptographically hashed. If you use Google OAuth, we only receive a secure token and public profile data.

4. How We Use Your Information

Your personal data is used exclusively to:

• Create and maintain your account.
• Track your usage limits and service access.
• Save your personal bookmarks and industry insights.
• Send system notifications (which you can opt out of).

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data with third parties.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the services. If you delete your account, your personal data is purged from our active databases immediately. Backups may persist for up to 30 days but are inaccessible for regular processing.

6. Third-Party Processors

We use trusted partners that are vetted for GDPR compliance to handle specific technical tasks:

• Neon & Supabase: Secure database hosting.
• Render & Vercel: Secure application hosting and delivery.
• Resend: Transactional and newsletter email delivery.

7. Use of Cookies

We use necessary session cookies for authentication. Non-essential analytical cookies are only used if you explicitly click "Accept All" on our consent banner. You can manage your preferences at any time.

8. Your Data Rights

Under the GDPR / RGPD, you have the following rights:

• The Right to Access: View and export your data from your Dashboard.
• The Right to Erasure: Delete your account instantly in Settings → Danger Zone.
• The Right to Rectification: Update your profile information at any time.
• The Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a Data Protection Authority (e.g., CNIL in France, AEPD in Spain) if you believe we are not handling your data correctly.

9. Changes to This Policy

Material changes to this policy will be notified via email or a prominent notice on our platform.