Privacy Policy

Forge1 profiles are digital business cards designed to be viewed and shared.

Unless a specific privacy control states otherwise, information published on a Forge1 profile must be treated as public information.

Anyone with access to a profile link, NFC card, QR code or shared copy of the link may be able to:

• View the profile without signing in.
• Forward or share the profile with other people.
• Copy, download or save information from the profile.
• Take screenshots or create recordings.
• Add the profile owner’s contact information to a device or contact list.
• Post the link or profile information on another website or platform.
• Access the profile after receiving the link from someone else.
• Locate the profile through a search engine or future Platform directory, where enabled.

Forge1 cannot control what another person does with information after that information has been made public, copied, downloaded, saved or shared.

Profile owners are responsible for deciding what information they publish. Do not include information on a public profile that you do not want publicly available.

Profile owners should never publish highly sensitive information, including:

• 01Passwords or access codes.
• 02Social insurance numbers.
• 03Banking or credit card information.
• 04Government identification numbers.
• 05Private financial records.
• 06Medical information.
• 07Confidential customer information.
• 08Private residential addresses unless intentionally used as business contact information.
• 09Information belonging to another person without permission.

Deleting or changing a profile may prevent future access through the Platform. However, copies may remain in screenshots, downloads, third-party systems, search-engine caches, contact lists, backups or records created by other people. Forge1 cannot guarantee the deletion of copies outside our control.

The information we collect depends on how a person uses the Platform.

A. Account and Profile Information

When a customer or profile owner creates or manages an account, we may collect:

• 01Name.
• 02Business name.
• 03Job title or position.
• 04Email address.
• 05Telephone number.
• 06Business address.
• 07Profile photograph.
• 08Logo and brand materials.
• 09Website and social-media links.
• 10Biography or business description.
• 11Products, services, qualifications or areas of expertise.
• 12Team, organization or dealership information.
• 13Account login and authentication information.
• 14Subscription, billing and transaction information.
• 15Profile preferences and Platform settings.
• 16Any other information the profile owner chooses to upload or publish.

B. Lead and Contact Information

When a visitor submits a form, requests contact, saves a digital business card, enters a contest, requests information or otherwise interacts with a profile, we may collect:

• 01Name.
• 02Telephone number.
• 03Email address.
• 04Business or employer name.
• 05Job title.
• 06Message, inquiry or notes.
• 07Product or service interests.
• 08Communication preferences.
• 09Consent selections.
• 10The profile, card, campaign or organization connected to the submission.
• 11Date and time of the interaction.
• 12Referral or source information.
• 13Other information voluntarily entered into a form.

Depending on the features enabled, the Platform may also record technical information such as the device type, browser, IP address, approximate location, referring page or method used to access the profile.

Visitors should not submit sensitive information through a general lead form unless the form clearly requests that information for a legitimate purpose.

C. Usage and Technical Information

We may automatically collect information about how the Platform is accessed and used, including:

• 01IP address.
• 02Browser and device type.
• 03Operating system.
• 04Profile pages viewed.
• 05NFC taps, QR scans and link visits.
• 06Approximate geographic region.
• 07Date, time and duration of activity.
• 08Referring websites or campaigns.
• 09Buttons, links or features used.
• 10Error logs and diagnostic information.
• 11Security, fraud-prevention and authentication records.

D. Payment Information

Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers. Forge1 may receive transaction details such as payment status, subscription level, billing contact information and partial payment-method details.

Forge1 does not necessarily receive or store complete credit card numbers when payments are handled directly by a payment provider.

E. Information From Organizations and Other Sources

An employer, dealership, business, association, team administrator, reseller or other organization may create or manage profiles for its staff or representatives.

We may also receive information from:

• 01Platform integrations.
• 02Customer relationship management systems.
• 03Authorized administrators.
• 04Referral partners.
• 05Public business sources.
• 06Service providers.
• 07Users who invite or add another person to an organization.

The person or organization providing information to Forge1 is responsible for having the authority to provide it.

We may use information to:

• Create, operate and display digital business-card profiles.
• Provide NFC, QR code and profile-link functionality.
• Deliver submitted leads to the applicable profile owner or organization.
• Allow profile owners to organize, view, export and follow up with leads.
• Provide contact-management and customer relationship tools.
• Authenticate accounts and manage user access.
• Process subscriptions, payments and renewals.
• Provide customer support.
• Send service, security, billing and account notices.
• Personalize and improve the Platform.
• Measure profile visits, card taps, QR scans and campaign performance.
• Develop new features, products and services.
• Diagnose technical problems.
• Protect against fraud, abuse, spam and unauthorized access.
• Enforce our agreements and Platform rules.
• Meet legal, regulatory, tax, accounting and reporting obligations.
• Create aggregated or de-identified analytics that do not reasonably identify an individual.
• Carry out other purposes disclosed at the time information is collected.

We will not use personal information for a materially different purpose without providing appropriate notice and obtaining consent where required.

When a visitor submits information through a profile, that information may be delivered to and accessed by the applicable profile owner, business, dealership, employer, team or organization.

That recipient may use the information to respond to the inquiry, provide requested information, establish a business relationship or perform other purposes disclosed on the form.

Forge1 provides the technology used to collect and deliver the information. The profile owner or organization receiving the lead is responsible for:

• Using lead information lawfully.
• Clearly explaining why information is being requested.
• Obtaining any legally required consent.
• Protecting exported or downloaded information.
• Limiting access to authorized people.
• Responding to access or deletion requests where applicable.
• Following applicable privacy, consumer-protection and marketing laws.
• Obtaining consent before sending commercial electronic messages where required.
• Providing legally required identification and unsubscribe options.
• Not using the Platform for spam, harassment, fraud or unlawful solicitation.

Submission of a business card or lead form does not automatically authorize every possible form of marketing communication.

Forge1 is not responsible for independent communications, promises, representations or conduct of a profile owner or organization after lead information has been delivered to them.

Forge1 may introduce features that allow users to find and connect with colleagues, businesses, professionals, team members, referral partners or service providers.

These features may include:

• 01Searchable professional directories.
• 02Internal company or team directories.
• 03Suggested colleagues or connections.
• 04Referral networks.
• 05Business discovery tools.
• 06Professional matching.
• 07Shared contact or organization pages.

We may use account and profile information that a user has designated as public or directory-visible to provide these features.

Where appropriate, we will provide notice, visibility settings or opt-out controls before making information available through a new searchable directory. We will obtain additional consent where required by law.

Captured lead information will not be placed into a public colleague or professional directory without appropriate authorization.

We may use aggregated or de-identified Platform activity to improve searches, recommendations, matching and other future features.

Forge1 does not sell or rent account information or captured lead information to data brokers or unrelated third parties for their independent marketing purposes.

We may share information with service providers, profile owners, organizations, integration partners or other parties as described in this Privacy Policy. Such disclosures are not treated by Forge1 as a sale of personal information.

If our business model changes in a way that materially affects this commitment, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide any notice or consent required by applicable law.

We may disclose information in the following circumstances.

A. With Profile Owners and Organizations

Lead information submitted through a profile may be shared with the profile owner and the business, employer, dealership, team or organization connected to that profile.

Organization administrators may be able to access profiles, leads, activity and account information belonging to users within their organization.

B. With Service Providers

We may use third-party companies to help provide:

• 01Hosting and cloud storage.
• 02Database services.
• 03Email and text-message delivery.
• 04Payment processing.
• 05Analytics.
• 06Customer support.
• 07Authentication.
• 08Fraud detection.
• 09Security monitoring.
• 10Software development and technical infrastructure.

These providers may process information only as needed to provide services to Forge1, subject to their agreements and legal obligations.

C. With Integrations Chosen by Users

A profile owner or organization may connect the Platform to a CRM, email provider, messaging service, contact system, marketing platform or other third-party service.

Information transferred to a user-selected integration becomes subject to that third party’s privacy practices and the user’s agreement with that provider.

D. For Legal and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with a law, regulation, court order, subpoena or lawful government request.
• Protect the rights, property or safety of Forge1, our users or another person.
• Investigate fraud, abuse, security incidents or unlawful activity.
• Enforce our agreements.
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• Respond to an emergency involving a risk of harm.

E. Business Transactions

Information may be transferred as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, sale of assets, insolvency proceeding or other business transaction.

Any successor may continue to process information in accordance with this Privacy Policy unless users are notified of a change.

F. With Permission

We may disclose information when the applicable person or organization directs us or gives us permission to do so.

Information intentionally published on a profile is publicly available and may be collected or used by people and services that are not affiliated with Forge1.

Forge1 does not control:

• 01People who visit or share a public profile.
• 02Search engines.
• 03Social networks.
• 04Websites where a profile is reposted.
• 05Contact-management applications.
• 06Data copied, downloaded or exported from the Platform.
• 07Third-party services linked from a profile.
• 08Information retained by a profile owner after receiving a lead.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Forge1 is not responsible for the collection, copying, republication, misuse or disclosure of information by an independent third party after the information has been intentionally made public or transferred at the user’s direction.

We may use cookies, local storage, pixels and similar technologies to:

• 01Keep users signed in.
• 02Remember settings.
• 03Operate Platform features.
• 04Measure profile activity.
• 05Understand how the Platform is used.
• 06Prevent fraud and improve security.
• 07Diagnose performance issues.
• 08Support marketing and referral attribution.

Browser settings may allow users to block or delete certain cookies. Some Platform features may not work correctly when required cookies are disabled.

Forge1 uses reasonable administrative, technical and organizational measures designed to protect information against unauthorized access, use, alteration, loss or disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, authentication, encryption, logging, backups, monitoring and restrictions on employee or contractor access.

However, no website, application, database, wireless transmission, email, text message or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Users are responsible for:

• 01Protecting their passwords and login credentials.
• 02Using appropriate device security.
• 03Limiting administrator access.
• 04Signing out of shared devices.
• 05Keeping profile and account information accurate.
• 06Promptly notifying Forge1 of suspected unauthorized access.
• 07Protecting information after it has been exported or downloaded.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Forge1 does not guarantee that unauthorized access, interception, loss, misuse or disclosure will never occur.

Where required by law, Forge1 will investigate qualifying security incidents and provide required notifications.

Forge1 and its service providers may process or store information in Canada, the United States or other jurisdictions.

Information processed outside a person’s home province or country may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where it is processed, including lawful access by courts, law-enforcement agencies or government authorities.

We use service providers and contractual or organizational protections that we consider appropriate for the nature of the information and service involved.

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• 01Provide the Platform.
• 02Maintain an account or subscription.
• 03Deliver and manage leads.
• 04Complete transactions.
• 05Maintain business and tax records.
• 06Resolve disputes.
• 07Enforce agreements.
• 08Prevent fraud and abuse.
• 09Meet legal and regulatory obligations.
• 10Maintain backups and system integrity.

Retention periods may vary based on the type of information, the customer’s settings, contractual requirements and legal obligations.

Information may remain temporarily in backups after it is removed from active systems. Public information copied by other people may remain outside Forge1’s control.

Subject to applicable law, individuals may request:

• 01Access to personal information held by Forge1.
• 02Correction of inaccurate information.
• 03Withdrawal of consent for certain uses.
• 04Deletion of eligible information.
• 05Closure of an account.
• 06Unpublishing of a profile.
• 07Information about how personal information has been used or disclosed.

Some information may need to be retained for legal, security, billing, fraud-prevention or recordkeeping purposes.

A person who submitted information to a specific profile may also need to contact the profile owner or organization that received the submission. Forge1 may forward or redirect a request when that organization controls the relevant information.

We may need to verify identity before processing a privacy request.

Requests may be sent to:

Privacy Email

privacy@forge1.ca

Account holders may receive operational communications such as security alerts, billing notices, service changes and account-related messages. These communications may be necessary to provide the Platform.

Marketing communications from Forge1 will include an unsubscribe method where required.

Profile owners and organizations are independently responsible for ensuring their messages to leads comply with applicable consent, identification and unsubscribe requirements.

Unsubscribing from marketing messages does not necessarily stop essential service or transaction-related communications.

Profiles may contain links to websites, social networks, scheduling tools, payment platforms, CRMs or other services not operated by Forge1.

Forge1 is not responsible for the privacy, security, accuracy, availability or conduct of third-party services. Users should review the privacy policies and terms of those services before providing information.

The Platform is intended primarily for business and professional use. It is not designed for children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without appropriate authorization. A parent or guardian who believes a child has submitted personal information may contact us to request review or deletion.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy excludes responsibilities that cannot legally be excluded.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Forge1 is not responsible for losses, damages or claims arising from:

• Information a user voluntarily publishes on a public profile.
• A user publishing information belonging to another person without permission.
• Sharing of a profile link, QR code or NFC card.
• Screenshots, copies, downloads or republication by other people.
• Misuse of leads by a profile owner, organization or third party.
• Information exported to another system.
• A user-selected integration or third-party service.
• Inaccurate, outdated or misleading profile content.
• A user failing to secure their account or device.
• Communications sent independently by profile owners or organizations.
• Internet, wireless, hosting or telecommunications failures outside Forge1’s reasonable control.

Profile owners agree that they are responsible for the content they publish, the information they collect and their use of information received through the Platform.

Additional limitations, warranties, indemnities and dispute provisions may be contained in the Forge1 Terms of Service.

We may update this Privacy Policy as the Platform, our business practices or legal requirements change.

The updated version will be posted with a revised “Last Updated” date. Where required, we may provide additional notice through the Platform, by email or through an account notification.

Continued use of the Platform after an updated Privacy Policy takes effect constitutes acknowledgement of the updated policy, subject to any additional consent required by law.

Questions, concerns, complaints and privacy requests may be directed to:

Company

Forge 1 Innovations Inc.

Privacy Email

privacy@forge1.ca

We will review privacy inquiries and respond within a reasonable period, subject to applicable legal requirements.