Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you submit a membership application or use the BCL member platform, we collect:

• Identity and contact information (name, phone number, email, designation);
• Business information (business name, category, products/services, address, website);
• Account credentials (your chosen password, stored only in hashed form — BCL never stores or can retrieve your plaintext password);
• Content you create on the platform (posts, comments, messages, referrals, event RSVPs, media uploads);
• Technical data such as IP address and device/browser information, collected automatically for security and fraud-prevention purposes.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate chapter membership, category-exclusivity enforcement, and the member directory;
• Facilitate referrals, direct messaging, events, and the chapter feed between members;
• Review and process membership applications;
• Maintain security, prevent fraud and abuse, and enforce our Terms of Use;
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities;
• Publish, with your business’s consent (via your directory listing setting), your business name, category, and publicly-facing details on the BCL website.

3. What We Never Make Public

Your phone number (your login Member ID and, unless you’ve set your own password, your authentication credential), your personal email, and your private activity (messages, referral history, connections) are never published on the public BCL website. Only members whose business has opted into directory visibility appear on the public site, and only business-facing fields (name, category, business name, products/services, city, and — if the member has added them — a public website or business email) are shown.

4. Direct Messages — Retention and Access

Direct messages between members are private to the sender and recipient. BCL does not provide any administrator, chapter admin, or staff member with a means to read the content of direct messages through the platform, under normal operation.

If you delete a message you sent, it is immediately hidden from the conversation for both participants. For compliance and legal-retention purposes, the underlying record is retained on our servers for up to 30 days after deletion before being permanently purged, and may only be accessed outside the normal platform (e.g. a direct database record) in response to a valid legal process or as required to comply with applicable law.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell member data. We may share information: (a) with other members, to the extent inherent in the platform’s function (directory listings, referrals, messaging, chapter feed); (b) with service providers who process data on our behalf (e.g. hosting) under confidentiality obligations; (c) when required by law, court order, or governmental request; or (d) to protect the rights, property, or safety of BCL, its members, or the public.

6. Data Retention

We retain member account and business information for as long as the membership is active, and for a reasonable period afterward for legal, tax, and dispute-resolution purposes. Audit logs of account and content actions are retained for accountability and security. Deleted direct messages follow the retention period described in Section 4.

7. Security

Passwords are stored using industry-standard one-way hashing and are never stored or logged in plaintext. We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect member information, but no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and BCL cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Choices

You may update your business’s public directory visibility, edit your profile and business information, and change your password at any time from within the member app. To request deletion of your account or data (subject to our legal retention obligations described above), contact BCL using the details below.

9. Children's Privacy

The Services are intended for business owners and professionals and are not directed to individuals under 18. BCL does not knowingly collect information from minors.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the “Last updated” date above. Continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

For privacy questions or data requests, contact BCL at support@businessconnectlucknow.com or 097936 66661, or in writing to FF 06, River View Arcade, CP 4/17, Sec 4, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226010.