Data, Privacy & Ethics
Section Overview
This section explains how AI LocalRank handles data — what we collect, what we store, what we never store, and our ethical commitments.
What Data Is Used
Data Sources
AI LocalRank collects data from publicly available sources only — the same information that AI platforms themselves can access.
BUSINESS-PROVIDED INPUT
- Business name
- Location (city, region, country)
- Website URL (if provided)
- Business category (if provided)
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA
Google Business Profile (via Places API)
- Business details, hours, phone
- Review counts and ratings
- Location and category
Website Content (via HTTP fetch)
- HTML content (same as any crawler sees)
- Schema.org markup
- Meta tags
- Robots.txt
Knowledge Graphs (via public APIs)
- Wikidata entity lookup
- Wikipedia article presence
Directory Discovery (via search)
- Directory listing presence
- Citation references
Data Collection Principles
| Principle | Description |
|---|---|
| Public Only | We only access publicly available information |
| Same Access as AI | We see what AI platforms see |
| No Scraping Private Data | We do not access systems requiring authentication |
| Minimal Collection | We collect only what is necessary for diagnosis |
| Transparent Sources | We can attribute every data point to its source |
What Is Stored
Audit Data
When you run an audit, the following is stored:
AUDIT RECORD
- Audit ID (unique identifier)
- Timestamp (when audit was run)
- Business name and location (as provided)
- Audit status
EVIDENCE SNAPSHOT
- Collected evidence (normalized, point-in-time)
- Source attributions
- Collection timestamps
DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS
- Computed scores (D×E×A, platform-specific)
- Detected conflicts
- Diagnostic flags
- Recommendations
SNAPSHOT METADATA
- Engine version
- Contract version
- Audit configuration
Storage Purpose
| Data Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Audit Record | Link results to your account |
| Evidence Snapshot | Enable report viewing without re-collection |
| Diagnostic Results | Display your report |
| Snapshot Metadata | Enable historical comparison and versioning |
Retention
- Audit data is retained while your account is active
- Historical audits enable trend tracking
- You may request data deletion at any time
What Is Never Stored
Explicitly Excluded Data
AI LocalRank does not collect or store:
PERSONAL DATA
- Customer information from your business
- Employee personal details
- Individual user data from your website
- Contact lists or databases
AUTHENTICATION DATA
- Your Google account credentials
- Social media login information
- Website admin credentials
- API keys or access tokens (yours)
FINANCIAL DATA
- Revenue or financial information
- Pricing data beyond public listings
- Transaction records
- Payment information (handled by payment processor)
PRIVATE CONTENT
- Content behind logins
- Internal business documents
- Email content
- Private communications
COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
- Other businesses' audit data
- Cross-business comparisons
- Aggregate industry data from audits
Why We Exclude This Data
- Not needed — Public data is sufficient for AI visibility diagnosis
- Privacy — We respect the privacy of individuals
- Security — We minimize attack surface by not storing sensitive data
- Trust — Clear boundaries build confidence
Data Security
Third-Party Data Handling
When we access third-party APIs (Google Places, Wikidata, etc.):
- We use official APIs with proper authentication and API key management
- We comply with all API terms of service and usage policies
- We apply data minimization — we do not store more than necessary
- We implement intelligent rate limiting to respect provider limits
- We maintain audit trails for external data access
Your Data Rights
What You Can Do
| Right | How to Exercise |
|---|---|
| Access | View all your audits and data in your dashboard |
| Export | Download your audit reports |
| Delete | Request deletion of your audit data |
| Correct | Re-run audits with corrected input |
Data Portability
Your audit results belong to you. You can:
- Download reports
- Export recommendations
- Use findings with other tools or providers
Ethical Commitments
Our Principles
HONESTY
- We tell you what we can and cannot do
- We acknowledge our limitations
- We do not promise guaranteed outcomes
- We explain our methodology transparently
FAIRNESS
- Same methodology for all businesses
- No preferential treatment
- Objective, evidence-based analysis
- Clear classification of fix types
RESPECT
- Respect for user privacy
- Respect for AI platforms' systems
- No deceptive practices
- No manipulation of results
TRANSPARENCY
- Published documentation
- Clear explanation of what we do
- Disclosed limitations
- Source attribution for evidence
What We Do Not Do
| We Do Not | Why |
|---|---|
| Manipulate AI platforms | We diagnose, not game |
| Promise false outcomes | Honesty over sales |
| Access private data | Respect boundaries |
| Sell your data | Your data is not our product |
| Share competitive intelligence | Each user's data is theirs |
| Deceive about our capabilities | Clear about limitations |
AI Platform Respect
How We Interact with AI Platforms
AI LocalRank is designed to respect AI platform terms and norms:
| Aspect | Our Approach |
|---|---|
| API Usage | We use official APIs with proper credentials |
| Rate Limiting | We respect rate limits |
| Terms of Service | We comply with API terms |
| No Adversarial Testing | We do not attempt to bypass protections |
| Projection, Not Interrogation | We project based on evidence, not by querying platforms about specific businesses |
Philosophy
We believe that:
- AI visibility should be earned through legitimate presence
- Businesses should improve their actual digital footprint
- Gaming or manipulation is counterproductive
- Honest diagnosis leads to meaningful improvement
Responsible AI Considerations
Our Role in the AI Ecosystem
AI LocalRank operates within a larger AI ecosystem. We consider:
| Consideration | Our Response |
|---|---|
| AI platforms have their own goals | We diagnose for users, not against platforms |
| Users may not understand AI | We explain clearly |
| AI visibility affects businesses | We take our role seriously |
| The ecosystem is evolving | We adapt responsibly |
Avoiding Harm
We design our system to:
- Help businesses improve legitimately
- Not enable deceptive practices
- Not disadvantage any party unfairly
- Maintain transparency about what we do
Contact & Concerns
If you have questions or concerns about:
- How your data is used
- Privacy practices
- Ethical considerations
- Data deletion requests
Please contact us through the support channels in your dashboard.