Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Fredheim LLC (“Fredheim”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses, and protects personal data in connection with the Varde Index platform (the “Service”). Fredheim is the data controller for personal data processed through the Service.

1. Data we collect

Information you provide

• Registration & verification: full name, company, job title, corporate email, LinkedIn profile URL, country, maritime sector, professional affiliation, and — optionally — a photo of a business card or conference badge.
• Contributions: reviews, ratings, comments, questions, answers, endorsements, feature requests, and other content you submit.
• Company & commercial: claim requests, lead-form submissions, and billing details for paid features (processed by our payment provider; we do not store full card numbers).

Information collected automatically

• Usage data, log data, device and browser information, and approximate location.
• Cookies and similar technologies necessary to operate the Service and keep you signed in.

2. How we use data

• To verify identity and maintain the integrity of a verified, maritime-only network;
• To operate the Service, publish Contributions, and compute aggregated scores and indices;
• To send notifications and digests you have configured, and transactional emails;
• To moderate content, enforce our policies, prevent abuse, and comply with law;
• To process payments and provide paid features;
• To improve and secure the Service.

Legal bases (where applicable, e.g. under the GDPR) include performance of a contract, our legitimate interests in operating a trustworthy professional network, your consent (which you may withdraw), and compliance with legal obligations.

3. What is public vs. private

Your public professional profile may display your name, company, title, country, sector, experience, specialties, verification badge, reputation label, and contribution activity. Where you choose the “verified, name withheld” option, your name and company are withheld from public display, though your identity remains known to, and verifiable by, Fredheim.

We do not publicly display your email address, phone number, uploaded business card or conference badge, internal verification notes, or private lead submissions. Verification documents are stored in private, access-controlled storage and are visible only to you and authorized platform administrators.

4. Sharing & disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

• Service providers (e.g. cloud hosting, database, email delivery, and payment processing) acting on our instructions under appropriate safeguards;
• AI processing for generating review summaries and platform recommendations, using only content already submitted to the Service;
• Authorities or third parties where required by law, to enforce our Terms, or to protect rights, safety, and the integrity of the Service.

5. International transfers

Your data may be processed in countries other than your own. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) for such transfers.

6. Retention

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Published Contributions may remain available after account closure in de-identified or aggregated form; verification documents are deleted when no longer needed for verification.

7. Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to processing of your personal data, to data portability, and to withdraw consent. You can manage much of your data in-app and can exercise other rights by contacting us. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

8. Security

We use technical and organizational measures — including row-level access controls, private storage for sensitive uploads, encryption in transit, and audit logging of administrative actions — to protect personal data. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children

The Service is intended for professionals aged 18 and over and is not directed to children.

10. Changes

We may update this Policy. Material changes will be notified through the Service or by email, and the effective date above will be revised.

11. Contact

Data controller: Fredheim LLC — contact@vardeindex.com.