Privacy Policy

1. Who we are #

Growth-Hackers.com ("Growth-Hackers," "we," "us," or "our") operates the website at growth-hackers.com and the related community, directory, playbook, and newsletter services (together, the "Services"). We are the professional home for growth marketers — a directory, community, and playbook library where practitioners build reputation and get discovered, and where brands, founders, agencies, and tool vendors find proven tactics and the people behind them.

For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR, the data controller is:

Learn more about our mission and team on our About page.

2. What this policy covers #

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data we process when you:

• visit growth-hackers.com or any of our web pages;
• create or claim a profile, submit a growth hack, vote, or comment;
• subscribe to our newsletter or download a resource;
• purchase or trial a paid product (Playbook Vault, Directory placement, or sponsorship);
• contact us, or otherwise interact with the Services.

This policy does not cover third-party websites, tools, or services that link to or integrate with us — those are governed by their own privacy policies (see "Third-party sites and integrations"). Your use of the Services is also subject to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.

3. Information we collect #

We collect information in three ways: what you give us, what we collect automatically, and what we receive from third parties.

3.1 Information you give us

• Account information: name, email address, password (stored hashed), and, if you sign in via a third party, the basic profile data that provider shares.
• Profile information: the details you choose to publish — headline, bio, avatar, skills, company/employer, location, links, and "Hire Me" contact preferences.
• Content you submit: growth hacks, case studies, results and metrics, evidence you upload to support verification, comments, votes, and any files or text you post.
• Payment information: if you buy a paid product, billing details are processed by our payment processor ([PAYMENT PROCESSOR, e.g. Stripe]). We do not store full card numbers on our servers.
• Communications: messages you send us (support, sales, feedback) and your survey responses.
• Demand-side / buyer information: for founders, agencies, and vendors — company name, role, use case, and, for sponsorships, media-kit and billing details.

3.2 Information we collect automatically

• Usage data: pages viewed, features used, hacks opened, profiles viewed, votes cast, search queries, referral source, and clickstream within the Services.
• Device and technical data: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and language.
• Cookies and similar technologies: see "Cookies and tracking technologies."
• Newsletter engagement: opens and clicks (used to measure engagement and improve content, and to demonstrate aggregate, anonymized reach to sponsors — never your individual identity).

3.3 Information from third parties

• OAuth / social sign-in: if you sign in with [e.g. Google, LinkedIn, GitHub], we receive the basic profile data you authorize.
• Analytics and enrichment providers: limited data used to understand aggregate usage.
• Public sources: where relevant to verifying claimed results or employer, we may reference publicly available information (always subject to our verification process — see Verification).

4. How we use your information #

We use personal data to:

• Provide the Services — create and run your profile, publish your hacks, tally votes, and calculate leaderboard rank;
• Power discovery and reputation — surface verified results in the Directory, Feed, and Leaderboard, and enable buyers to find and contact you when you choose to be discoverable;
• Verify results — operate the verification process that keeps rankings honest (receipts over rhetoric);
• Send leads and notifications — deliver "Hire Me" inquiries, comment replies, rank changes, and other activity you've opted into;
• Operate paid products — process subscriptions, directory placements, and sponsorships, and provide attribution reporting to advertisers on an aggregate, anonymized basis;
• Communicate with you — service messages, security alerts, and (with your consent where required) marketing and the newsletter;
• Improve and secure the platform — analytics, debugging, fraud prevention, and enforcement of our Terms and Community Guidelines, including anti-gaming and anti-pay-to-win measures;
• Comply with law — meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.

5. Your public profile and content (reputation, in the open) #

Building reputation in the open is the core of what we do — so it's important you understand what becomes public.

Confidential results: if your results are sensitive, you can share ranges, redact specifics, or verify privately with our team while still displaying a verified badge publicly. See Verification for how this works.

Your control: you can edit, unpublish, or delete your profile and content at any time. Note that removing content from the live Services does not always remove it instantly from search-engine caches or from copies others may have shared; we will act on deletion requests as described in "Your rights."

6. Legal bases for processing (GDPR) #

Where GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

• Contract: to provide the Services you signed up for (running your account, profile, and paid products).
• Legitimate interests: to operate, secure, and improve the platform, prevent fraud and gaming, and enable discovery — balanced against your rights.
• Consent: for optional marketing communications and non-essential cookies (you can withdraw consent at any time).
• Legal obligation: to comply with applicable laws, including tax and accounting.

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or withdraw consent at any time — see "Your rights and choices."

7. How we share information #

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as described below.

7.1 Service providers (sub-processors)

We use trusted third parties to run the Services. They may process personal data only on our instructions and under contract. Current categories include:

A current list of sub-processors is available on request at [privacy email].

7.2 Buyers, hiring, and directory contacts

When you make yourself discoverable (for example, by enabling the "Hire Me" CTA or appearing in the Directory), founders, agencies, and other buyers can view your public profile and contact you through the channels you've chosen to expose. You control whether and how you are contactable. We share your contact details with a buyer only to the extent you've made them available.

7.3 Legal and safety

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or valid legal request, or where necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of Growth-Hackers.com, our members, or the public — including to enforce our Terms and Community Guidelines and to investigate gaming, fraud, or abuse.

7.4 Business transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you and honor the commitments in this policy, or notify you of any material changes.

8. Cookies and tracking technologies #

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, measure usage, and improve the Services. We group them as:

• Strictly necessary — required to run the site (authentication, security). Always on.
• Functional — remember your settings and preferences.
• Analytics — help us understand how the Services are used, in aggregate.
• Marketing — measure the performance of our own campaigns and content (used sparingly).

You can manage non-essential cookies at any time through Cookie Settings. Where required by law, we request consent before setting non-essential cookies. You can also control cookies via your browser settings.

For engagement reporting shown to sponsors, we use aggregate, anonymized data only — never your individual browsing identity.

9. Data retention #

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Account and profile data: for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove or anonymize your personal data within [e.g. 30-90 days], except where we must retain it for legal, tax, or fraud-prevention reasons.
• Public content: hacks, votes, and comments may remain if they've become part of community discussions, but we will disassociate them from your identity on request (subject to legal exceptions).
• Billing records: retained as required by law (typically [e.g. 6-7 years]).
• Usage logs: retained for a limited period [e.g. 12-24 months] for security and analytics, then deleted or anonymized.

10. How we protect your information #

We use technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk, including encryption in transit (TLS), hashed passwords, access controls, least-privilege permissions, monitoring, and regular review of our providers. No system is perfectly secure, but protecting your data is fundamental to our promise — trust is the whole product. If we ever become aware of a data breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

11. International data transfers #

We are based in [COUNTRY/REGION] and use service providers that may process data in other countries, including the United States. Where we transfer personal data from the EU/UK to countries without an adequacy decision, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and, where applicable, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum. You can request more information about these safeguards at [privacy email].

12. Your rights and choices #

You have meaningful control over your data. To exercise any right, email [privacy email] or use the in-app privacy controls in your account settings. We will respond within the timeframe required by law (generally 30 days).

12.1 Everyone

• Access and export your data (including a machine-readable export of your profile and content).
• Correct inaccurate information (or edit it directly in your profile).
• Delete your account and associated personal data.
• Manage communications — unsubscribe from marketing and the newsletter at any time.
• Manage cookies via Cookie Settings.

12.2 EU/UK (GDPR) rights

If you are in the EU or UK, you additionally have the right to: access, rectification, erasure ("right to be forgotten"), restriction of processing, data portability, and objection to processing (including to legitimate-interests processing and direct marketing). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority — though we'd appreciate the chance to resolve it directly first.

12.3 California (CCPA/CPRA) rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; to request deletion; to correct inaccurate information; to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (note: we do not sell your personal data); and to non-discrimination for exercising your rights. To exercise these rights, contact us at [privacy email]. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information beyond the purposes described here.

13. Third-party sites and integrations #

The Services may link to or integrate with third-party sites and tools (for example, tools referenced in a growth hack, OAuth sign-in providers, or sponsor links). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. When you leave our Services or connect an integration, that third party's privacy policy applies. Review their policies before sharing your data.

14. Children's privacy #

The Services are intended for professionals and are not directed to anyone under 18 (or under 16 in the EU/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal data, contact us at [privacy email] and we will delete it.

15. Marketing and communications #

We send two kinds of messages: (1) service messages you can't opt out of while you have an account (security alerts, essential account and billing notices, and activity you've enabled like "Hire Me" inquiries), and (2) marketing and newsletter messages that are optional. You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time via the link in each email or in your account settings. Where required by law, we only send marketing with your consent.

Our weekly newsletter delivers the best verified hacks; sponsors may fund it, but sponsors never receive your personal data — only aggregate, anonymized reach and engagement metrics.

16. Changes to this policy #

We may update this policy as the Services evolve or the law changes. When we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you by email or an in-app notice. Continued use of the Services after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy. Your continued use is also governed by our Terms of Service.

17. Contact us #

Questions, requests, or complaints about privacy? We'd genuinely like to hear from you.

For general support or sales, visit our Contact page.