Privacy Policy
Durham Connect collects your first and last name, optional preferred name, Durham home or workplace postal code when applicable, email address, private username, and password hash to operate your account. Passwords are never stored in readable form.
Business accounts
For business registration we also collect the business name, Durham location, phone number, business email, billing interval, review decision, and Stripe customer and subscription references. Card and bank details are collected and stored by Stripe, not Durham Connect.
Business enquiries and outcomes
When a visitor sends an enquiry from a business profile, Durham Connect stores the submitted contact details, subject, message, source, and submission date so the business can follow up. Authorized owners and managers may record the lead status, whether it became a new or returning customer, and estimated or actual value. These confirmed outcomes are used in that business’s private performance and ROI reporting.
When a business uses DC Booking, appointment status, service, scheduled time, source, and business-confirmed completed value may be synchronized into its private performance reporting. Customer name, email, phone number, and appointment notes are not included in this reporting synchronization.
QR codes, receipts, and shop-local points
Your permanent member QR code contains a random Durham Connect identifier, not your name, email, address, account number, or points balance. Businesses also receive a random permanent QR code. When either code is scanned, we record the business, scan method, pre-tax purchase value when provided, points, date, correction status, and automated review signals. If you choose to submit a receipt, its image and extracted text are used to confirm the business, purchase date and time, pre-tax subtotal, authenticity, and possible duplication. Receipt images and extracted text are deleted after 30 days; an open support case holds them until the case is resolved and then for no more than 30 additional days. Validation results and transaction records are retained for points integrity and reporting.
Saved offers and promotion redemptions
When you save a verified offer, Durham Connect creates a random QR credential and six-digit fallback tied to your account, the promotion, and the business. The code does not reveal your name or contact details to the business. When the business confirms it, we retain the confirmation method, date, eligible pre-tax purchase amount when requested, and whether DC Points were awarded. Residents see their own offer status; businesses receive redemption counts and purchase-value reporting without member identities.
Location sharing is optional. If enabled in your profile, your browser will still ask permission during a scan. Durham Connect stores only whether you were near the saved business location and the approximate distance—not your precise coordinates. Businesses do not receive your identity or profile information from a scan. Members can review their own points history; business owners receive aggregate return-on-investment reporting and their business transaction history without member identities.
Scanner personnel
Employees invited to use a business scanner do not need a Durham Connect membership. We retain the employee name and email supplied by the business owner, business authorization, passwordless sign-in and device-session records, and the transactions attributed to that scanner identity. Scanner personnel cannot access member identities, business reports, billing, settings, promotions, or other employees. Business owners can revoke scanner access at any time.
Security and activity
We retain authentication dates, security event results, privacy-protected network identifiers, device descriptions, and last activity so you can secure your account and administrators can report aggregate 30-, 60-, and 90-day activity. Inactivity does not change account status.
Messages
Administrators may use your account or postal code to select relevant Durham Connect messages. We store whether you read or archived a message so your inbox works across signed-in devices and administrators can see aggregate readership. Optional email delivery is off until you enable it in message preferences.
Personalization and browser notifications
When you follow a business or save an event, Durham Connect stores that choice with your account so we can build your My Local list and, when enabled, send relevant offers, new-event notices, saved-event reminders, and a weekly digest. These choices are private and are not shared with businesses. Browser notifications require separate permission on each device. For an enabled device, we store its encrypted browser push endpoint and notification keys; we do not use them for advertising by third parties. You can unfollow, remove saved events, change alert or digest preferences, and disable browser notifications at any time.
Eligibility and review
Postal codes are compared with a locally stored Durham Region eligibility list. Business registrations are reviewed by a Durham Connect administrator before account features are activated. Prize fulfillment may involve separate verification at the time a prize is claimed.
Your choices
You may update your profile, change optional location use, review active sessions, enable MFA, manage followed businesses, saved events, personalized alerts, digests, browser notifications and email delivery, or schedule personal-account deletion from your account dashboard. Contact Durham Connect for business subscription, access, correction, or deletion requests.
Contact
Durhamconnect.ca is owned and operated by Monster Media Lab Inc. Privacy questions and requests may be sent to info@durhamconnect.ca or mailed to Monster Media Lab Inc., 4 - 1550 Kingston Rd, Suite 230.