Privacy Policy

1. What we collect

ChatSouq collects the following information when you use the service:

• • Search queries — the text you type into the search bar or chat, to generate recommendations.
• • Session data — anonymous session identifiers, device type, browser, and screen size, to improve the service.
• • Interaction data — which results you click on, ratings you submit, and how long you spend on results.
• • Location context — if you manually specify a neighbourhood or area, we store this as part of your query (no GPS data is collected).

2. What we do not collect

• • We do not require account registration to use ChatSouq.
• • We do not collect your name, email, or phone number unless you voluntarily submit the business onboarding form.
• • We do not track you across other websites.
• • We do not sell your data to third parties.

3. How we use your data

Your data is used exclusively to:

• • Generate accurate, relevant recommendations.
• • Improve the ranking model and search quality over time.
• • Understand which categories and queries are most popular.
• • Debug technical issues.

4. Data storage

All data is stored in a Postgres database hosted in the US East (AWS Neon). Session data is retained for 90 days. Aggregated analytics are retained indefinitely in anonymised form.

5. Cookies

ChatSouq uses browser localStorage (not cookies) to store your recent searches and session state. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to our servers unless you submit a search.

6. Third-party services

ChatSouq uses the following third-party services:

• • Anthropic Claude — to power the AI recommendation engine. Queries are sent to Anthropic's API. See Anthropic's Privacy Policy.
• • Vercel — for hosting. Vercel may log IP addresses per their standard infrastructure logging.

7. Your rights

You may request deletion of any data associated with your session by contacting us at privacy@chatsouq.com. We will action all requests within 14 days.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be noted at the top of this page with a revised date.

9. Contact

For any privacy-related questions: privacy@chatsouq.com