Privacy Policy
Last updated: 06 October 2026
This policy explains what personal data Adsquare ("we", "us", "our") collects when you use adsquare.uk (the "Platform" - the business directory and the classifieds/ads side alike), why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it.
1. Who we are
Adsquare is operated by Noviqent Ltd (company number 17232197), the
data controller for personal data processed through the Platform. We are registered with the
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration number ZC225920.
Contact: contact@adsquare.uk (email only - we do not accept postal contact).
2. What we collect
| Data | From | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email, phone | Registration / posting an ad | Account identification; phone and email are shown to other registered members who choose to reveal contact details on your ad |
| Password (hashed) or Google account ID | Registration / "Continue with Google" | Authentication |
| Ad details, description, price, location, photos | You, when posting an ad | Publishing your ad on the Platform |
| Business name, address, contact details, description | You, when adding or claiming a business profile | Publishing/operating a business directory profile; contact details are shown to any visitor who clicks "Reveal contact details" on the profile |
| Photo ID and company registration certificate | You, when claiming a business profile or requesting the Verified badge | Verifying you're entitled to act for the business before we approve the claim - stored privately, never published, and only seen by us for review |
| Business reviews you submit | You, via a business profile's review form | Publishing member reviews of a business, subject to moderation |
| Messages between members | In-platform messaging | Enabling communication about an ad |
| Reports you submit about an ad, business profile, review, or user | You, via the report feature | Trust & safety moderation |
| IP address, browser/device info, pages visited | Automatically, via cookies/logs | Security, fraud prevention, and (only with consent) analytics - see our cookie section below |
| IP address when you reveal a business's contact details | Automatically, when you click "Reveal contact details" on a business profile | Abuse prevention on that feature |
Some business profiles are published from publicly available Companies House data before that business has any account with us - see the business directory section of our terms for how this works and how a business can claim or correct its profile.
3. Our lawful basis for processing
- Contract - creating your account, publishing your ads or business profile, processing a business claim, and enabling messaging is necessary to provide the service you signed up for.
- Legitimate interests - fraud prevention, platform security, improving the service, and publishing publicly available Companies House data as an unclaimed business directory profile.
- Consent - non-essential cookies, and any marketing communications (you can withdraw this at any time).
- Legal obligation - retaining certain records as required by UK law.
4. Who we share it with
- Other registered members - your name, email and (if provided) phone number become visible to a member who clicks "Reveal contact details" on one of your ads. This is only available to registered, logged-in members - not the general public.
- Any visitor to the Platform - a business's own public contact details (phone, email, website and address) become visible to anyone (registered or not) who clicks "Reveal contact details" on that profile - see the business directory section of our terms. Your own personal address and contact details are never published this way, only the business's are. Photo ID and proof-of-address documents submitted with a claim are never published or shared with visitors; only our team can review them, and only for the purpose of verifying you - see the next point and section 6 below.
- Noviqent IdCheck - when you claim a business listing or register a new one, your live selfie and photo ID are processed by Noviqent IdCheck (a separate Noviqent product, run on its own isolated infrastructure - never a third-party AI provider) purely to confirm you're a real person and, for a limited company, match your name against the company's registered Companies House directors. We don't ask for proof of address for a business claim or registration, since a limited company's registered address is already Companies House-sourced. These documents are held privately, solely for that verification purpose - never published or used for anything else. Your selfie is never stored by Noviqent IdCheck or by us at all - see section 6 below for how long the ID image itself is kept.
- Google - if you use "Continue with Google", Google only authenticates that you're signed into that Google account - it doesn't verify your real-world identity for us. See Google's privacy policy.
- Google reCAPTCHA - used on registration to prevent spam/bot signups. See Google's privacy policy.
- Companies House - when you submit a business claim, we check the company and director details you provide against Companies House's public register.
- Hosting and email infrastructure providers - to run the Platform and send account-related emails.
- Regulators or law enforcement - only where we're legally required to.
We never sell your personal data.
5. International transfers
Some of our processors (e.g. Google) may process data outside the UK/EEA. Where this happens, it's covered by their own Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards.
6. How long we keep it
Under UK GDPR's storage limitation principle, we don't keep personal data for longer than necessary for the purpose it was collected for. In practice, that means:
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Active account data | For as long as your account is active |
| Closed/deleted account data | 12 months after closure, then deleted or anonymised, except where noted below |
| Ads | Removed ads are hidden immediately and permanently deleted after 90 days |
| Business profiles | For as long as the profile is published; an unpublished profile's data is kept for 12 months for moderation records, then deleted or anonymised |
| Photo ID / company registration documents (older manual claim review) | Deleted within 90 days of the claim being approved or rejected - kept only as long as needed to review and act on the claim |
| ID document (automated Noviqent IdCheck verification, claiming or registering a business) | Kept for 30 days from the date you complete verification, then automatically deleted. Your live selfie photo is never kept at all, by us or by Noviqent IdCheck - it exists only for the moment it takes to compare against your ID. |
| Messages between members | 12 months after the related ad is closed or removed |
| Reports | 2 years, for moderation and repeat-offender pattern detection |
| Data after an erasure request | Erased or anonymised within 30 days of your request being confirmed - see section 7 |
7. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data (most of this you can edit yourself in Account settings)
- Request erasure of your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Receive your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent
- Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you think we've mishandled your data
To exercise any of these rights, email contact@adsquare.uk. If you request erasure, we'll confirm your request and then automatically and permanently erase or anonymise your personal data within 30 days. Some information may be kept beyond that where we have a legal obligation to, per the table above.
8. Cookies
We use cookies for:
- Essential - keeping you logged in, remembering your session, and security (CSRF protection). These can't be switched off, as the Platform won't function without them.
- Analytics - understanding how the Platform is used, so we can improve it. Only set with your consent.
You can change your cookie choices at any time using the "Cookie preferences" link in the footer.
9. Children
The Platform is intended for users aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect data from children.
10. Security
We use industry-standard measures (encrypted connections, hashed passwords, access controls) to protect your data. No system is 100% secure, but we take reasonable steps to keep your information safe.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top will always reflect the latest version.
12. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: contact@adsquare.uk