Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This website (irishtradesman.ie) and the Hi-Vis Circle membership programme are run by Braenard Clarke, trading as IrishTradesman, based in Ireland.

Contact: contact@irishtradesman.ie or help@irishtradesman.ie.

We comply with the GDPR and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018. We are registered with the Data Protection Commission where required.

2. What personal data we collect and why

Website visits: We collect minimal data. This is a static site. We do not use cookies for tracking or profiling. Basic server logs (IP address, browser type) may be processed by our hosting provider (Cloudflare) for security and performance. We do not link this to individuals for marketing.

Membership (Hi-Vis Circle):

• Email address (via Stripe for payment and receipts, and to send automated welcome/community links after payment).
• Community username/handle (Telegram or Discord) if you provide it to receive your invite links.
• Payment information: Handled entirely by Stripe. We do not store card details.

Legal bases: Contract (to provide membership), legitimate interests (to run the site, provide updates, and show public follower counts), consent (for any optional marketing emails).

3. Who we share your data with

• Stripe: Payment processing. They are a separate controller.
• Discord and Telegram: To send private community invites when you join.
• Cloudflare: Website hosting and security.
• countapi.xyz: Anonymous live membership counter (no personal data sent by us).
• Public social APIs (X, Bluesky, Facebook): For displaying public follower counts only.

We do not sell your data. We only share as necessary to deliver the service.

4. International transfers

Some services (Stripe, Discord, Telegram, Cloudflare, countapi) are based outside the EEA. We use appropriate safeguards such as European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or rely on the fact that data is minimal/public where applicable. You can request copies of the safeguards.

5. How long we keep your data

Membership data is kept while you are a member and for a reasonable period afterwards to comply with legal obligations (e.g. tax records, up to 7 years). You can request deletion at any time.

6. Your rights

Under GDPR you can:

• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction or deletion
• Object to processing or request restriction
• Request data portability
• Withdraw consent (where applicable)
• Complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission (dataprotection.ie)

Contact us at the emails above to exercise these rights. We will respond within one month.

7. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data. Payments go through Stripe's secure systems. The website is hosted on Cloudflare with standard protections.

8. Children

This site and the membership are not aimed at children under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The date at the top will show the current version. Significant changes affecting members will be notified by email.

10. Contact

For privacy questions: help@irishtradesman.ie

You can also contact the Irish Data Protection Commission directly.