Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide:

Name and email address when creating an account
Contact information for business listings
Payment information for premium services (processed securely via third-party providers)
Profile information you choose to share

Automatically Collected Information

When you access the Service, we automatically collect certain information:

Device information (browser type, operating system)
IP address and approximate location
Pages visited and features used
Referring website and search terms

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide, operate, and maintain the Service

Process transactions and manage your account

Send updates and newsletters (with consent)

Respond to inquiries and provide support

Improve and personalize your experience

Analyze usage and optimize the Service

Detect and prevent fraud and abuse

Comply with legal obligations

3. Information Sharing

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Public listings: Information in business listings and classifieds is publicly visible

Service providers: Third parties who help us operate the Service (hosting, analytics, payment processing)

Legal requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights

Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:

Keep you logged in to your account
Remember your preferences
Analyze site traffic and usage
Deliver relevant content and advertisements

Note: You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Service.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

Encryption

Data encrypted in transit (HTTPS)

Secure Storage

Access controls on all data

Regular Audits

Security assessments performed

Team Training

Staff trained on data protection

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access Request a copy of your personal data

Correction Request correction of inaccurate data

Deletion Request deletion of your data

Portability Receive your data in a portable format

Opt-out Unsubscribe from marketing communications

To exercise these rights, please contact us through our Contact Page.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

Provide the Service and maintain your account
Comply with legal obligations
Resolve disputes and enforce agreements

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

7b. ChatGPT and Claude Apps (MCP Endpoint)

ExpatsList is available as an app inside ChatGPT and as a connector in Claude. When you use either, ChatGPT (operated by OpenAI) or Claude (operated by Anthropic) sends requests to our server at expatslist.org/api/mcp on your behalf. This section explains what that involves.

What we receive

The name of the tool ChatGPT called and its parameters: a city, a search phrase, a content type, a country or a page slug.
No ChatGPT or Claude account details, no name, no email address and no conversation history. We do not know who you are.

What we keep

A daily count of calls per tool and per city, so we can see which cities and features are useful. The count holds no search text, no IP address and no per-request timestamp.
Standard server logs as described under Automatically Collected Information, kept for 30 days.

What we send back

Public content only: titles, short summaries, categories, dates and links to the page on ExpatsList. Contact details, author names and internal identifiers are never included in app responses.
Links from the app carry a tag (utm_source=chatgpt or utm_source=claude) so our analytics can tell visits from ChatGPT or Claude apart from other visits. It identifies the app, not you.

How OpenAI or Anthropic handles your conversation is covered by their privacy policies, not this one. If you open a link from the app, this policy applies to your visit as it would to any visitor.

8. International Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.