Privacy Policy

1. Who this covers

This policy covers the495loop.com, operated by Randall Shannon, a sole proprietor doing business as The 495 Loop ("we," "us," "The 495 Loop"). It applies whether you're a homeowner searching for a business, a business claiming or managing a listing, or someone just browsing. It does not cover the websites of businesses listed here — each business's own site has its own privacy practices.

2. What we collect, and why

We only collect what's needed to run the directory and route requests. Specifically:

• Service requests. When you request service through a listing or the contact page — name, phone, email (optional), and what you need help with. Used to connect you with the business you requested, and to route the request to the right listing.
• Business listing information. When a business claims or adds a listing — business name, category, address, phone, email, hours, license number, and a description. Provided by the business itself; used to publish and verify the listing.
• Voice and chat conversations. If you use the AI assistant (voice or text) on a listing or demo page, your conversation is processed by our voice provider, Vapi, to answer your question or take a message. See §5.
• Account information. If you sign in to manage a listing (the contractor portal) or as the site operator, your email and authentication details are handled by our sign-in provider, Clerk. See §5.
• Basic usage data. Standard web request data every site receives — page requested, IP address, browser type, and referring page — logged by our hosting provider, Cloudflare, for security and reliability. We don't use this for advertising.

3. Analytics and how visits are measured

As of the date above, this site does not run third-party advertising trackers — no Meta Pixel, no ad-network tags, no cross-site tracking of any kind. When analytics is enabled, it will be limited to:

• Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Tag Manager — aggregate traffic and conversion measurement (which pages are visited, which forms are submitted, which phone numbers are clicked). Google may process this data under its own privacy policy.
• Cloudflare Web Analytics — a cookieless, privacy-preserving traffic count from our hosting provider.
• A first-party attribution cookie. When you arrive from a search result or an ad, we store which one (its campaign source, medium, and search term) in a cookie on this domain for up to 90 days, so that if you later request service, we know which page or campaign brought you here. This cookie does not track you across other websites and is not sold or shared for advertising.

None of this is used to build an advertising profile of you, and none of it is sold to data brokers.

4. Cookies

This site uses a small number of first-party cookies: the attribution cookie described in §3, and any cookies our analytics or sign-in providers set to keep the site working correctly. We don't use cookies for third-party retargeting or ad personalization. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; doing so may affect the attribution cookie but won't stop you from using the directory.

5. Who we share information with

We share information only as needed to operate the service:

• The business you contacted. If you request service through a listing, we send your name, phone, email, and message to that business so they can respond. We don't sell or reuse this list for any other purpose.
• Service providers who run parts of the site for us — Cloudflare (hosting, security, analytics), Vapi (the AI voice/chat assistant), Clerk (sign-in for the contractor portal), Neon (database hosting), Square (payment processing for paid listings), and Google (analytics, if enabled). Each processes data only to provide their service to us, under their own privacy policies.
• Nobody else. We don't sell personal information, and we don't share it with data brokers or advertisers.

6. Your rights and choices

If you're a Virginia or Maryland resident, state law (the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act and Maryland Online Data Privacy Act) gives you the right to know what personal information we hold about you, correct it, delete it, and opt out of its use for targeted advertising or sale — which we don't do in the first place. To exercise any of these rights, or to opt out of the attribution cookie in §3, email hello@the495loop.com. We'll respond within the time required by applicable law.

To opt out of marketing calls, texts, or emails after claiming a listing, reply STOP to any text or email hello@the495loop.com — seeTerms of Service §6 for the full consent terms.

7. How long we keep information

Service requests and listing information are kept for as long as needed to operate the directory and route future requests, or until you ask us to delete them. Attribution cookies expire automatically after 90 days. We don't keep information indefinitely for its own sake.

8. Children's privacy

This site is intended for adults arranging services for their homes and businesses. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site changes — most likely as analytics is enabled or new features ship. The "Last updated" date above reflects the most recent change. Material changes will be reflected here before they take effect.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy, or a request to access, correct, or delete your information: hello@the495loop.com.