PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: April 17, 2026

our PRIVACY POLICY

1. Introduction

Upstanding Enterprises LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") operates Host City Guide™ and Host City Houston, Houston's neighborhood discovery platform, accessible at www.hostcityhouston.com (the "Platform"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you visit or interact with the Platform.

By using the Platform you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Platform.

This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors, users, and others who access the Platform, including business owners, event organizers, district representatives, and content creator partners.

Information we collect.

2.1 Information you provide directly

We collect personal information you provide when you interact with the Platform, including when you:

Submit a contact or inquiry form (name, business name, email address, phone number, inquiry details)
Submit an event for listing (event details, organizer name, contact information)
Nominate a business (your name, email, business details you provide)
Sign up for our newsletter or email list (email address, opt-in consent)
Apply to be a partner, sponsor, or district representative (organization name, contact details, relevant business information)
Communicate with us directly via email or other channels

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit the Platform we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

IP address and approximate geographic location
Browser type and version
Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
Search queries and filter selections made on the Platform
Clicks on business listings, map interactions, and other engagement actions
Referring website or source
Device type and operating system

This information is collected through cookies, web beacons, analytics tools (including Google Analytics 4), and similar technologies as described in Section 6.

2.3 Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, including:

Social media platforms, if you interact with our social media accounts or if content you have tagged with our platform hashtag is surfaced through our social feed aggregator
Our map technology provider (Attractions.io), which may collect usage data from users of the interactive map feature
Payment processors, if applicable
Analytics and advertising partners

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To operate and maintain the Platform and its features
To process and respond to contact form submissions, event submissions, business nominations, and partnership inquiries
To route inquiry form submissions to the appropriate Founding Voice creator on your behalf
To send you marketing communications, platform updates, and newsletters if you have opted in to receive them
To analyze Platform usage and improve our content, features, and user experience
To track district-level engagement analytics for our district partners (aggregated and anonymized)
To generate business and event listing reports for district partners pursuant to our service agreements with those districts, limited to publicly available Platform information associated with their geographic boundaries
To comply with legal obligations
To detect and prevent fraud, spam, or abuse
To communicate with you about your submissions or inquiries

4. How we share your information

4.1 Founding Voice creators

When you submit an inquiry through a Founding Voice inquiry form on the Platform, your submission (including your name, contact information, and inquiry details) is delivered directly to the designated Founding Voice creator associated with that form. By submitting an inquiry form you consent to this routing. The Founding Voice creator receives your information as an independent party and their handling of your information is subject to their own privacy practices.

4.2 Service providers

We share information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, including:

Hosting and infrastructure providers (including Amazon Web Services)
Interactive map technology provider (Attractions.io)
Email marketing platform (including Mailchimp or equivalent)
Analytics providers (including Google Analytics)
Social media content aggregator tools
Payment processors, if applicable

These service providers are authorized to use your information only as necessary to provide services to us and are contractually required to protect your information.

4.3 District partners

We share certain Platform data with our district partners pursuant to formal representation agreements in place with each district. District partners are management districts, which are government-affiliated public entities and not-for-profit organizations operating under Texas law.

Data shared with district partners includes:

Aggregated, anonymized engagement analytics related to activity within their geographic boundaries (visitor traffic, business click data, search behavior trends)
Upon written request, a listing of businesses and events featured on the Platform that are located within or associated with their district, including publicly available information such as business name, category, address, website, and event details

District partners may use this information for community reporting, economic development purposes, and to share with businesses, community organizations, and stakeholders within their district in connection with their public mission. District partners are contractually prohibited from selling this data, using it for commercial gain, or sharing it beyond the purposes described in their agreement with Company. As government-affiliated public entities, management districts are not permitted to sell data and have no commercial incentive to do so.

Personally identifiable information about individual Platform users is never shared with district partners. All engagement analytics provided to districts are aggregated and anonymized.

4.4 Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our users, or the public.

4.5 Business transfers

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4.6 No sale of personal information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Specifically:

Contact and inquiry form submissions for as long as necessary
Email marketing list data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion
Analytics data for as long as necessary
District partner engagement data is retained for the duration of the district partnership and for as long as necessary
Business and event listing reports provided to district partners are subject to the retention terms of the applicable district service agreement

6. Cookies and tracking technologies

The Platform uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and collect usage data. Types of cookies we use include:

Essential cookies: necessary for the Platform to function properly
Analytics cookies: used to understand how visitors interact with the Platform (including Google Analytics 4)
Marketing cookies: used to deliver relevant content and measure campaign effectiveness

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform.

7. Your rights and choices

7.1 Texas residents

If you are a Texas resident, the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA, effective July 1, 2024) provides you with certain rights regarding your personal data, including:

The right to know what personal data we collect about you and how it is used
The right to access a copy of your personal data
The right to correct inaccurate personal data
The right to delete personal data we hold about you, subject to certain exceptions
The right to opt out of the processing of your personal data for targeted advertising
The right to data portability

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@hostcityhouston.com. We will respond to verified requests within 45 days as required by the TDPSA.

7.2 International visitors (GDPR)

If you are accessing the Platform from the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or applicable UK data protection law, including the right to object to processing, the right to restrict processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Our legal basis for processing your personal data is typically your consent (for marketing communications) or our legitimate interests in operating the Platform.

7.3 Email opt-out

If you have subscribed to our email list, you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send or by contacting us at privacy@hostcityhouston.com. Please note that opting out of marketing emails does not opt you out of transactional or operational communications related to a specific submission or inquiry you have made.

7.4 Do not track

Some browsers offer a Do Not Track (DNT) signal. The Platform does not currently respond to DNT signals.

8. Data security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls, and secure hosting infrastructure. However no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at privacy@hostcityhouston.com.

9. Children's privacy

The Platform is not directed to children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at privacy@hostcityhouston.com.

10. Third-party links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, including business listing external links, partner websites, and social media platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will post the updated policy on the Platform with a revised effective date. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. For material changes we will provide more prominent notice such as an email notification to subscribed users.

12. Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

Upstanding Enterprises LLC Host City Houston

By email:privacy@hostcityhouston.com