Why we do this
Businesses look for other businesses to work with or sell to. FirmTrove makes public company information searchable, so they find the right person at the right company. That is a legitimate interest (article 6(1)(f) GDPR), and it does not work without those contact details.
Why it does not harm people
We show only work details: name, job title, work email address and phone number. Usually the company made them public itself. Nothing from anyone’s private life, and no full postcode of a sole trader working from a home. Anyone who objects takes their email address or number out in one click, and it does not come back.
Why we do not email everyone
FirmTrove holds hundreds of thousands of work email addresses and phone numbers. Informing everyone separately means hundreds of thousands of unsolicited messages: more annoying than useful, and for many numbers we have no email address. We consider that a disproportionate effort. So we make the information public and take extra safeguards, as article 14(5)(b) GDPR asks in that case. We do that on Am I listed in FirmTrove?, and our customers say in their first message where they got your details.
Our safeguards
- Work details only. If a sole trader or partnership is in a home according to the BAG, no full postcode and no building.
- Check yourself and remove yourself in one click, without an ID document.
- Removed stays removed: a block list stops your email address or number, also from new sources.
- Customers name the source in their first message, link to the removal page and apply removals. New exports do not include removed people.
- Not received or confirmed within the last 24 months: then we stop showing it.
- We respond to questions and complaints within 48 hours.