Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 1, 2026

GrowthScope is a service of HKC Consult, located at Kerkeind 20, 5551ZJ Valkenswaard, The Netherlands. We take the protection of your personal data seriously. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, why, and how we protect it.

1. Who are we?

GrowthScope is operated by HKC Consult.
Chamber of Commerce (KvK): 72905107
VAT number: NL859281000B01
Email: info@growthscope.io

2. What data do we collect?

• Free scan: email address, domain name, GEO Score result
• Paid audit: email address, name, company name, domain name, billing details (address, VAT number)
• Account creation: email address, password (stored encrypted), company name
• Technical: IP address (for rate limiting), browser language (for language selection)

3. Why do we use your data?

• To perform the GEO audit you ordered
• To send your report by email
• Payment processing via Mollie (iDEAL, credit card)
• Account management and dashboard access
• Improving our service
• Measuring the effectiveness of our advertising (only with your consent)

4. Legal basis (GDPR)

We process your data based on:

• Performance of a contract: to deliver the audit you ordered
• Legitimate interest: to improve our service and prevent abuse
• Consent: for analytics and advertising cookies (Google, Meta) and for receiving marketing emails (optional)

5. Who has access to your data?

We only share your data with:

• Mollie — payment processing (iDEAL, credit card). Mollie privacy policy
• Postmark — transactional emails. Postmark privacy policy
• Hetzner — server hosting (Falkenstein, Germany, EU). Hetzner privacy policy
• Google (Tag Manager / Analytics) — website analytics and tag management. Google privacy policy
• Meta Platforms Ireland — advertising conversion measurement via the Meta Pixel and Conversions API. We send a hashed (irreversible) version of your email address, your IP address, and your browser type so Meta can measure the effectiveness of our ads. This only happens if you accept marketing cookies. Data may be processed outside the EU (United States) under EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Meta privacy policy

We never sell your personal data. The only marketing-related sharing is the hashed identifiers described above, sent to Meta for advertising measurement, and only when you have given consent.

6. Analytics & advertising

We use Google Tag Manager to manage analytics and marketing tags. Through GTM, we may use Google Analytics or other tools to understand how visitors use our website. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

For advertising, we use the Meta Pixel and Meta Conversions API to measure the effectiveness of our ads on Facebook and Instagram and to reach relevant audiences. The Pixel places cookies in your browser, and the Conversions API sends conversion events (such as a completed purchase) from our server to Meta, including a hashed version of your email address. These advertising and analytics tools only run after you accept marketing cookies via our cookie banner — if you decline, they are not loaded. See Meta's privacy policy.

7. Retention periods

• Audit data: indefinitely (as long as you have an account)
• Report links without account: 90 days
• Lead data (free scan): maximum 2 years
• Payment data: 7 years (legal obligation)

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access, correct, or delete your data
• Object to processing
• Data portability
• File a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens)

Contact info@growthscope.io to exercise your rights.

9. Security

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption on all connections
• Passwords stored encrypted (bcrypt)
• Daily database backups
• Servers secured with firewall and security headers
• Access to personal data limited to authorized personnel

10. Cookies

Functional cookies (always active — required for the site to work):

• lang — language preference
• gs_customer — login session (30 days, httponly)
• gs_consent — stores your cookie choice (1 year)

Analytics & marketing cookies (only placed after your consent): Google Tag Manager / Analytics and the Meta Pixel place cookies to measure website use and advertising performance. We only set these once you click "Accept" in our cookie banner; if you decline, they are not placed. You can change your choice at any time by clearing the cookies in your browser.

11. Changes

We may update this privacy policy. The most recent version is always available on this page.

12. Contact

Questions about your privacy? Contact us at:
info@growthscope.io