Privacy Policy

What we collect when you use The Base Bid, why, and what rights you have. Short version: we collect very little, we do not sell it, and we do not run advertising.

1. Scope

This Policy covers the website, the weekly email, and the purchase and delivery of data products. The Service is published by K2 Business Strategies ("the Publisher", "we").

2. What is collected

You give us

• Email address, on subscribing
• Name, firm and role, if you provide them
• Billing details, processed by our payment provider — we never see or store full payment card numbers
• The content of any message you send through a form on the site

Collected automatically

• Aggregate, non-identifying site analytics: pages viewed, referrer, approximate region, device type. Our analytics provider does not use cookies for cross-site tracking and does not build advertising profiles.
• Email engagement: whether a message was delivered, opened, and which links were clicked
• Server logs, including IP address, retained briefly for security and abuse prevention

Not collected

We do not collect government identifiers, health information, biometric data, precise geolocation, or any special category of personal information. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under eighteen.

3. Why

To send the publication you asked for; to process and fulfil orders and deliver files; to provide support and answer messages; to maintain security and prevent abuse; to understand in aggregate what readers find useful; and to meet legal and accounting obligations.

4. Advertising and sale of data

5. Service providers

Personal information is processed on our behalf by a small number of providers, each under contract and only as needed: email delivery, payment processing, website hosting, form and record storage, and privacy-preserving analytics. They may not use the information for their own purposes.

Information may also be disclosed if required by law or valid legal process, or to protect the rights or safety of the Publisher or others. Where disclosure is compelled we will give notice unless prohibited from doing so.

In a merger or sale of the business, information may transfer to the acquirer under this Policy.

6. Retention

• Subscriber information — while you remain subscribed and for twenty-four months afterwards, then deleted or de-identified
• Order and transaction records — seven years, for tax and accounting
• Form messages — twenty-four months
• Server logs — ninety days

7. Security

We maintain a written information security program meeting the requirements of 201 CMR 17.00, with administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information held and the size of the business. Measures include encryption of personal information in transit and at rest, access limited to those who need it, unique credentials with multi-factor authentication on administrative systems, written vendor commitments, secure disposal, and annual review.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. In the event of a breach of security involving personal information, we will notify affected individuals, the Office of the Attorney General and the Director of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation as soon as practicable and without unreasonable delay, in accordance with M.G.L. c. 93H, and as otherwise required by applicable law.

8. Your rights

Wherever you are located, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you, correction of inaccurate information, deletion, a portable copy, and to opt out of marketing email.

Residents of jurisdictions with comprehensive privacy statutes have these rights by law, may appeal a refusal, and may not be discriminated against for exercising them. Individuals in the United Kingdom and European Economic Area have additional rights including objection and restriction of processing, and may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

To exercise any right, use the form below. We verify identity through the email address on file and respond within forty-five days, extendable once where permitted. If we refuse a request we will explain why and how to appeal.

Opting out of email

Use the unsubscribe link in any message, or ask through the form. Unsubscribing removes you from all mailings. Transactional messages relating to a purchase are not marketing and will still be sent.

9. Cookies and tracking

The site uses only cookies strictly necessary for it to function and to keep you signed in. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. The site honours Global Privacy Control signals.

10. International transfers

The Service is operated from the United States and information is processed there. If you are outside the United States, you consent to that transfer. Where required, transfers are made under appropriate safeguards.

11. Changes

Material changes will be posted here with a revised date and, where required, sent by email. The date at the top always reflects the current version.

12. Contact