Lebanon Local is a free directory of businesses in Lebanon, run by Kevin Aboujaoude. This page explains what we collect, why, who sees it, and how to have it corrected or removed. We wrote it to match what the site actually does. If anything here is unclear, write to hello@lebanonlocal.com.
The short version
- We do not sell personal data, and we do not show ads based on you.
- A business phone number is never printed in the page. A visitor has to tap to see it, and we block anyone collecting numbers in bulk.
- A business email address is never shown at all. Visitors write through a form, and we pass the message on.
- We use no advertising or analytics trackers. The only cookies are the ones the site needs to work.
If you add a business
To publish a page we ask for the business name, category, area and map pin, a phone number, opening hours, and optionally an email address, website, Instagram handle, logo, photos and a description.
The phone number is verified with a one-time code, so we know the listing was created by someone who controls that number. The number becomes your sign-in. We keep the code only for the few minutes it is valid, with a one-way hash of the device address that asked for it, to stop abuse.
While you fill in the form, your answers are saved as a draft so you can come back to it. An unfinished draft is kept for 30 days.
Your page, its photos and its description are public: that is the point of a directory. Your phone number is public only in the sense above (behind a tap), and your email address is never public.
If you use the directory
You can search and browse without an account, and we do not ask who you are.
When you tap to reveal a phone number, we record that the number was revealed, for which business and when, with a one-way hash of your device address. The business sees how many people asked for its number, never who. The hash lets us stop automated collection.
When you send a business a message through the form, we store your name, the phone number if you give one, and your message, and forward them to the business. The business can then reply to you directly.
When a search finds nothing, we keep the words searched, the language and the area, without anything that identifies you. It tells us which businesses are missing.
We count page views per business so owners can see how their page is doing. These counts are not linked to your identity.
Businesses we invite
To invite businesses to list themselves, we use business contact details that are already publicly listed, for example in other directories and on maps. This list is private: nothing from it is ever published on Lebanon Local, not even a name. A business appears on the site only if its owner adds it.
If you receive an invitation and do not want more, reply to say so or write to hello@lebanonlocal.com. We add your number or address to a do-not-contact list and never contact it again.
Cookies
We use a small number of cookies, all needed for the site to work: one keeps you signed in, one remembers an unfinished listing for up to 30 days, one protects phone numbers from automated collection, and one remembers your language. There are no advertising or analytics cookies. The cookie page lists them.
Who else handles the data
We use a few service providers to run the site. They process data only to provide their service to us:
- Supabase: our database and file storage.
- Vercel: hosting of the website.
- Our email provider: sending sign-in codes and forwarding messages.
- Meta (WhatsApp): sending sign-in codes and messages by WhatsApp, once that channel is switched on.
- OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap: the map tiles. Your browser loads the map images directly from them, which shows them your device address, as with any website.
Some of these providers store data outside Lebanon. We choose providers that protect it to a standard at least as high as this policy.
We share data with authorities only when Lebanese law requires it.
How long we keep things
- A published page: until you remove it or ask us to.
- An unfinished draft: 30 days.
- A sign-in code: about 10 minutes.
- Messages sent through the form: as long as the business page exists, so the owner can find them.
- Reveal and view records: as long as they are useful to show owners their numbers, then deleted or reduced to totals.
- The do-not-contact list: for good, so that "no" stays "no".
Your rights
You can ask us to show you the data we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. Business owners can edit their page at any time from their dashboard. To delete a page or anything else, write to hello@lebanonlocal.com from the email address or phone number linked to it, and we will act within 30 days.
We handle personal data under Lebanese law, including Law No. 81 of 2018 on electronic transactions and personal data.
Children
Lebanon Local is not meant for children. You must be at least 18 to add a business.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update the date at the top of this page and, for business owners, tell you before the change applies.