The Black Business Directory
SMS Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 9, 2026
This policy covers personal information that The Black Business Directory ("THEBBD," "we," "us") collects, uses and shares in connection with our text-messaging program. The terms of that program are in our SMS Terms and Conditions. Our platform-wide policy is at thebbd.black/privacy.
Information we collect
We collect the following only when a business owner starts a claim on a listing. We do not buy it, and we do not obtain it from data brokers or lead generators.
- Mobile phone number — the number published on the business's Google Business Profile, which is where the verification code is sent, and the number entered on the claim form.
- Email address — used to create the business account and to send the outcome of the claim.
- Claim evidence — the business name, a link to the Google Business Profile, and a screenshot of that profile.
- Consent record — whether the SMS consent box was ticked, and when.
How we use it
The phone number is used only to send the one-time verification code and messages about that claim. The email address is used only to create the business account and to send the claim outcome. The claim evidence is used only to decide whether the claim is genuine, and is reviewed by our staff. We do not use any of it for advertising, and we do not build marketing profiles from it.
Mobile information and consent
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
Text-messaging opt-in data and consent are never shared, sold, rented, or otherwise transferred to any third party, including lead generators, affiliates, and other businesses, for any purpose.
Who we share information with
The only third parties that receive any of this are the service providers who deliver the messages on our behalf — our SMS carrier and our email provider — and they are contractually limited to using it to deliver that message. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. We may disclose information if required by law.
How long we keep it
Verification codes are stored only as a hash and expire within 15 minutes. Claim records, including the phone number and the consent record, are kept while the listing is claimed and for as long as we need them to show the claim was legitimate.
Your choices and rights
You can stop text messages at any time by replying STOP. You can decline text messages entirely and still submit a claim — consent is optional and is not a condition of using THEBBD. You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your information by emailing [email protected], or through thebbd.black/account-deletion.
Contact
The Black Business Directory
2810 Yonkers Rd Ste 5A, Raleigh, NC 27604
[email protected] · (919)
449-5141