Privacy Policy for Martana Connects

Effective Date: March 10, 2026

At Martana Connects, an initiative powered by Martana Bookkeeping, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our small business members and the community members who use our directory. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit martanaconnects.com.

A. From Business Owners

To provide our subscription services and directory listings, we collect:

  • Account Information: Business name, contact details, address, and category information.
  • Business Details: Category, service descriptions, hours of operation, and images provided for the listing.
  • Payment Information: For subscription billing ($19.99/mo after the 60-day free trial), we collect payment preferences and credit card authorization details if you choose automatic billing. Payments are processed securely via our third-party payment providers. Please note that Martana Connects does not store full credit card numbers on our servers.

B. From Consumers (Visitors)

To facilitate community engagement and giveaways, we may collect:

  • Reviews & Ratings: Information you provide when reviewing a local business.
  • Giveaway Entries: When you enter our “Win Local” drawings, we collect your survey responses and contact information.
  • Newsletter Subscription: Your email address if you sign up for our weekly community updates.
  • Technical Data: IP addresses, browser types, and usage data collected through cookies to improve website performance.
We use the information collected to:
  • Maintain and display your business listing in our directory.
  • Process subscription payments on the 15th of each month.
  • Send our weekly newsletter and social media shout-outs.
  • Manage community giveaways and contact winners.
  • Improve our website and services for the southeast Minnesota community.
 We don’t sell your personal data. We only share information with third parties when necessary to:
  • Process payments (e.g., credit card processors).
  • Send newsletters or emails.
  • Comply with legal obligations.

Martana Connects will never sell user data or business data to third parties. We also will not use any information we collect (including reviews, survey responses, listing details, or account information) to train AI models—period.

We may use AI tools internally for backend operations and administrative efficiency (for example, organizing information, improving workflows, or helping us run the directory smoothly). However, we do not use AI for customer-facing interactions (like AI clones, chatbots, or automated “human-like” messaging). We want community interactions to stay human-led.

We use data strictly to run and improve the directory and community engagement features—like displaying listings, managing subscriptions, publishing reviews, sending newsletters, and running giveaways and community events.

We take the security of your data seriously and use industry-standard measures to protect it. However, please remember that no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

We use cookies to help our website run smoothly and to understand how visitors interact with the site. You can adjust your browser settings to disable cookies, though some parts of the site may not work as intended.

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website (such as links to the businesses listed in our directory). These third-party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites.

Our website and services are directed to people who are at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect any information from anyone under 13 years of age.

You can request to update or remove your information at any time. Business owners can cancel their subscription or update their billing preferences by contacting us.

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us via martanaconnects.com.

Martana Connects Website: martanaconnects.com Email: info@martanaconnects.com