Information we store
Account details, submitted listing information, dated operating snapshots, founder-profile preferences, and evidence you deliberately provide for review. Passwords are stored as salted hashes, never plaintext. Password-reset and email-verification links are stored only as one-way token hashes with expiry and use timestamps. Private ownership connections are retained so you can manage projects even when public founder attribution is disabled.
How information is used
Public listing fields—including optional founder profiles—appear on RealCost only according to the attribution setting selected for each project. Unlinked projects do not appear on founder pages or in their aggregate totals. Private review evidence is used only to assess a listing and operate the service.
Sponsor payments
Sponsor contact details, placement copy, destination URLs, payment status, campaign dates, impressions, and clicks are stored to operate paid placements. Stripe handles card details and sends RealCost payment identifiers and status events; complete card numbers never reach our servers.
Newsletter interest
If you join the early newsletter list, we store your email address, signup source, and consent timestamps so a future RealCost publication can contact you. The browser stores only dismissal or signup preference for the invitation. No newsletter is currently sent; future messages will include a direct unsubscribe mechanism.
Audience analytics
When enabled, our self-hosted Observe service measures aggregate traffic without cookies. It records page and referrer information, browser and device details, and approximate country-level location. We do not use session replay or advertising profiles. Public traffic displays contain aggregate counts only.
Founder display controls
A project can show the account name and public portfolio, show only a submitted X or LinkedIn handle, or remain anonymous. Handle-only and anonymous projects are excluded from named portfolio pages and aggregates. An external social profile or distinctive business data may still reveal identity.
Revenue privacy
Founders may enter exact MRR for their own portfolio while publishing the exact amount, publishing only a range, or hiding revenue. When exact MRR is not public, it is excluded from public page data—not merely hidden with CSS. Infrastructure line items remain public for listed projects because they are the core of the index.
Correction and removal
Signed-in founders can publish a new operating snapshot, change attribution, and request material listing revisions. Historical snapshots remain available to preserve the meaning of public trends. Contact the operator through account-support replies for legally required correction, export, or deletion requests. This policy will be updated before any automated financial-verification connection launches.