Checkmate is the editorial platform for Arab-American businesses in the United States. We respect the privacy of the founders we feature and the visitors who discover them on this platform. This policy explains, in plain language, what we collect, how we use it, and how we protect it.
What we collect
We only collect what we need to feature a business well and respond to inquiries.
- Submission information. When a founder submits their business through our form, we collect their name, business name, contact details (email, phone, social links), location, and the story responses they provide.
- Photos and content. Logos, product photos, founder portraits, and written materials shared with us via the form or WhatsApp are stored for editorial use on the platform and on Checkmate's social media channels.
- Contact emails. When someone emails Checkmate directly, we keep that correspondence to respond and follow up.
- Basic analytics. Like most websites, we collect anonymous usage data (pages visited, device type, country) through standard web analytics to understand what's working and what's not. We do not sell or share this data.
- Cookies. Our hosting platform (Netlify) and any analytics tools we use may set lightweight cookies for performance and traffic measurement. No advertising cookies. No tracking across other sites.
How we use what we collect
- To build and publish editorial features about the businesses on the platform.
- To promote featured businesses on Checkmate's website, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook accounts.
- To communicate with founders about their feature, content updates, or platform announcements.
- To improve the platform through anonymous performance and traffic analytics.
How we protect your information
We treat the trust founders place in us seriously. Submission data is stored in our Google account, which is protected by two-factor authentication. We do not share founder contact information with third parties, run advertising on the platform, or sell any data we collect.
Third-party links and social platforms
Checkmate links to external sites — Instagram profiles, online shops, websites — owned by the businesses we feature. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those external sites. Once you click an outbound link, you are subject to that destination's own privacy terms.
Our featured content is also shared on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, which operate under their own privacy policies.
Your rights
If you are a featured founder and you want your profile removed, your photos taken down, or your contact information deleted from our records, email us at join.checkmate26@gmail.com and we will honor your request within a reasonable timeframe.
Changes to this policy
If we update this policy, we'll change the "last updated" date at the top of the page. For material changes, we'll notify featured founders by email.
Contact
Questions about privacy can be sent to join.checkmate26@gmail.com.
Checkmate is run with care, by a small team. We treat your information the way we'd want ours to be treated.