Published November 2026. This document is currently under legal review and may be updated following that review.
Privacy Policy — Online Business Exchange
Last updated: November 2026
Privacy contact: Privacy Officer, Online Business Exchange — info@onlinebusinessexchange.com | 1-866-561-2688
This Policy explains what personal information Online Business Exchange (“OBE”, “we”) collects, why, how we use and disclose it, and the rights you have. It is written to align with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where it applies, British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). Quebec users: additional rights under Quebec’s Law 25 may apply — contact the Privacy Officer with any Law 25 request and we will respond under that law.
1. Accountability
OBE is responsible for personal information under its control. The Privacy Officer named above can answer questions, and receive access, correction, and complaint requests about our handling of personal information.
2. What we collect, and why (identified purposes)
| Information | Collected when | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email address | Founding Seller Application, Buyer Launch Alerts signup, account registration, enquiry forms, contact form | To review your application, operate your account, route your enquiry, send alerts you requested, and respond to you |
| Phone number (optional unless a form states otherwise) | Application / account / enquiry forms | To contact you about your application, listing, or enquiry if email is insufficient |
| Business name, website, category, approximate asking price, business description | Founding Seller Application and listing submission | To assess, prepare, moderate, and (with your approval) publish your listing |
| Listing financial figures (revenue, profit/SDE, expenses) with their period and basis | Listing submission | To display in your listing labelled by evidence tier (see Listing and Evidence Policy). These are business figures you provide about your business; where they identify a sole proprietor they are also personal information and are handled as such |
| Buyer preferences: categories, budget range, optional preferences | Buyer Launch Alerts signup, buyer account | To send you launch alerts and, after launch, listing alerts matching the preferences you set — only with your consent |
| Enquiry content | Buyer enquiry on a listing | To deliver the enquiry to the seller and keep a record for moderation, safety, and dispute-about-a-listing handling |
| Technical data: IP address, browser/device, pages visited, analytics events | Visiting the site | Security, abuse prevention, site operation, and aggregate measurement (see Cookies, §9) |
| Payment information | Not collected at launch — paid plans are not yet sold | If paid plans launch, payments will be processed by a third-party payment processor; OBE will not store full card numbers (see §7) |
Sensitive financial documents are NOT collected through public forms. OBE’s public application and listing forms do not ask for tax returns, profit-and-loss statements, bank statements, payment-processor exports, or similar documents, and you must not upload or send them through a public form. If, later in a listing review, OBE needs supporting documentation for the “Evidence supplied” tier, we will request it through a separate, identified process with restricted access — and this Policy will be updated to describe that process before it is used.
3. Consent
3.1 We collect, use, and disclose personal information only with your consent, except where PIPEDA/PIPA permits or requires otherwise (for example, fraud prevention or a legal obligation).
3.2 Application, alert, and account forms include a required consent statement. Submitting the form with consent given is your consent to the uses described beside the form and in this Policy. Consent for marketing messages (launch alerts, listing alerts, newsletters) is separate from consent needed to process your application or enquiry: you may receive the service without agreeing to unrelated marketing, where the form offers that choice.
3.3 You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal and contractual restrictions, by contacting the Privacy Officer or using an unsubscribe link (marketing). Withdrawing consent may mean we cannot continue a listing, alert, or account that depends on it.
4. Limiting use, disclosure, and retention
4.1 We use personal information only for the purposes in §2, or purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances and that we identify when asked.
4.2 We do not sell personal information. We disclose it only:
- to the other party to an introduction, and only the information needed for that introduction (for example, your name and enquiry to the seller; the seller’s listing contact route to you) — seller contact details are never published in a public listing beyond what the seller approved for display;
- to service providers who process it for us under contract (hosting, email delivery, analytics, and — if activated — payment processing), only as needed for their service;
- where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from an authority entitled to it;
- to prevent fraud, enforce our Terms, or protect the safety of users, with disclosure limited to what the situation requires.
4.3 Cross-border processing. Our hosting and email/CRM service providers may process or store information outside Canada, including in the United States and the European Union. Information processed abroad is subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, including lawful access by its authorities. By using OBE you consent to that processing for the purposes in this Policy.
4.4 Retention. We keep personal information only as long as needed for its purpose and our legal obligations:
- Application records for applicants who do not proceed: deleted or anonymized within 12 months of the decision, unless you ask us to keep your application open.
- Alert-signup records: until you unsubscribe, plus a minimal suppression record (email address and opt-out date) kept so we do not contact you again.
- Listing and account records: while the listing/account is active and for up to 24 months after closure, expiry, or withdrawal, for moderation history, accounting, and dispute handling — then deleted or anonymized.
- Evidence-related records, if a separate evidence process is ever introduced: retention will be stated in the updated Policy before use.
- Backup copies age out with our backup rotation (target maximum 35 days after deletion from live systems), except where a legal hold applies.
5. Accuracy
We rely on you to keep your information accurate. Listing figures are displayed exactly as the seller supplies them, labelled by evidence tier — displaying a figure is not a statement by OBE that it is accurate (see Listing and Evidence Policy). You may correct your information through your account or by contacting us.
6. Safeguards
We protect personal information with safeguards proportionate to its sensitivity: encrypted transmission (HTTPS), access limited to those who need it for their role, unique administrator accounts with strong passwords, and service providers selected for their security practices. No system is completely secure; if a breach creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as PIPEDA requires, and keep the breach record PIPEDA requires.
7. Payments (future)
Paid plans are not yet sold and no payment is collected through the site at launch. If paid plans launch: payments will be processed by a third-party processor; OBE will receive and store only the transaction record needed for accounting and entitlement (amount, currency, product, date, status) — not full card numbers; and this section will be updated with the processor’s identity before the first charge.
8. Your rights — access and correction
You have the right to request access to your personal information held by OBE, and to request its correction. Contact the Privacy Officer. We will respond within 30 days (or tell you if an extension permitted by law applies) and will provide access in an accessible format where required. We may need to verify your identity first, and access may be refused or limited where the law permits (for example, another person’s information, solicitor-client privilege, or an ongoing fraud investigation) — if so, we will explain why.
You also have the right to complain to us, and then to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (or the BC Information and Privacy Commissioner for matters under BC PIPA).
9. Cookies and analytics
The site uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for operation and security, and — where active — analytics cookies that measure aggregate visits and events (for example, Google Analytics). Analytics measure visits and events; they are not enquiries and are not shared as personal information with sellers or buyers. You can control cookies in your browser settings; blocking necessary cookies may break site functions. Where a separate cookie/analytics notice is published on the site, it forms part of this section.
10. Children
OBE is a business marketplace for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 19. If you believe a minor has provided information, contact the Privacy Officer and we will delete it.
11. Changes
We may update this Policy. The current version is posted here with its date. Material changes will be highlighted on the site or notified to account holders and alert subscribers before they take effect, where the change affects how we use information already collected.
12. Contact
Privacy Officer, Online Business Exchange — info@onlinebusinessexchange.com | 1-866-561-2688.