Privacy Policy

Pharming Factions ("we," "us") runs a community marketplace for farmers, herbalists, and sustainable-living practitioners. We collect the minimum needed to operate the platform. We do not sell your data. We do not track you across the web. We do not run behavioral advertising. This policy explains what we do collect, why, and what choices you have.

1. Who we are

Pharming Factions is a community marketplace operated from New Mexico, United States. Contact us at legal@pharmingfactions.com for any privacy question, data request, or legal notice.

2. What we collect by default

When you create an account, we collect:

• Your email address
• Your display name
• Your USDA hardiness zone (so we can match you with relevant content and sellers)
• Your role on the platform (farmer, herbalist, buyer, organization, etc.)
• Your date of birth (used solely to enforce our age policy — see Section 7)
• If you are 13 to 17, your parent or guardian's email address

3. What we collect operationally

As you use the platform:

• Listings you post (description, images, price, category)
• Messages you send and receive through the platform
• Transactions you complete (order details; payment is processed by Stripe)
• Content you upload (farmer tips, articles, reviews, profile imagery)
• Aggregate usage signals (page loads, error logs) — not tied to advertising profiles

4. What we do not collect

We have intentionally chosen not to collect:

• Third-party tracking cookies or advertising identifiers
• Behavioral profiles or cross-site browsing history
• Precise location data beyond your stated USDA zone
• Biometric data
• Government identification numbers (other than what Stripe collects directly from sellers to comply with US tax law — Stripe holds that, not us)

5. How we use your information

We use the data above to:

• Operate the platform (let you sign in, post, message, transact)
• Match you with relevant content based on your zone and stated role
• Communicate with you about your account, your orders, and platform updates
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and platform misuse
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent it. We do not share it with advertising networks.

6. Who sees your data

Your data is accessible to:

• You
• Other users you directly interact with (sellers you buy from, buyers you sell to, people you message)
• Our payment processor, Stripe, when you transact (Stripe's privacy policy governs their use)
• Our infrastructure providers: Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database, authentication), Upstash (rate limiting), Resend (sending booking and account emails)
• Our internal affiliate-tracking infrastructure ("Affiliate Background"), which we operate. It scopes data by project and does not combine your record with the users of any other platform we run.

We will disclose information when legally compelled (subpoena, court order) or when necessary to prevent imminent harm. We will notify you of such requests unless legally prohibited from doing so.

7. Children and minors

Under 13: Pharming Factions does not allow accounts for anyone under 13. If we learn that an account was created by a child under 13, we will delete it and notify the parent or guardian if contact information is available.

13 to 17: Accounts in this age range can read content, comment on community updates and articles, save favorites, follow contributors, and learn about agriculture and careers. They cannot buy or sell on the marketplace, cannot post listings, cannot RSVP to in-person events, and cannot send or receive direct messages on the platform until they turn 18. We collect a parent or guardian email at signup so the parent knows the account exists and can supervise as they see fit, but the platform itself does not require any ongoing parent-side action.

Parents and guardians have the right to review, request correction of, or request deletion of any data tied to their child's account. Email legal@pharmingfactions.com from the address on file to exercise these rights.

18 and over: Full platform access. Anyone purchasing on behalf of a household, including for a minor, must do so from their own 18+ account.

8. Your rights

Regardless of where you live, you have the right to:

• Access the data we hold about you
• Correct data that is inaccurate
• Delete your account and the data tied to it
• Export your data in a portable format
• Opt out of any non-essential email communication

To exercise any of these rights, email legal@pharmingfactions.com from the address on your account. We respond within 30 days.

California residents (CCPA): You have the additional right to know what categories of personal information we collect, the right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights, and the right to opt out of any sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.

European Union, United Kingdom, and similar jurisdictions: The rights above apply, plus the right to lodge a complaint with your data protection authority. Our lawful basis for processing is the performance of our contract with you (your account) and our legitimate interest in operating a safe marketplace.

9. Data retention

We keep operational data (your account, your listings, your messages, your transactions) for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (for example, transaction records kept for tax purposes).

We may retain anonymized aggregate analytics indefinitely, since they cannot be tied back to you.

10. Security

Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (managed by our infrastructure providers). Authentication tokens use industry-standard hashing. We use rate limiting, input validation, and access controls to protect against common attacks.

Breach notification: If we suffer a security incident that affects your data, we will notify you within 72 hours of confirmation, by email to the address on file, with the information available at that time.

No system is perfectly secure. You can help by using a strong, unique password and keeping the email address on your account current.

11. International users

Our infrastructure is hosted in the United States. By using Pharming Factions from outside the US, you understand and agree that your data will be transferred to, processed in, and stored in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from your home country.

12. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. The current version is always available at this URL with the "Last updated" date at the top.

13. Contact

For any question about this Privacy Policy, to exercise a privacy right, or to file a complaint, email legal@pharmingfactions.com.

See also: Terms & Conditions.