What we collect, and what we never do

This policy explains what we collect, why, and what you can do about it. We have written it in plain language on purpose. If anything here is unclear, email us at hello@softshortlist.com and a real person will explain it properly.

Who we are

Soft Shortlist is an independent software review platform serving readers across the United States and Canada. We are the controller of the personal information described here, and you can reach us at hello@softshortlist.com.

What we collect

• Nothing, if you are just reading. You can browse every review, comparison and guide on this site without giving us anything and without accepting a single non essential cookie.
• Your email address, if you subscribe to the newsletter. That is the only field we ask for.
• What you send us, if you use the contact form: your name, your email address and your message.
• Your review, if you write one: the content, your name, your job title, your company, your industry, your company size and your country. You choose what to put in those fields.
• Aggregate analytics about which pages are read. This is measured without cookies and cannot identify you.
• Affiliate clicks. When you click through to a vendor we record which product, and the date. We truncate the IP address before it is stored, so the record cannot be traced back to you.

What we do not do

• We do not sell your personal information. We never have and there is no version of this business where we do.
• We do not share your information with vendors. A vendor cannot buy a list of people who read their review.
• We do not run advertising trackers or third party marketing pixels.
• We do not build a profile of you across other websites.

Why we are allowed to hold it

For the newsletter, because you gave express consent by confirming a double opt in email. For a review, because you submitted it for publication. For contact messages, because you asked us a question. For the aggregate analytics and affiliate counts, because we have a legitimate interest in knowing what is read and in getting paid, and because neither identifies you.

Your rights in the United States

If you live in California, the CCPA and CPRA give you the right to know what we hold, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of any sale or sharing. We do not sell or share personal information, so that last right has nothing to act on, but the right exists and we honor it. Similar laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas and other states give you comparable rights and we apply the same process to everyone regardless of state.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. The Federal Trade Commission oversees our conduct here.

Your rights in Canada

PIPEDA gives you the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to challenge its accuracy, and to withdraw consent. If you are in Quebec, Law 25 additionally gives you the right to data portability and the right to be informed when an automated decision is made about you. We make no automated decisions about people.

You can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at any time, and if you are in Quebec, to the Commission d'acces a l'information. You do not need to come to us first, though we would rather you did so we can fix it.

How to exercise any of this

Email hello@softshortlist.com. Tell us what you want and we will do it within 30 days, usually much sooner. We will ask you to confirm you control the email address in question, which is the only verification we do. There is no charge.

How long we keep things

What	How long
Newsletter subscription	Until you unsubscribe, then we keep the fact of the unsubscribe so we do not email you again
Contact messages	24 months
Published reviews	Indefinitely, unless you ask us to remove yours
Affiliate click records	24 months, already truncated so they cannot identify you

Who else touches your data

Our hosting and database providers process data on our behalf under contract. Our email provider sends the newsletter. That is the entire list. None of them may use your information for their own purposes.

Some of these providers operate in the United States, which means information about Canadian readers may be stored there. We tell you this because PIPEDA says you should know.

Children

This site is for people buying business software. It is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect anything from anyone under 13.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will say so in the newsletter rather than quietly updating the date at the top.