Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-04-10.

1. Introduction

Unicorn Factory Limited (company number 16764380, registered in England and Wales, hereafter "we", "us", or "the Company") operates Unicorn Factories (https://unicornfactories.com), an open directory and interactive playbook for Industry 4.0 and 5.0 technologies. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are the data controller for all personal data processed through the platform.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following personal data when you interact with our services:

• Account information — name, email address, profile photo (via OAuth providers), and authentication credentials
• Submission information — content you submit via the tool submission form, comments, or reviews
• Payment information — processed by third-party payment processors (Stripe, Autumn); we do not store card details ourselves
• Technical information — IP address, browser type, device information, and usage patterns captured by analytics

We do not use tracking cookies for advertising, and we do not sell any personal data to third parties.

3. Purpose and Legal Basis

Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

• Contract performance — to create and manage your account, provide access to the directory and platform features, process submissions, and deliver customer support
• Legitimate interests — to improve the platform through analytics, ensure security and prevent fraud, send service updates, and develop new features. Our legitimate interests are balanced against your rights, with opt-out available where appropriate
• Consent — to send marketing emails (opt-out anytime) and to display testimonials or case studies (permission asked first)
• Legal obligations — to comply with tax and accounting requirements, respond to lawful requests from regulators or law enforcement, and report data breaches to the Information Commissioner's Office where required

We do not use automated decision-making that significantly affects you without your knowledge or consent.

4. Data Processing and Storage

Your data is processed and securely stored on trusted cloud infrastructure (currently Supabase PostgreSQL, Vercel, and Cloudflare R2). We use encryption in transit and at rest to protect your information. Data is retained for as long as your account remains active, or as required to provide services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.

5. Third-Party Services

We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers for the following purposes:

• Payment processing (Stripe, Autumn)
• Website analytics (Umami, privacy-respecting)
• Cloud hosting (Vercel, Supabase, Cloudflare R2, Hetzner)
• Email delivery (Resend)
• Error tracking (Sentry) — no personal data in error payloads
• Authentication providers (Google, GitHub) when you choose to sign in through them

These providers are only permitted to use your data to deliver their services and are required to safeguard it appropriately. We do not share personal data with advertisers or data brokers.

6. Cookies and Tracking

We use strictly-necessary cookies for authentication (maintaining your login session) and essential site functionality. We do not use marketing, advertising, or cross-site tracking cookies. Our analytics provider (Umami) operates without setting tracking cookies and does not transmit personal data.

Because we only use strictly-necessary cookies, we do not display a cookie consent banner under GDPR and ePrivacy rules. You may disable cookies in your browser, but certain features (such as signing in) will not work.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction (GDPR in the EU/EEA/UK, CCPA in California, or equivalent regulations elsewhere), you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct or update inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restrict or object to the processing of your data
• Receive your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

Data deletion: You may delete your account and all associated personal data at any time from your profile settings. For bulk data requests or assistance, contact us at privacy@unicornfactories.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

Unicorn Factories is a professional directory aimed at adult users (plant managers, engineers, researchers, students at university level and above). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. International Data Transfers

Our infrastructure spans multiple regions. Personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States and the European Economic Area. For transfers of personal data outside the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards under UK GDPR Chapter V, including UK-approved Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with US-based providers, adequacy decisions where available, and supplementary technical and organisational measures such as encryption in transit and at rest. You may request information about the safeguards we use by contacting privacy@unicornfactories.com.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated via email (if you have an account) or by posting a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this page regularly.

11. Contact and Complaints

Unicorn Factory Limited is the data controller responsible for your personal data. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data protection rights, or have concerns about how we handle your data, please contact us:

• Data Controller: Unicorn Factory Limited
• Company Number: 16764380
• Registered Office: 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF, United Kingdom
• Privacy contact: privacy@unicornfactories.com

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 30 days. For complex requests (for example, Subject Access Requests) we may extend this to 60 days and will notify you of the extension and the reason.

Right to complain to the ICO. If you believe we have not handled your personal data properly or have failed to respect your rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority:

• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
• Website: ico.org.uk
• Phone: 0303 123 1113 (UK local rate) or +44 1625 545 745 (international)
• Address: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, United Kingdom

We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concerns directly, but you have the right to complain to the ICO at any time.