Privacy Policy

Introduction

LeaderShield Funding, LLC ("LeaderShield," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our platform, or engage with our services as an independent agent, merchant customer, or website visitor. Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not access or use our services.

1. Information We Collect

a. Personal Information

We may collect personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide when you register for an account, apply to become an independent agent, or interact with our platform. This includes:

• Full legal name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Mailing address
• Date of birth
• Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number (for commission payments and 1099 reporting)
• Government-issued identification (for identity verification)

b. Financial Information

To process commission payments and manage your account, we may collect:

• Bank account information (for direct deposit of commissions)
• Payment card details (processed through secure third-party payment processors)
• Commission and earnings history
• Transaction records related to MCA deals and subscription sales

c. Usage Data

We automatically collect certain information when you access our platform, including:

• IP address and geographic location
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent, and navigation paths
• Referring website or source
• Device identifiers and mobile device information
• Click-stream data and interaction patterns

d. Communications Data

If you contact us via email, phone, live chat, or through our platform's messaging features, we may retain the content of those communications, your contact information, and our responses for quality assurance and training purposes.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Account Management: To create, maintain, and manage your agent or merchant account
• Commission Processing: To calculate, track, and disburse commission payments and generate tax documentation (1099 forms)
• Platform Operations: To operate, maintain, and improve our platform, including the agent portal, CRM, and reporting tools
• Communication: To send transactional notifications, account updates, training materials, and platform announcements
• Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, tax reporting requirements, and regulatory mandates
• Security: To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, and security incidents
• Analytics: To analyze usage patterns, measure platform performance, and improve our services
• Marketing: To send promotional materials about our products and services (with your consent where required by law)
• Training and Support: To provide agent onboarding, training resources, and customer support

3. Sharing of Information with Third Parties

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with the following categories of third parties:

• MCA Funding Partners: When you submit or process MCA deals, relevant merchant and deal information is shared with our lending and funding partners to facilitate approvals and funding
• Payment Processors: Financial information is shared with our secure payment processing partners (e.g., Stripe, ACH providers) to process commission payments
• Service Providers: We may share information with vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as email delivery, cloud hosting, analytics, and customer support tools
• Upline Agents: Limited performance data (deal counts, subscription sales, team activity) may be visible to your upline agents and team leaders within the platform hierarchy
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental regulation, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of LeaderShield, our agents, or the public
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction

4. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. Specifically:

• Active Accounts: Data is retained for the duration of your active agent or merchant relationship with LeaderShield
• Closed Accounts: Following account closure or termination, we retain records for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with tax reporting, regulatory, and legal obligations
• Financial Records: Commission records, 1099 data, and transaction histories are retained for at least seven (7) years in accordance with IRS requirements
• Usage Data: Anonymized usage and analytics data may be retained indefinitely for business analysis purposes

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our platform:

• Essential Cookies: Required for platform functionality, including authentication, session management, and security
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our platform so we can improve its performance and usability
• Preference Cookies: Store your settings and preferences (e.g., theme, language) for a better user experience
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertising and track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our platform. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when a cookie is being set. Refer to your browser's help documentation for instructions on managing cookies.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

a. Right to Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will provide this information in a commonly used, machine-readable format within 30 days of your request.

b. Right to Correction

You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information. You may also update certain information directly through your account settings in the agent portal.

c. Right to Deletion

You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions. We may retain data necessary for legal compliance, dispute resolution, or enforcement of our agreements. Financial records required for tax purposes cannot be deleted prior to the expiration of the applicable retention period.

d. Right to Opt-Out

You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in our emails or by contacting us at the address below. Please note that transactional communications (e.g., commission notifications, account alerts) are not subject to opt-out.

e. Right to Data Portability

Where technically feasible, you may request that we transfer your personal information to another service provider in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Our platform and services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete such information from our records. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at the address below.

8. California Resident Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, the business purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain legal exceptions
• Right to Correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell your personal information. However, if this changes, you will have the right to opt out
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA/CPRA rights
• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: You may direct us to limit our use of your sensitive personal information to purposes necessary to provide our services

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a verifiable consumer request by contacting us at the email address listed below. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days. You may also designate an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf.

9. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest, access controls, regular security audits, and employee training on data protection practices. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for any activity that occurs under your account.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through our platform. This includes, but is not limited to, MCA funding partner portals, payment processing services, and third-party analytics tools.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, for material changes, notify you via email or through a prominent notice on our platform. Your continued use of our services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

For California residents, you may also contact us to exercise your CCPA/CPRA rights at the email address above. Please include "CCPA Request" in the subject line.