Privacy Policy

This policy explains how LabSource ("we", "us") collects, uses and protects information, in line with Israel's Protection of Privacy Law, 5741-1981, as amended by Amendment 13 (in force from 14 August 2025). It applies to the LabSource website and related services (the "Site").

What we collect

• Search activity: the queries you type, so we can return relevant results and improve search quality. Queries are not linked to your name unless you contact us separately.
• Device-local personalization profile: if you opt in, we keep a small profile on your own device (browser storage) of which item types you search most, so we can show more relevant results. This profile is not sent to our servers and stays on your device until you clear it or reset it in the cookie settings.
• Cookies and similar technologies: essential cookies needed to run the Site, plus optional analytics and personalization cookies you can accept or decline. See our Cookie Policy for the categories and your choices.
• Contact and report forms: if you request a quote, report an error, or contact us, we collect what you provide (e.g. name, email, institution, message) to respond to you.
• Technical and usage data: standard technical information (such as IP address, browser type and pages viewed) for security, abuse prevention and, where you have consented, analytics.
• Seller-submitted data: sellers who list items or services provide business contact details, catalogs and related content, which are displayed publicly as part of the directory (see the Listing Terms).

We do not knowingly collect special categories of sensitive personal data through the Site, and the Site is intended for business/professional use, not for children.

Why we process this information

• To operate the Site: run searches, show listings, and connect you with sellers.
• To respond to quote requests, reports and other messages you send us.
• To keep the catalog accurate, including reviewing reported errors.
• Where you've consented: to personalize results on your device and to understand aggregate usage (analytics).
• To secure the Site and prevent abuse (e.g. rate limiting automated requests).

AI is used on this Site

Search summaries and some answers are generated with AI models (currently a Google Gemini-family model). Your query text may be sent to that provider to generate a response. We do not knowingly send special categories of sensitive personal data to the AI provider, and AI providers are bound by data-processing terms as processors acting on our instructions. See "AI-assisted answers" in the Terms of Service for the limits of these answers.

Search by image: if you upload a photo (e.g. a label, box or bottle) to search for a product, the image is sent to our AI provider for recognition, processed in memory only, and is not stored on our servers or saved anywhere. Only the text our system recognized from it (such as brand, product name or catalog number) may be kept, in the same way as a typed search query, to run and improve the search.

Personalization is opt-in and stays on your device

Personalization is off by default. If you turn it on (in the cookie banner or settings), we keep a small counter of the item types you search on your own device (browser local storage). It is not uploaded to our servers, is not linked to an account, and you can reset or clear it at any time from the cookie settings.

Retention

• Device-local personalization data stays on your device until you reset it or clear your browser storage.
• Messages you send us (quote requests, error reports, contact) are retained for as long as needed to handle the matter and for a reasonable period afterward for record-keeping, then deleted or anonymized.
• Technical/analytics data (where consented) is retained in aggregate or for a limited period sufficient for the purposes above.
• Seller-submitted business data is retained while the listing is active and for a reasonable period after removal, per the Listing Terms.

Processors and sub-processors

We use the following categories of service providers ("processors") to operate the Site, under contractual terms limiting their use of data to our instructions:

• Google Firebase / Google Cloud: hosting, database and infrastructure.
• Google Gemini (Google AI): generating search summaries and AI-assisted answers.
• Resend: transactional email delivery (e.g. confirmations, notifications).
• Stripe: planned for future paid seller plans; not yet used to process payments.

Transfers of data abroad

Some of our processors (including Google and, in the future, Stripe) operate infrastructure outside Israel, including in the United States and the European Union. Product photos uploaded by sellers are stored in Google Cloud Storage in the United States (us-east1); they are not personal data. Where personal data is transferred abroad, we rely on the processors' contractual and technical safeguards (such as standard contractual terms) intended to provide a level of protection consistent with Israeli law.

Accounts, search history and seller access

Signing in is optional. Searching, viewing sellers and asking for quotes work without an account. If you sign in (with Google or an email link), we store your email address and, if you choose, a display name. While you are signed in, we keep your search history so you can see it on any device; you can delete single searches or clear the whole history at any time from *My account*, and it is deleted when you close your account.

To see the searches people make, improve search quality and fill gaps in the catalog (for example, spotting a missing seller or item), we also keep anonymous search statistics (the query text, the number of results and the language) without any user identifier or IP address.

People who manage a seller's listing must be approved by LabSource first. For those accounts we keep an activity log (who changed what, and when) so that listing changes can be audited. Confirmations submitted on a seller's behalf are kept as a record of that confirmation (name, role, work email, time and a fingerprint of the submitted details).

Your rights

Under the Protection of Privacy Law (as amended), you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you;
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• ask us about the purposes of processing and to whom data is transferred, to the extent required by law.

To exercise these rights, contact us through our contact form or by email to legal@labsource.online. We will respond within the time frames required by law. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority.

Cookies

See our separate Cookie Policy for the categories of cookies we use and how to change your choice at any time.

Security

We apply reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information against unauthorized access, alteration or loss. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time; the "last updated" date above reflects the current version. Material changes will be reflected on this page.

Contact

Privacy questions or requests: our contact form or legal@labsource.online.