Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Account registration details (name, email address, password) or information received from third-party authentication providers such as Google OAuth (name, email address, profile picture).
• Profile information including your location, bio, skills, hourly rate, availability, portfolio links, languages, and certifications.
• Uploaded files such as avatar images, portfolio images, and certificate documents.
• Job post content and interest expressions submitted by Employers.
• Communications you send through the platform, including contact requests and messages.
• Billing and payment information when you subscribe to a paid plan. Payment card details are collected and processed directly by Stripe and are never stored on our servers.

Information collected automatically:

• Log data such as your IP address, browser type, referring URL, pages visited, and timestamps.
• Device information including operating system, hardware model, and screen resolution.
• Usage data such as profile views received, search queries, clicks, and feature interactions.
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 5 below).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To create, maintain, and secure your account.
• To display your public Seeker profile to Employers and other visitors.
• To facilitate connections between Employers and Seekers, including contact requests and messaging.
• To process subscription payments and manage billing through Stripe.
• To provide Seeker Premium features such as profile analytics and priority search visibility.
• To send transactional communications including account confirmations, password resets, and billing receipts.
• To send platform-related notifications and updates. You may opt out of non-essential communications at any time.
• To monitor and analyze usage patterns in order to improve platform performance and user experience.
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our agreements.

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• With other users: Public profile information (name, avatar, skills, location, bio, rates, portfolio, certifications) is visible to all visitors and registered users. This is a core function of the Service.
• With Employers (on contact): When an Employer initiates a contact request, limited contact information may be shared as part of that interaction.
• Service providers: We share information with trusted third-party vendors who help us operate the Service, subject to confidentiality obligations. These include Stripe (payment processing), Google (OAuth authentication), and hosting and analytics providers.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change.
• With your consent: We may share your information for other purposes if you provide explicit consent.

4. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy governing how they handle your data:

• Stripe: We use Stripe to process all subscription payments. When you subscribe to Seeker Premium or Employer Verified Partner, your payment card details are collected directly by Stripe. We do not store your full card number on our servers. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy.
• Google OAuth: If you choose to sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google. We do not receive your Google password. Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
• NextAuth.js: We use NextAuth.js to manage authentication sessions. Session tokens are stored in secure, HTTP-only cookies on your browser.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate and improve the Service. Cookies are small data files stored on your device by your browser.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Required for the Service to function. These include session authentication cookies managed by NextAuth.js, CSRF protection tokens, and security-related cookies. The Service cannot operate properly without these.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (such as theme or language) to personalize your experience.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Service so we can identify issues and improve the platform.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies will prevent core features of the Service, including authentication, from functioning properly.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specific retention practices include:

• Account data: Retained for the lifetime of your account. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except as noted below.
• Uploaded content: Avatar images, portfolio images, and certificates are deleted when you remove them from your profile or when your account is deleted.
• Billing records: Transaction and billing records may be retained for up to 7 years to comply with tax and financial reporting obligations.
• Log and analytics data: Automatically collected log data is retained for up to 12 months and then aggregated or deleted.
• Legal holds: We may retain information beyond these periods if required by law, to resolve disputes, or to enforce our agreements.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers.
• Password hashing using industry-standard algorithms.
• Secure, HTTP-only cookies for session management.
• Regular security reviews and updates to our infrastructure.
• Restricted access to personal data on a need-to-know basis among our team.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information under laws such as the GDPR (EU/EEA), CCPA (California), or other applicable privacy regulations. These may include:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information. You can update most profile information directly from your dashboard.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions. You may also delete your account at any time through your account settings.
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to certain types of processing, including processing for direct marketing purposes.
• Withdrawal of consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
• Opt out of communications: You may unsubscribe from non-essential emails at any time using the link provided in those emails.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@virtualfreaks.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@virtualfreaks.com.

10. International Data Transfers

Virtual Freaks is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries that may have different data protection laws than your country of residence. We take steps to ensure that your data receives an adequate level of protection wherever it is processed.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify you via email or an in-platform notification. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

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