Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

POWERTECH DIGITAL LIMITED ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use ExpertMatched.

We are the data controller for the personal information we process, unless otherwise stated. Our registered office is at 85 Great Portland Street, London, Greater London, United Kingdom, W1W 7LT (Company Number 16015351).

This policy complies with:

• UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
• EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• Other applicable data protection laws

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Account Registration:

• Name and email address
• Password (encrypted)
• Account type (Business or Expert)

Business User Profiles:

• Company name and industry
• Job title and role
• Business description and validation needs
• Budget and project details

Expert Profiles:

• Professional experience and expertise
• Industry domains and skills
• Work history and credentials
• Hourly rate and availability
• LinkedIn profile and portfolio (optional)
• Profile photo and bio

Payment Information:

• Payment card details (processed and stored by Stripe, not by us)
• Billing address
• Transaction history

Communications:

• Messages exchanged between users on the platform
• Session notes and feedback
• Support inquiries and correspondence

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, search queries, click patterns
• Cookies: See our Cookie Policy for details
• Session Data: Login times, session duration, activity logs

2.3 Information from Third Parties

• Stripe: Payment processing and verification data
• LinkedIn: Profile data (if you choose to connect your LinkedIn account)
• Email Service Providers: Email delivery status and engagement

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

3.1 Providing Our Services

• Creating and managing your account
• Facilitating connections between Businesses and Experts
• Processing payments and payouts
• Enabling messaging and communication
• Scheduling and managing sessions
• Providing customer support

3.2 Improving Our Platform

• Analyzing usage patterns and trends
• Developing new features and services
• Conducting research and analytics
• Testing and troubleshooting

3.3 Marketing and Communications

• Sending transactional emails (booking confirmations, receipts)
• Sending service updates and announcements
• Providing promotional content (with your consent)
• Responding to inquiries and requests

3.4 Safety and Security

• Detecting and preventing fraud
• Protecting against unauthorized access
• Enforcing our Terms and Conditions
• Complying with legal obligations

3.5 Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR/UK GDPR)

We process your personal data based on:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to provide our services
• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent (e.g., marketing emails)
• Legitimate Interests: For improving our services, fraud prevention, and analytics
• Legal Obligation: To comply with laws and regulations

4. How We Share Your Information

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

4.1 With Other Users

• Before Booking: Businesses see anonymized expert profiles (initials, skills, experience - no full names or photos)
• After Booking: Both parties receive full profile access to facilitate the session
• Messages: Communications are visible to both sender and recipient

4.2 With Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our platform:

• Stripe: Payment processing (see Stripe's privacy policy)
• Mailtrap: Email delivery services
• Vercel: Platform hosting and infrastructure
• PostHog: Product analytics and user behavior insights (EU cloud - GDPR compliant, data stored in EU)
• Cloudflare R2 / AWS S3: File storage for profile photos and documents
• Socket.io: Real-time messaging infrastructure

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.

4.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required to:

• Comply with legal obligations, court orders, or government requests
• Enforce our Terms and Conditions
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of ExpertMatched, our users, or the public
• Prevent fraud or illegal activity

4.4 Business Transfers

If ExpertMatched is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5. International Data Transfers

ExpertMatched is based in the United Kingdom. If you access our services from outside the UK, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the UK or other countries where our service providers operate.

When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Adequacy decisions recognizing equivalent data protection standards
• Other legally approved transfer mechanisms

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Account Data: Until you delete your account, plus 30 days for backup purposes
• Transaction Records: 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
• Messages: Until either party deletes their account
• Marketing Data: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• Session Data: 2 years for dispute resolution purposes

After retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymize your information.

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1 Rights Under GDPR/UK GDPR

If you are in the UK or EU, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to Restriction: Limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for marketing
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK or your local data protection authority

7.2 Rights Under CCPA (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights:

• Right to Know: Request disclosure of what personal information we collect, use, and share
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: Opt-out of the sale of personal information (note: we do not sell personal information)
• Right to Non-Discrimination: Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights

7.3 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@expertmatched.com. We will respond to verified requests within:

• GDPR/UK GDPR: 30 days (may be extended to 60 days for complex requests)
• CCPA: 45 days (may be extended to 90 days with notice)

8. Security

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

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Regular security assessments and audits
• Access controls and authentication
• Employee training on data protection
• Incident response procedures

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

ExpertMatched is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@expertmatched.com and we will take steps to delete such information.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to provide functionality and improve your experience. For detailed information about the cookies we use and your choices, please see our Cookie Policy.

11. Third-Party Links

ExpertMatched may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., LinkedIn profiles, portfolio sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• Sending an email notification to your registered email address
• Displaying a prominent notice on the platform

Your continued use of ExpertMatched after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. California "Shine the Light" Law

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

14. Contact Us

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

UK Supervisory Authority:
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113