Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 6, 2026
1. Introduction
Rate Me ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share your personal data when you use our application and website.
2. Data Controller
Rate Me is the data controller. Contact us at [email protected].
3. Data We Collect
| Category | Data | Purpose |
|---|
| Account | Name, email, phone, password | Account creation and authentication |
| Profile | Photo, bio, portfolio photos | Public profile display |
| Location | The address you enter and its map coordinates (looked up with Google Places), service radius. The App does not access your device's GPS. | Job matching and distance calculation |
| Orders | Job descriptions, photos, status | Service delivery |
| Messages | Chat messages, support messages | Communication between users |
| Payments | Transaction history, credit balance | Payment processing |
| Device | FCM token, device type | Push notifications |
| Usage | Login times, app activity | Service improvement and security |
4. Legal Basis for Processing
- Contract: Processing necessary to provide the Service (account, orders, payments).
- Legitimate interest: Security, fraud prevention, service improvement.
- Consent: Push notifications, marketing communications.
5. How We Use Your Data
- To provide and maintain the Service.
- To match clients with relevant experts based on location and trade.
- To process payments and manage credit balances.
- To send notifications about orders, messages, and account activity.
- To verify your phone number with a one-time code sent by text message.
- To prevent fraud and ensure platform safety.
- To improve the Service based on usage patterns.
6. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with:
- Other users: Your public profile, reviews, and order details are visible to relevant users.
- Payment processors: Stripe (web payments), Apple App Store, Google Play Store.
- Cloud providers: For hosting and storage (servers, S3).
- Firebase (Google): For push notifications (FCM tokens) and crash reports (Crashlytics), which may include your account identifier and email to help us fix errors.
- Google Maps / Places: To suggest and locate the addresses you type.
- Twilio: To send the verification code by text message; Twilio receives your phone number and the language of your account.
- Google and Apple sign-in: If you choose to sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name and email from them.
- Legal authorities: When required by law.
7. Data Retention
- Account data is retained while your account is active.
- When you delete your account in the App, it is closed immediately: you can no longer sign in, your profile is no longer shown to other users and you stop receiving notifications.
- Other users then see you as "Deleted user". For 12 months after deletion, we keep the information linked to your account, visible only to our team, to handle disputes, safety reports, fraud and legal requests.
- After 12 months, your name, email address, phone number, address and photos are erased automatically. Orders, messages and reviews remain, without your identity.
- Payment records are kept for 6 years to meet UK accounting obligations, then deleted.
- If an account was banned, we keep a one-way fingerprint (hash) of its email address so that it cannot be used to sign up again.
- You can ask us at any time to erase your personal data earlier by writing to [email protected]; we will do so unless we need to keep it for one of the reasons above.
8. Your Rights (GDPR)
If you are in the UK or EU, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data.
- Rectify inaccurate data.
- Erase your data ("right to be forgotten").
- Restrict processing of your data.
- Data portability: Receive your data in a structured format.
- Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
- Withdraw consent at any time.
To exercise these rights, contact [email protected].
9. Data Security
We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and secure server infrastructure. However, no method of transmission is 100% secure.
10. Cookies
The website uses essential cookies for session management and language preference. No third-party tracking cookies are used.
11. Children's Privacy
The Service is not intended for users under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
12. International Transfers
Your data may be transferred to and stored on servers outside the UK. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via the App or email.
14. Contact
For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your data rights, contact us at [email protected].