Effective Date: 01/01/2025
This Privacy Policy explains how Socio Connect (“Socio Connect,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and safeguards your personal data when you use our website, mobile applications, and any other services that reference or link to this policy (collectively, the “Services”). By using or accessing our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
- Account Registration: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, username, password, and any other information you choose to provide.
- Profile Information: If you choose to create or update a profile, we may collect your address, phone number, photos, business or organizational details (for directory listings), and any other details you voluntarily share.
- User-Generated Content: We collect information you post in public areas (e.g., comments, reviews, forums, messages) or send privately (e.g., direct messages to other users).
- Payment Details (if applicable): If you purchase any paid features or subscriptions, we may collect billing information, such as credit card details, though payments may be processed by a third-party payment processor (see Section 4).
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Usage Data: We automatically collect information about how you interact with our Services, including the pages or screens you view, the dates and times of your visits, and the links you click.
- Device Information: We may collect data about your device, including IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and mobile network.
- Location Data: With your consent, we may collect geolocation data (e.g., your approximate or precise location). You can disable location services at any time in your device settings.
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from other users (e.g., if someone invites you to join Socio Connect), social media platforms (if you choose to link your accounts), or other third-party services that help us operate or analyze our Services.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for purposes such as:
- Providing the Services: To create and manage your account, process transactions, display directory listings, and enable social features like messaging and content sharing.
- Personalization: To tailor content, recommendations, and advertising based on your interests and interactions with our Services.
- Communication: To respond to your inquiries, send administrative emails (e.g., account confirmations, security alerts), and inform you about changes to our Services or this Privacy Policy.
- Analytics and Improvements: To understand usage trends, measure the effectiveness of our features and marketing, and make improvements to our Services.
- Security and Fraud Prevention: To protect our Services and users from unauthorized or illegal activity, enforce our Terms of Service, and comply with legal obligations.
- Marketing: Where permitted by law, to send you promotional communications regarding new features, events, or third-party offers that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
3. Legal Bases for Processing (Where Applicable)
If you are located in certain jurisdictions (e.g., the European Economic Area), we process your personal data under the following legal bases:
- Performance of a Contract: We need to process your information to provide our Services as per our agreement (Terms of Service).
- Consent: We may rely on your consent for certain types of data processing (e.g., marketing communications, location data).
- Legitimate Interests: We may process your data to improve and secure our Services, conduct analytics, or market to you (unless these interests are overridden by your data-protection interests).
- Legal Obligations: We may process data if required to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
4. How We Share Your Information
- Service Providers: We share your data with vendors and service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, hosting, analytics, customer support, and email delivery.
- Business Partners: Where you have chosen to interact with specific partners or integrated services, we may share data to facilitate those interactions.
- Users and Public: If you submit content in public areas of our Services, that content (including profile details, directory listings, and any publicly posted information) can be viewed by other users and the general public.
- Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information if we are required to do so by law or if we believe disclosure is necessary to:
- Comply with legal processes
- Protect our rights or property
- Investigate or prevent illegal activities
- Protect the safety of our users or the public
- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or bankruptcy, user information may be transferred or disclosed as part of that transaction.
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and other tracking technologies to:
- Recognize you across different devices.
- Remember your preferences and settings.
- Analyze traffic and usage patterns.
- Deliver relevant ads and track ad performance.
You can control or disable cookies in your browser or device settings, but doing so may limit some functionalities of our Services.
6. International Data Transfers
Socio Connect operates globally, and we may transfer your personal data to jurisdictions outside of your own. We strive to ensure that appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) are in place when transferring data to countries that may not have the same data protection laws as your jurisdiction.
7. Data Retention
We keep your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, such as providing you with our Services, and to comply with legal or regulatory requirements. When we no longer need your personal data, we will securely delete or anonymize it.
8. Security Measures
We employ industry-standard security measures (e.g., encryption, firewalls, access controls) designed to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data. Please keep your account credentials confidential and alert us immediately of any unauthorized access.
9. Your Choices and Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:
- Access: Request details about the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectify: Correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Delete: Request deletion of your personal data.
- Restrict: Limit how we process your personal data.
- Port: Obtain a copy of your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Object: Object to certain types of processing (e.g., direct marketing, where applicable).
- Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on consent, withdraw it at any time.
To exercise these rights, contact us at [privacy@socioconnect.com]. We may ask for verification of your identity before responding to certain requests.
10. Children’s Privacy
Our Services are not directed toward individuals under the age of [13 / 16 / age of majority as per local law]. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without parental or guardian consent. If you believe we have collected information from a child without proper consent, please contact us at [privacy@socioconnect.com], and we will take steps to remove the information promptly.
11. Third-Party Links and Services
Our Services may contain links to third-party websites or integrations with external services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party websites or services you visit or use.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy and revising the “Effective Date” at the top. Your continued use of our Services after the changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Socio Connect
Email: [community@socioconnect.com]
Last Updated: 01/01/2025