Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Client Hunter ("Company", "we", "us", or "our"), operated at clienthunter.org. Client Hunter is a professional platform that connects software developers and technical freelancers with client opportunities, project leads, and contract work.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services. By accessing or using Client Hunter, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our platform.

This policy is designed to comply with applicable international data protection laws including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and other applicable regional data protection frameworks.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration: Full name, email address, username, password, and professional profile information such as skills, experience, and portfolio links.
• Profile Data: Developer bio, technology stack, hourly rate preferences, availability, GitHub/LinkedIn URLs, and project history.
• Communications: Messages you send via our contact form, support tickets, or email to contact@clienthunter.org.
• Payment Information: Billing address, subscription tier, and payment method details. Note: Full payment card details are processed exclusively by our PCI-DSS compliant payment processors and are never stored on our servers.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on the platform, click paths, and search queries within the platform.
• Device & Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, referral URL, and language settings.
• Cookies & Tracking Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and similar technologies. See Section 7 for details.
• Log Data: Server logs may record your IP address, access times, and pages requested as part of standard server operation.

2.3 Information from Third Parties

• Single Sign-On providers (Google, GitHub) if you choose to authenticate via these services.
• Analytics partners including Google Analytics 4 and related Google services.
• Payment processors including Stripe and/or PayPal for transaction verification.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal data for the following purposes and legal bases:

• Service Delivery (Contractual Necessity): To create and manage your account, match your profile with relevant client opportunities, and facilitate communication between developers and potential clients.
• Payment Processing (Contractual Necessity): To process subscription payments, manage billing cycles, detect fraud, and comply with financial regulations.
• Platform Improvement (Legitimate Interest): To analyze usage patterns, fix bugs, develop new features, and improve the overall user experience.
• Communications (Consent / Legitimate Interest): To send transactional emails (account updates, payment receipts), platform notifications, and — with your explicit consent — marketing communications about new features or relevant opportunities.
• Legal Compliance (Legal Obligation): To comply with applicable laws, respond to lawful requests from authorities, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect the rights and safety of our users.
• Security (Legitimate Interest): To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents, and violations of our policies.

4. Payment Processing & Financial Data

Client Hunter uses industry-leading, PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment processors to handle all financial transactions. We currently integrate with:

• Stripe, Inc. — For credit/debit card processing and subscription billing. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy.
• PayPal Holdings, Inc. — As an alternative payment method. PayPal's privacy policy is available at paypal.com/privacy.

We do not store, log, or have access to full payment card numbers, CVV codes, or bank account details. All such sensitive financial information is transmitted directly to our payment processors using TLS encryption and is subject to their respective security and compliance programs.

We retain records of transaction metadata (amount, date, subscription tier, billing address, processor transaction ID) as required by applicable tax and financial reporting laws, typically for a period of seven (7) years.

5. Google Services & Third-Party Integrations

Client Hunter uses the following Google services, which may collect data subject to Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy):

• Google Analytics 4: We use Google Analytics to understand aggregate user behavior on our platform. Google Analytics collects data such as pages visited, session duration, and referral sources using cookies and device identifiers. This data is anonymized and used solely for improving our platform. You may opt out via Google Analytics Opt-out.
• Google Sign-In: 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 reCAPTCHA: Used on forms to protect against automated abuse. reCAPTCHA may collect hardware and software information and send it to Google for analysis.

We implement Google's data processing terms and, where required by GDPR, have established appropriate data processing agreements with Google.

6. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your data with:

• Service Providers: Trusted vendors who assist us in operating the platform (hosting, email delivery, analytics, payment processing, customer support tools) under strict data processing agreements.
• Other Users: Your public profile information (name, skills, portfolio) is visible to other users and potential clients on the platform. You control what appears in your public profile.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email prior to any such transfer.
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

7. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Required for the platform to function (authentication sessions, security tokens). Cannot be disabled.
• Performance & Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the platform (Google Analytics, Hotjar). These collect anonymized, aggregated data.
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences (language, display settings, notification preferences).
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness. Only deployed with your explicit consent where required.

You can manage cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner or via your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may impact platform functionality.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law:

• Account Data: Retained for the duration of your active account plus 90 days following account deletion to allow for dispute resolution.
• Financial Records: Retained for seven (7) years as required by applicable tax and accounting regulations.
• Communications: Support and contact records retained for three (3) years.
• Analytics Data: Aggregated, anonymized analytics data may be retained indefinitely.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Restriction: Request that we limit how we process your data.
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@clienthunter.org. We will respond within 30 days. For EEA/UK residents, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

10. International Data Transfers

Client Hunter operates globally. Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, which may have different data protection laws. Where we transfer data from the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom to third countries, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, adequacy decisions, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

11. Children's Privacy

Client Hunter is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately at contact@clienthunter.org and we will promptly delete such data.

12. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including TLS/SSL encryption for data in transit, AES-256 encryption for sensitive data at rest, regular security audits, access controls and principle of least privilege, and multi-factor authentication options for user accounts. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes by posting a notice on our platform and/or sending an email to your registered address at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of Client Hunter after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact & Data Controller

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