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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 26 August 2024

Summary

Information We Collect –  When you register on Counsely’s platform, use it, complete forms, and engage in transactions with other users, you provide us with most of the information we collect. We also collect all the information and communications you made within Counsely, including posts within our community forum and your communication with clients and fellow users. We automatically collect information while you access, browse, view, or otherwise use the platform. We may receive information from third-party vendors or other available sources to provide a better experience for you. 

 

How Do We Use the Information Collected? – We use personal information to deliver quality service and ensure security, to operate the Platform, fulfill our obligations to you, and enhance and personalize your experience. This includes maintaining marketplace integrity, preventing fraud, contacting you with direct marketing communications, and promoting Counsely as a marketplace platform. Additionally, we use your information to comply with legal requests from public authorities and adhere to applicable laws and regulations.

 

How Long Do We Keep Personal Information – We will retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected. However, in certain instances, we may keep personal information for longer periods, such as transaction history, community posts, and similar records.

 

Children - This Platform is offered and available to users who are at least 18 years of age and of legal age to form a binding contract. Minors under 18 are not permitted to use the Platform or the Counsely services. 

 

Sharing Personal Information with Third Parties – We share personal information with third parties in order to operate the Platform, provide our services to you, perform obligations imposed on us by applicable laws and regulations, and prevent fraud, infringements and illegal activities.

Where We Process Personal Information - Some of the personal information you provide to us will be stored or processed on our behalf by third-party suppliers and data processors and may be located in other jurisdictions.

 

External Links - the Platform contains links to third-party sites and if you link to a third-party site from the Platform, any data you provide to that site and any use of that data by the third party are not under the control of Counsely and are not subject to this Policy.

 

Security – We implement technical and organizational measures to maintain the security of the Platform and your personal information and to prevent unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, destruction, or damage to it through industry-standard technologies and internal procedures.

 

Updating Personal Information – We take steps to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate and up to date, and we provide you with the opportunity to update your information through your account profile settings. In the event that you believe your information is in any way incorrect or inaccurate, please let us know immediately.

 

Contact Us - You can exercise your rights over your personal information, by opening a Customers Relations ticket by contacting us at support@mycounsely.com with the email subject:” Customer Relations: {Insert Inquiry/Concern}.”

 

For more information about your rights, please refer to the full version of our Policy. The points above are just a summary; we encourage you to explore the detailed version below to learn more about the data we collect and how we use it. 

 

Information We Collect

Information You Provide. When you register to the Platform, use it, complete forms, participate in skills tests or surveys, sign up for events or newsletters, use the Platform as a collaborator, and/or register to our affiliate or similar program, we ask you to provide or otherwise collect personal information provided by you, including a valid email address, login details, name and username, profile details (including picture, education, profession, and expertise), physical address or billing information, telephone number or other contact details, date of birth, transactional information, payment information (for example, your payment method and credit card number), taxpayer information and forms, details about other social networks linked accounts, details about your listed gigs, orders, purchases and transactions rating and reviews, information included in user-generated content and files uploaded by you to the Platform. 

 

We may also collect identification information (such as copies of your government-issued ID, passport, or driving license) and biometric information derived from photos and identification documents you submit for verification. We also collect and process information about or contained in your communications with Counsely as well as any of your posts on our blogs or forums and your communication with other users of Counsely.

 

Information We Collect Automatically. We collect information while you access, view or otherwise use the Platform including information about transactions and communications with other users, your searches, the pages you visited, browsed and scrolled as well as your clicks and other actions on the Platform. We also, collect, use and process the information relating to such usage, including geo-location information, IP address, device and connection information, operating system, session duration, keyboard setting, browser information, and web-log information, We also collect and process information relating to the use of cookies and similar technologies, as detailed below.

 

Information We Receive from Third Parties. We receive information from third-party vendors and/or other commercially and/or publicly available sources, such as:

  • Third-party vendors who provide us data to supplement the information we collect about you, in accordance with applicable laws. For example, we receive fraud and security warnings from service providers for our fraud prevention and risk assessment efforts. We also receive information about you, such as information about your organization and job title, from enrichment service providers to enhance and personalize your experience and offer you services that may be of interest for you as well as from advertising and marketing partners in order to manage and measure our campaigns.

  • If you link, connect, or login to your account with a third-party service (e.g. Google), we receive certain information, such as your registration and profile information from that service. This information includes, for example, your email address, name, and profile picture, but may vary and is controlled by that service or as authorized by you via your privacy settings at that service.

  • If any other third party submits a report and/or complaint about you or your activity on Counsely, we may receive information relating to the specific report and/or complaint, review, and address it.

  • If you integrate into your account information from third parties or otherwise integrate your account with third-party systems, tools or products, we will receive certain information about you according to your permissions at such third parties. 

  • We also receive certain information about you, if you are invited to Counsely by another user (for example, as part of our collaboration tools and referral program), in such case we will receive limited information, such as your email address or other contact information, and we will use it for the same purpose it was provided and in accordance with this Policy.

 

We combine your personal information with information we collect automatically or obtain from other companies and use it for the purposes detailed in this Policy.

 

How Do We Use The Information Collected?

We will use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • to provide you with quality service and security, to operate the Platform, to fulfill our obligations to you and to develop, improve and personalize our service. For example, we use personal information to verify your identity. We also use this information to establish and set up your account, verify or re-issue a password, log your activity, enable your communications with other members, provide customer support and contact you from time to time. The information helps us to develop and improve our services, to understand and analyze our performance as well as your preferences and performance and to customize and personalize our service and enhance your experience (including by making Jon suggestions, ranking search results, etc.).

 

  • To ensure the integrity of our marketplace, prevent fraud, and maintain a safe and secure environment, we use personal information to monitor, track, and prevent illegal, fraudulent, and inappropriate activities. This includes monitoring content integrity, conducting security investigations and risk assessments, verifying or authenticating the information you provide, investigating reports and complaints about users, enforcing our Terms of Service, and complying with applicable laws. We also perform certain behavioral analytics to achieve these objectives. In some cases, if we detect activity that we believe poses a risk to the Counsely marketplace, other users, our community, or third parties, automated processes may restrict or limit your ability to use Counsely.

  • to contact you, as requested by you or as otherwise approved by you or permitted according to this Policy.

  • to promote and advertise the Platform, our services and the Counsely marketplace. For example, we use the information collected from you for the purpose of sending direct marketing messages (as detailed below), to show you information that may be of interest to you, to organize and facilitate referral programs, contests or other promotional activities or events.

  • For maintaining accurate business records, fulfilling legal requests from public authorities, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

 

We will ask for your consent before using information for a purpose other than those set out in this Policy.

Direct marketing:

  • We use your personal information to send you direct marketing communications about our products, services or promotions from Counsely that may be of interest to you or our related services. This may be via email, post, SMS, telephone or targeted online advertisements.

  • Our processing of your personal information for marketing purposes is based on our legitimate interest, on your consent, or on other legal basis permitted by applicable laws. You have a right to prevent direct marketing of any form at any time - this can be exercised by clicking “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of the marketing emails you receive. 

  • We take steps to limit direct marketing to a reasonable and proportionate level, and to send you communications which we believe may be of interest or relevance to you, based on the information we have about you.


 

How Long Do We Keep Personal Information?

We apply a general rule of keeping personal information only for as long as is required to perform the purpose for which it was collected. However, in some circumstances, we will retain your personal information for longer periods of time. We will retain personal information for the following purposes:

  • as long as it is necessary and relevant for our operations, e.g. so that we have an accurate record of your dealings with us in the event of any complaints or challenges;

  • in relation to personal information from closed accounts to comply with applicable laws, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigation, enforce our Platform terms and take other actions as permitted by law;

  • to comply with statutory or other obligations to which Counsely is subject to; and

  • if and to the extent necessary, we need it to preserve evidence within the statutes of limitation.

 

Children

This Platform is intended for users who are at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract. Minors under the age of 13 are not allowed to use the Counsely marketplace. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Parents and guardians should actively supervise their children's activities. If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete the information and the associated account. If you believe we may have information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at support@mycounsely.com.

 

Sharing Personal Information with Third Parties

We share your personal information with third parties as detailed below:

  • With other users and Platform visitors. When you register on the Platform, your username, country, and other activity-related information become publicly accessible to all users. This includes any photos you upload, your published portfolio, job details, ratings and reviews, and any additional information you choose to add to your profile. Your posts in the community forum are also visible to the public. Additionally, your information is shared with other users when you message or communicate with them. By sharing your data with other Counsely users, you do so at your own risk. Although our Terms of Service require Sellers to keep shared information confidential, Counsely cannot guarantee that all users will adhere to this requirement. It is your responsibility to ensure that other users respect your privacy preferences.

 

  • With users with whom you interact. We share personal information to facilitate interactions between users. For instance, if you are a Buyer, we may provide the Seller with specific details about you to ensure the services they offer align with your needs. This information sharing is limited in scope and is designed to enhance the Seller's service quality and improve your overall experience on the platform.

 

  • With Service Providers. We share personal information for business purposes with service providers that provide us with services for the purpose of operating the Platform, opening and operating your account as well as providing ancillary services and solutions, such as hosting services. We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to require third parties to adequately safeguard personal information and only process it in accordance with our instructions;

 

  • For legal reasons. We share personal information with law enforcement agencies, public authorities, or other parties in order to respond to a subpoena or court order, judicial process, or to regulatory authorities if we believe we are required to do so by law, or that doing so is reasonably necessary to comply with legal processes; when we believe it necessary or appropriate to disclose personal information to law enforcement authorities, such as to investigate actual or suspected fraud or violations of law, breaches of security, or breaches of this Policy; to respond to claims against us; and to protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Counsely, our customers, or the public;


 

  • For payments and fraud detection. We may share personal information with payment processor, Xendit for the purpose of facilitating payments done via the Platform, securing the Platform and protecting it against fraud, unauthorized transactions (such as money laundering), claims or other liabilities;

 

  • With our corporate affiliates. We share personal information with Counsely’s corporate affiliates for business and operational purposes, including for the purpose of recommending your set of skills to partners who are looking to hire from our proposed selection.

 

Where We Process Your Personal Information

 

Some of the personal information you provide to us will be stored or processed on our behalf by third-party suppliers and data processors and may be located in other jurisdictions, where laws may differ from the jurisdiction in which you live. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your personal information is treated securely and in accordance with this Policy.


 

External Links

Please be aware that the Platform may contain links to third-party sites. If you choose to navigate to a third-party site from the Platform, any data you provide to that site and its subsequent use are beyond the control of Counsely and are not governed by this Policy. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of any site you visit. This Policy exclusively applies to personal information collected by our Platform. Additionally, if you upload content, including personal information, to a social network and tag the Platform, your submission will be governed by that social network's terms of use and privacy policy, even if you post on an official Counsely page. We do not control or review these terms and policies, so it's important to review them before submitting any personal information.


 

Security

We implement technical and organizational measures in order to maintain the security of the Platform, our services and personal information and to prevent unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, destruction or damage to it through industry-standard technologies and internal procedures. We take measures to ensure that any third party processing your personal information equally provides for the confidentiality and integrity of your data in a secure way. However, the transmission of data via the internet is not completely secure, and although we will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to the Platform. Once we have received your data, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorized access.

 

Users who have registered to the Platform agree to keep their password in strict confidence and not disclose such password to any third party.

 

Further information about our data security practices can be provided on request.

 

Updating Personal Information

We take steps to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate and up to date, and we provide you with the opportunity to update your information through your account profile settings. In the event that you believe your information is in any way incorrect or inaccurate, please let us know immediately. We will make sure we investigate the matter and correct any inaccuracies as quickly as possible where necessary or give you ways to update it quickly or to delete it - unless we have to keep that information for legitimate business or legal purposes. 

 

If for any reason you have a problem with deleting your personal information, please contact Counsely’s Customer Support and we will make reasonable efforts to delete any such information pursuant to any applicable privacy laws.

 

You can review and change your personal information by logging into the Platform and visiting your account profile page.


 

Contact Us

To exercise any of your rights in connection with your personal information, we kindly ask that you start a Privacy Inquiry Ticket by emailing support@mycounsely.com with the email subject “Privacy Inquiry: {Insert Request/Concern}. Please include all the relevant details, so your ticket can be handled correctly. We will process any requests in line with any local laws and our policies and procedures. 

 

Or text us through WhatsApp at +6285710072323

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