Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Baarista ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

By using Baarista, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Register for an account
• Create or update your profile
• Apply for jobs or post job listings
• Communicate with other users
• Contact our support team

This information may include:

• Name and email address
• Phone number and location
• Professional experience and skills
• Profile photos
• Employment history
• Business information (for employers)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you access our platform, we automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• IP address and location data
• Usage patterns and preferences
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our services
• Process your registration and manage your account
• Facilitate connections between baristas and employers
• Send you relevant job opportunities or candidate matches
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Send administrative information and updates
• Ensure platform security and prevent fraud
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

4.1 With Other Users

Your profile information is visible to other users of the platform. Barista profiles are visible to employers, and employer profiles are visible to baristas. You can control certain privacy settings in your account.

4.2 With Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as hosting, payment processing, and analytics.

4.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.

5. Data Security

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

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Regular security assessments
• Access controls and authentication
• Secure data storage practices

6. Your Rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other applicable laws, you have the right to:

• Access your personal information
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your information
• Object to processing of your information
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent at any time

7. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our platform and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data that may include an anonymous unique identifier. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our platform.

8. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take necessary action.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.