Privacy Policy

At KinTrades, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you:

• Create an Account: Name, email address, phone number, and general location (city/state or ZIP). You must confirm you are 18 or older; we do not collect your date of birth at signup.
• Build Your Profile: Work experience, skills, certifications, education, photos, videos
• Add References: Professional references with contact information (optional)
• Submit Inquiries: Support requests, feedback, contact form submissions
• Phone Verification: A one-time code sent via SMS to confirm your phone number
• SMS Consent: Your explicit opt-in choice to receive text messages (separate checkbox during registration, not pre-checked)
• WOTC Questionnaire (optional): If an employer extends an offer and requests a Work Opportunity Tax Credit questionnaire, you may provide Social Security number, date of birth, and address. This information is encrypted and automatically deleted after 72 hours — see Section 7.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use KinTrades, we automatically collect:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
• Usage Data: Pages viewed, features used, time spent on platform, job searches
• Location Data: Approximate location based on IP address
• Cookies: We use cookies to keep you logged in and remember your preferences

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information from:

• References: Information provided by professional references you list on your profile, if those references respond to employer outreach

We do not currently query public records, background-check services, or credential-verification services as part of creating or maintaining your profile. If we add any such verification in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and notify you before turning it on.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide Our Services: Match you with job opportunities, display your profile to employers when Profile Visibility is on, and share your phone and email with employers when you have "Show Contact Information" enabled in your Privacy Settings
• Facilitate Connections: Log and notify you when employers express interest, send job alerts and notifications
• Improve Our Platform: Analyze usage patterns, develop new features, enhance user experience
• Automated Matching: We may use automated tools to help surface relevant job opportunities based on your skills and preferences, but final hiring decisions are always made by employers
• Communicate with You: Send job alerts, employer interest notifications, platform updates, respond to support inquiries
• Store Media: Host and display photos and videos you upload to your profile
• Ensure Safety: Verify identities, prevent fraud, maintain platform security
• Comply with Law: Meet legal obligations, respond to legal requests
• Support Inclusive Hiring: Connect you with employers who evaluate candidates on skills and support inclusive hiring practices

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Your Consent

We share information when you give us permission through your profile and Privacy Settings:

• Profile Visibility: When Profile Visibility is on (default), employers can discover your profile when they search for workers and when you apply to a job. Your profile includes name, general location, work history, skills, certifications, photos, videos, and references.
• Show Contact Information: Your phone number and email address are only visible to employers when you enable the "Show Contact Information" toggle in Privacy Settings. If this toggle is off, employers can view your profile but cannot see your phone or email. This applies at all times and to all employers — including any employer who has marked you as hired. The toggle controls visibility platform-wide: if you turn it off, employers who previously could see your phone and email will no longer see them on KinTrades. If you are in the middle of a hiring workflow (for example, completing onboarding paperwork, payroll setup, or required hiring documentation with an employer who has marked you as hired), you may want to keep the toggle on until that process finishes. Note: once an employer has accessed your contact information, we cannot retrieve it from the employer's own records or email history.
• Show Reference Information: Reference contact details are only shared with employers when you enable the "Show Reference Information" toggle in Privacy Settings.
• Contact Requests: When an employer contacts you or applies to reach you, we log the interaction and may notify you by email so you can respond directly.

3.2 What We Don't Share Without Permission

3.3 Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers who help us operate our platform:

• Microsoft Azure — cloud hosting, database, blob storage for profiles, photos, and videos
• Azure Communication Services — email delivery for OTP codes, notifications, and alerts
• Twilio — SMS verification codes and text message notifications (phone number shared for delivery)
• Azure AI Content Safety — automated moderation of uploaded photos and videos to detect hate speech, self-harm, sexual content, and violence. Flagged content may be blocked or reviewed by our team.
• Azure AI Vision — person-detection hint used when scoring profile photos (e.g., to flag profile pictures that do not appear to show a person)
• Microsoft Clarity — session-replay and heatmap analytics used to improve user experience. Clarity is configured in strict masking mode, which prevents the text content of pages and form fields from being captured in session replays. Uploaded images are masked. We additionally apply code-level masking (data-clarity-mask) to every area of the platform that displays personal contact information — including phone numbers, email addresses, worker and employer contact sections, team-member emails, and reference contact fields — so those values are doubly protected. Clarity anonymizes visitor IP addresses before storage, and is not integrated with Microsoft Advertising, Google Ads, or any audience-sharing platform. Clarity is not loaded on the authentication callback page or on the WOTC questionnaire, which handles sensitive financial information (SSN, date of birth, address).
• Google Analytics — aggregated, anonymized usage analytics

3.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, such as:

• Responding to subpoenas, court orders, or legal processes
• Protecting our rights, property, or safety
• Investigating fraud or security issues
• Complying with regulatory requirements

4. Age Restriction and Minors

KinTrades is an adult employment platform intended for users 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. Account creation requires you to affirmatively confirm that you are at least 18; we do not collect a date of birth at signup.

4.1 Age Requirements

• You must be at least 18 years old to create a KinTrades account
• If we learn that an account holder is under 18, we will terminate the account and delete the associated personal information
• Public pages (such as training resources, the student resources page, and public job listings) are informational and may be viewed without creating an account

4.2 Age Attestation Recording (Workers)

Before a worker profile is created, the user must affirmatively check a box confirming they are 18 years of age or older. We record this attestation server-side with a timestamp as an audit record. Without a recorded attestation, a worker cannot access platform features (matching, profile visibility, applications, messaging). Employer accounts are not gated on this attestation — choosing the employer role implies business operation on behalf of a company. For the contractual eligibility requirement, see Section 2.1 of our Terms of Service.

• What we record: a confirmation flag (true/false) and the UTC date and time you completed the attestation
• What we do not record: your date of birth, exact age, or any other age-related identifier
• Retention: the attestation record is retained as part of your account data and may be retained after account deletion for compliance defense purposes, consistent with our data retention policy
• Verification: attestation is by self-declaration; we do not use government ID or third-party age-verification services for account creation
• Pre-existing accounts: users whose accounts were created before we adopted the current explicit attestation record originally agreed to our Terms, which already required users to be at least 18. For those users, the attestation timestamp reflects the date we migrated to the current attestation system rather than the original date of Terms acceptance.

Because KinTrades is directed to adults, the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which governs services directed to children under 13, does not apply to our platform. If a parent or guardian believes a child under 18 has created an account, please contact us at privacy@kintrades.com and we will take prompt action.

5. Your Rights and Choices

5.1 Access and Control

You have the right to:

• Access: View all personal information we have about you
• Correct: Update inaccurate or incomplete information directly through your profile
• Delete: Request deletion of your account and data at any time from your Profile Settings
• Export (Portability): Download a copy of your data in a portable format (JSON) using the "Download My Data" option in your Profile Settings. WOTC questionnaire data (SSN, date of birth, address) is excluded from export because it is encrypted and auto-purged within 72 hours; a non-identifying audit trail of WOTC actions is included.
• Object: Opt out of certain data processing activities

To exercise any of these rights, visit your account settings (Worker Profile Settings or Employer Company Settings) or contact us at privacy@kintrades.com. Additional rights available under state privacy laws are described in Section 10.

5.2 Privacy Settings

You can control:

• Profile visibility (make your profile active or inactive)
• Job alert frequency and preferences
• Email notification settings
• Which photos and videos are visible on your profile

5.3 Communication Preferences

• Opt out of marketing emails (you'll still receive important account updates)
• Adjust job alert frequency (daily, weekly, or off)
• Control email notifications

5.4 SMS and Text Messages

KinTrades uses Twilio to send SMS text messages for:

• Phone verification codes — one-time codes to verify your phone number during registration
• Job match notifications — alerts about new job opportunities and hiring updates (opt-in only)
• Required employment documentation — links to complete required hiring forms

Consent: During registration, you are presented with a separate, unchecked checkbox to opt in to SMS notifications. This checkbox is not pre-checked, and consent to receive SMS is not required to use KinTrades. Phone verification codes are sent only when you initiate phone verification. Messages are only sent in response to user-initiated activity on the platform.

Message frequency: Approximately 1–5 messages per month if opted in. Message and data rates may apply.

Opt out: You can opt out at any time by:

• Replying STOP to any message
• Toggling off SMS notifications in your Profile Settings
• Contacting us at support@kintrades.com

Reply HELP to any message for assistance. Your phone number is shared with Twilio solely for message delivery.

For full SMS terms, see our SMS Terms & Conditions.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Data encrypted in transit (SSL/TLS) and at rest
• Access Controls: Limited employee access to personal data
• Monitoring: Continuous security monitoring and threat detection
• Regular Audits: Periodic security assessments and updates
• Secure Infrastructure: Hosted on Microsoft Azure with enterprise-grade security
• Media Storage: Photos and videos stored securely on encrypted cloud storage

7. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services:

• Active Accounts: Information retained while your account is active
• Deleted Accounts: Most data deleted within 30 days; some data retained for legal compliance (e.g., transaction records)
• Inactive Accounts: Accounts inactive for 2+ years may be reviewed for deletion after notification
• Legal Requirements: Some data retained longer to comply with legal obligations
• WOTC Tax Credit Data: If you complete a WOTC questionnaire, your sensitive information (SSN, date of birth, address) is encrypted and automatically deleted after 72 hours. Only a non-identifying audit trail is retained.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in to your account
• Remember your preferences and settings
• Understand how you use our platform
• Improve our services
• Show relevant job recommendations based on your skills and location

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies will prevent you from staying logged in and may affect other platform functionality.

9. Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., employer career pages). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites. Please review their privacy policies before providing any information.

10. State-Specific Privacy Rights

10.1 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose about you
• Right to access and obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable format
• Right to correct inaccurate personal information we hold about you
• Right to delete your personal information, subject to limited legal exceptions
• Right to opt out of sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information — see the Section 10 preamble)
• Right to opt out of sharing personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising (we do not share personal information for this purpose)
• Right to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information — the only sensitive personal information we collect is Social Security number, date of birth, and address submitted through the optional Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) questionnaire. That information is used solely to process the WOTC tax-credit submission (a business purpose permitted under CCPA/CPRA §1798.121) and is encrypted and automatically purged within 72 hours (see Section 7). We do not use sensitive personal information for any purpose beyond this, and we do not sell or share it.
• Right to non-discrimination — we will not deny service, charge different prices, or provide a different quality of service because you exercised your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, use your account settings (Worker Profile Settings or Employer Company Settings) or contact us at privacy@kintrades.com. We will respond within 45 days and may extend once by an additional 45 days with notice where reasonably necessary, consistent with the CCPA/CPRA.

10.2 Virginia Residents (VCDPA)

KinTech, LLC is headquartered in Virginia. Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, Virginia residents have the right to:

• Access and obtain a copy of your personal data
• Request deletion of your personal data
• Correct inaccuracies in your personal data
• Opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising (we do not engage in targeted advertising)
• Opt out of the sale of personal data (we do not sell personal data)
• Opt out of profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects (our match and reliability scores are informational only — see our Terms of Service, Section 7.1)

To exercise these rights, use your account settings (Worker Profile Settings or Employer Company Settings) or contact us at privacy@kintrades.com. We will respond within 45 days.

10.3 Other States

If you reside in any state with a comprehensive consumer-privacy law — including but not limited to Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Jersey, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Minnesota, or New Hampshire — you may have similar rights, typically access, correction, deletion, portability, and opt-out of targeted advertising and sale of personal information. To exercise these rights, use your account settings (Worker Profile Settings or Employer Company Settings) or contact us at privacy@kintrades.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by your state's law, and in any event no later than 45 days.

10.4 California "Shine the Light"

California Civil Code § 1798.83 gives California residents the right to request a list of third parties to which a business has disclosed personal information for those third parties' direct marketing purposes. KinTrades does not share personal information with any third party for the third party's direct marketing purposes. No Shine the Light disclosure is therefore required, but you may confirm this by contacting privacy@kintrades.com.

11. International Users

KinTrades is based in the United States. If you access our platform from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to and processed in the U.S. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our platform
• Sending an email notification
• Displaying a prominent notice on our website

Material changes take effect 30 days after notification. Non-material changes (clarifications, formatting, or updates to third-party service providers that do not expand how we use your information) may take effect immediately upon posting. Your continued use of KinTrades after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise your privacy rights, contact us:

• Email: privacy@kintrades.com
• Support: Visit our Support Center
• Mail: KinTech, LLC - KinTrades Privacy Team
  9230 Old Keene Mill Road #1087
  Burke, VA 22015