Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Tradesfind (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use our mobile application and website (the “Service”). Tradesfind is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Data Controller
The data controller for your personal data is:
2. What Data We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide
| Data Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity | Full name, date of birth, profile photo |
| Contact | Email address, phone number, address |
| Financial | Bank/Revolut details, transaction history, wallet balance |
| Professional | Trade category, qualifications, insurance documents |
| Content | Messages, reviews, photos, videos, job descriptions |
| Supplier/Business | Company name, company registration number, VAT number, store address(es), opening hours, product listings (titles, descriptions, prices, images), store logo, website URL |
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
| Data Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Device | Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers |
| Usage | Pages visited, features used, timestamps |
| Location | Job locations provided by you; we do not track real-time GPS without consent |
| Technical | IP address, browser type, crash reports |
2.3 Information from Third Parties
- Payment Providers (Revolut): Transaction confirmations, payment status.
- Authentication (Supabase Auth): Login credentials and session data.
3. How We Use Your Data
| Purpose | Lawful Basis |
|---|---|
| Creating and managing your account | Contract |
| Connecting Clients with Workers | Contract |
| Processing payments and escrow (service transactions only) | Contract |
| Displaying Supplier storefronts, product listings, and store locations to other users | Contract |
| Sending transactional emails (OTPs, receipts) | Contract |
| Verifying identity and insurance | Legitimate Interest |
| Verifying Supplier business registration and legitimacy | Legitimate Interest |
| Preventing fraud and ensuring platform safety | Legitimate Interest |
| Reviewing in-app messages where necessary for dispute resolution, ToS enforcement, fraud prevention, or staff oversight | Legitimate Interest |
| Improving the Service and user experience | Legitimate Interest |
| Sending marketing communications | Consent |
| Complying with legal and tax obligations | Legal Obligation |
3.1 Message Review
Tradesfind takes user privacy seriously. We do not routinely browse or read private conversations between Users.
We may review the contents of in-app messages only in the following limited circumstances:
- Disputes: when a Client or Tradesman has formally raised a dispute, messages relating to the affected Job may be reviewed by Tradesfind moderators as part of the evidence.
- Abuse reports: when a User reports another User for abusive, illegal, or platform-violating conduct, the reported conversation may be reviewed.
- Fraud and circumvention prevention: targeted review of messages flagged by automated systems for indicators of off-platform payment, off-platform contact exchange, or other circumvention attempts.
- Staff oversight: messages sent by Tradesfind staff members (administrators, moderators, support agents) are reviewable by senior administrators at any time as part of employment oversight and quality assurance. Staff are informed of this on hire.
- Legal obligation: where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from An Garda Síochána or other competent authority.
All such reviews are logged with the reviewer’s identity and the reason for access. You may request a copy of any review log involving your account under your GDPR right of access (Section 7).
4. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:
| Recipient | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Other Users | Your public profile (name, photo, trade, reviews) is visible to other users. For Suppliers, your storefront (company name, logo, address, opening hours, product listings, and contact details) is publicly visible to all users and visitors of the Platform. |
| Supabase | Database hosting, authentication |
| Revolut | Payment processing (service transactions only; Tradesfind does not process payments for Supplier goods) |
| Resend | Transactional emails |
| Agora | In-app voice/video calling |
| Google (Gemini API) | Automated content-safety screening of uploaded media (photos/videos) and responses from the in-app AI assistant. Data sent to this service is not used by Google to train its models. Note: verification documents (ID and insurance) are reviewed only by our human team and are not sent to this service. |
| Apple/Google | App distribution and in-app purchases |
| Legal Authorities | When required by law or to protect our rights |
All third-party processors are bound by Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) that require them to process your data only on our instructions and in compliance with GDPR.
5. International Data Transfers
Some of our service providers operate outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When transferring data outside the EEA, we ensure protection through:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.
- Adequacy Decisions where available.
6. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Active Account Data | For the duration of your account |
| Transaction Records | 7 years (Irish tax obligations) |
| Messages | Until account deletion |
| Insurance Documents | Until expiry or account deletion |
| Deleted Account Data | Anonymised or deleted within 30 days, except where legal retention applies |
7. Your Rights Under GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access — Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification — Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to Erasure — Request deletion of your data (“Right to be Forgotten”).
- Right to Restrict Processing — Limit how we use your data.
- Right to Data Portability — Receive your data in a machine-readable format.
- Right to Object — Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
- Right to Withdraw Consent — For consent-based processing (e.g., marketing), at any time.
How to Exercise Your Rights
Email us at support@tradesfind.ie with your request. We will respond within 30 days as required by GDPR.
8. Cookies and Tracking
The Tradesfind mobile app does not use cookies. If you access our website, we may use:
- Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function.
- Analytics Cookies: To understand how visitors use the site (only with your consent).
You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.
9. Children’s Privacy
Tradesfind is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete it.
10. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:
- Encryption in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest.
- Row Level Security (RLS) on all database tables.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for sensitive operations.
- Regular security reviews and monitoring.
No system is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at support@tradesfind.ie.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or in-app notification. The “Last Updated” date at the top will always reflect the most recent version.
12. Contact Us and Complaints
Contact
- Email: support@tradesfind.ie
- Website: www.tradesfind.ie
Supervisory Authority
If you are unsatisfied with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC) of Ireland:
- Website: www.dataprotection.ie
- Address: 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28
- Phone: +353 (0)1 765 0100 / 1800 437 737
By using Tradesfind, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.