Privacy Policy

Last Updated: [2026/08/18]

FEATMATE Inc. ("Featmate", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide when using our website, marketplace, products, and related services.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, when and why we may disclose it, how long we retain it, and the choices and rights available to you.

Featmate operates a freelance marketplace that connects Clients with Freelancers and independent professionals worldwide.

FEATMATE Inc. is located at:

100 King Street West, Unit 5700

Toronto, Ontario, M5X 1C7

Canada

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact:

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

By accessing or using Featmate, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

1. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through:

• featmate.com;
• Featmate user accounts;
• Client and Freelancer profiles;
• project and job postings;
• proposals and applications;
• internal messaging and communications;
• payment and transaction functionality;
• customer support interactions;
• identity verification processes;
• analytics and security technologies; and
• other services provided through the Featmate platform.

This Policy applies to both registered users and visitors who access Featmate without creating an account.

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with Featmate and which services you use.

2.1 Account and Contact Information

When you create or manage a Featmate account, we may collect information including:

• first and last name;
• email address;
• country or location;
• profile photograph;
• account type;
• account preferences;
• account verification status; and
• other information you choose to provide through your account.

Featmate currently uses email verification as part of its account verification process.

2.2 Freelancer Profile Information

Freelancers may provide professional information including:

• professional title;
• skills and specializations;
• work experience;
• education;
• portfolio items;
• CV or resume;
• professional biography;
• availability;
• pricing or rates;
• previous project information;
• certifications;
• profile image; and
• other professional information submitted to the Platform.

Certain profile information may be visible to other users or visitors depending on the profile and Platform settings.

2.3 Client and Business Information

Clients may provide information including:

• individual or business name;
• company information;
• contact information;
• project requirements;
• project descriptions;
• required skills;
• project budgets;
• timelines;
• job postings; and
• other information relevant to hiring or working with Freelancers.

2.4 Project, Proposal and Marketplace Activity

When you use Featmate, we may collect information relating to your marketplace activity, including:

• projects or jobs posted;
• proposals submitted;
• proposal pricing;
• delivery estimates;
• revision terms;
• cover letters;
• project attachments;
• project milestones;
• project status;
• project deliverables;
• ratings and reviews;
• transaction history;
• cancellations;
• disputes; and
• other activity associated with your use of the Platform.

3. Identity Verification and KYC Information

Featmate may require identity verification for certain users, transactions, account activities, or circumstances.

Where identity verification is required, we may request:

• government-issued identification;
• national identification card; or
• passport information and images.

Identity verification is conducted by Featmate.

KYC or identity verification may not be mandatory for every user, but we reserve the right to require verification where reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention, regulatory compliance, payments, dispute handling, or protection of the marketplace.

Identity documents are considered sensitive information and are subject to additional access and security controls.

4. Payment and Billing Information

Featmate supports payments through third-party payment providers and other supported payment methods, which may include:

• PayPal;
• Stripe; and
• supported bank-transfer methods.

Featmate does **not** directly store complete payment-card numbers or card security codes.

Payment-card information is generally processed by the applicable payment provider.

We may retain other payment-related information necessary to operate the marketplace, including:

• billing information;
• transaction amounts;
• payment status;
• payment provider references;
• invoices;
• platform fees;
• commissions;
• milestone payments;
• withdrawals;
• refunds; and
• transaction history.

Payment providers maintain their own privacy policies and processing practices.

5. Messages and User Communications

Featmate provides communication functionality that allows Clients and Freelancers to communicate regarding projects and marketplace activity.

Messages and communication history may be stored through Featmate and the technical service providers supporting our real-time messaging functionality, including Pusher.

Featmate may access or review communications where reasonably necessary for purposes including:

• providing customer support;
• investigating disputes;
• detecting fraud or abuse;
• enforcing our Terms & Conditions;
• protecting users;
• investigating security incidents; or
• complying with legal obligations.

Users should not use Featmate messaging to transmit unnecessary sensitive personal information.

6. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit or use Featmate, including when you are not signed in, certain technical information may be collected automatically.

This may include:

• IP address;
• browser type and version;
• operating system;
• device information;
• approximate location derived from IP information;
• referring pages;
• pages visited;
• access timestamps;
• session information;
• interaction logs;
• error logs;
• security events; and
• other technical or diagnostic information.

We may maintain website access logs for security, analytics, service improvement, fraud prevention, troubleshooting, and operational purposes.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Featmate and its service providers may use cookies, pixels, local storage, tags, and similar technologies to:

• operate the Platform;
• maintain user sessions;
• remember preferences;
• secure accounts;
• prevent abuse;
• understand website usage;
• measure performance;
• improve functionality; and
• support analytics and marketing activities where permitted.

Depending on the services currently enabled, Featmate may use technologies provided by:

• Google Analytics;
• Google Tag Manager;
• Google Search Console;
• Google reCAPTCHA; and
• Cloudflare.

You may be able to manage certain cookies through your browser settings or any cookie-management functionality made available on the Platform.

Disabling certain essential cookies may affect the operation of Featmate.

8. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• create and administer accounts;
• operate the Featmate marketplace;
• display Freelancer and Client profiles;
• allow Clients to post projects;
• allow Freelancers to submit proposals;
• facilitate communication between users;
• process marketplace transactions;
• administer milestone payments and withdrawals;
• provide subscription and membership services;
• perform identity verification;
• prevent fraud and misuse;
• detect suspicious activity;
• investigate disputes;
• provide support;
• respond to requests and inquiries;
• maintain platform security;
• improve our services and user experience;
• conduct analytics;
• troubleshoot technical issues;
• send service-related communications;
• send marketing communications where permitted;
• enforce our Terms & Conditions;
• establish, exercise, or defend legal rights; and
• comply with applicable laws and regulatory obligations.

We seek to collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes that are reasonably necessary for the operation, protection, and improvement of our services or otherwise permitted by applicable law.

9. How We Share Information

We do not sell users' personal information to advertisers.

We may disclose personal information where necessary to operate Featmate or provide our services.

9.1 Other Featmate Users

Certain information may be shared between Clients and Freelancers where necessary for marketplace activity.

For example, a Freelancer profile may be visible to prospective Clients, while project information may be made available to eligible Freelancers.

The information visible to others depends on your account role, Platform settings, and the information you choose to provide.

9.2 Service Providers

We may use third-party service providers to support Featmate operations.

These currently may include:

• Payment Processing

PayPal

Stripe

• Email Services

Zoho

• Hosting and Infrastructure

Hetzner

• Website Performance, Security and CDN

Cloudflare

• Analytics and Website Services

Google

• Real-Time Messaging

Pusher

These providers may process information on our behalf or independently in accordance with their applicable terms and privacy practices.

9.3 Legal and Security Disclosures

We may disclose information where we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

• comply with applicable law;
• respond to lawful requests or legal processes;
• protect Featmate, our users, or others;
• investigate fraud;
• enforce agreements;
• protect intellectual property;
• respond to security incidents; or
• establish or defend legal claims.

9.4 Business Transactions

If Featmate is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, sale of assets, or similar corporate transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction subject to applicable legal requirements and safeguards.

10. International Data Transfers

Featmate operates internationally and serves users worldwide.

As a result, your information may be processed or stored in countries other than the country in which you live, including countries where Featmate's infrastructure or service providers operate.

Privacy and data-protection laws may differ between jurisdictions.

Where required, Featmate takes reasonable steps to ensure that transfers and processing are subject to appropriate contractual, organizational, or other safeguards.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy and to meet legitimate operational, security, legal, accounting, tax, fraud-prevention, and dispute-resolution requirements.

Following deletion of an account, certain account information may generally be retained for up to 12 months.

Some information may be retained for a longer period where reasonably necessary or required for purposes including:

• legal compliance;
• accounting or tax obligations;
• fraud prevention;
• payment disputes;
• chargebacks;
• active or anticipated legal claims;
• marketplace disputes;
• security investigations;
• enforcement of agreements; or
• protection of Featmate and its users.

Information that no longer needs to be retained will be deleted, anonymized, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with applicable practices and legal requirements.

12. Account Deletion

Users may request deletion of their Featmate account through the available account settings and confirmation process.

Deleting an account may remove or restrict access to profile and account functionality.

Certain information may remain in our systems for the retention purposes described above.

Deleting an account does not necessarily require immediate deletion of information that Featmate is legally or reasonably required to retain.

13. Accessing and Correcting Your Information

Clients and Freelancers may update certain personal and profile information directly through their Featmate account.

You may also contact Featmate through the available support or ticket system to request:

• access to personal information;
• correction of inaccurate information;
• updating of incomplete information;
• information about our handling of personal information; or
• other privacy-related assistance.

We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

Certain requests may be subject to limitations permitted by applicable law.

14. Marketing Communications

Featmate may send users promotional or marketing communications relating to services, marketplace opportunities, products, features, or other relevant updates where permitted.

You may unsubscribe from marketing communications by using the unsubscribe option included in applicable emails or by contacting us.

Even if you unsubscribe from marketing messages, we may continue to send transactional or service-related communications necessary to administer your account, transactions, security, or projects.

5. Data Security

Featmate uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against:

unauthorized access;

unauthorized use;

• loss;
• theft;
• disclosure;
• alteration; and
• destruction.

Access to sensitive information is restricted according to operational needs.

However, no internet transmission, online platform, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Users are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their account credentials and should notify Featmate promptly if they believe their account has been compromised.

16. Data Breaches and Security Incidents

Where we become aware of a security incident involving personal information, we may investigate the incident, take reasonable measures to contain or mitigate it, and provide notifications where required by applicable law.

17. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, applicable privacy laws may provide rights concerning your personal information.

These may include rights to:

• know what personal information is held about you;
• understand how your information is used or disclosed;
• request access to certain personal information;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• withdraw certain forms of consent where permitted;
• request deletion where applicable;
• object to or restrict certain processing where applicable; and
• submit a privacy complaint.

The availability and scope of these rights depend on applicable law.

To submit a privacy request, contact:

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

18. Children and Minors

Featmate is intended only for individuals who are at least 18 years old

You may not create or use a Featmate account if you are under 18.

If we reasonably determine that personal information has been provided by a person who is not eligible to use the Platform due to age requirements, we may take appropriate steps to remove the account or information.

19. Public Profile Information

Certain information provided by Freelancers or Clients may be publicly visible or visible to other registered users.

Information intentionally made public through a profile, portfolio, review, or marketplace listing may be accessible to others and may potentially be indexed, copied, or otherwise used outside Featmate.

Users should consider this before publishing information through publicly accessible areas of the Platform.

20. Third-Party Websites and Services

Featmate may contain links to third-party websites or integrate with third-party services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security, or policies of third parties that operate independently from Featmate.

You should review the privacy policies of third-party services before providing information to them.

21. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes to:

• our services;
• technologies;
• business practices;
• service providers; or
• legal or regulatory requirements.

When we make material changes, we may provide notice through the Platform, email, or another appropriate method.

The updated Policy will indicate its latest revision date.

Your continued use of Featmate following the effective date of an updated Privacy Policy is subject to applicable law.

22. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, requests, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of personal information, contact:

FEATMATE Inc.

100 King Street West, Unit 5700

Toronto, Ontario, M5X 1C7

Canada

Privacy Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Support: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])