Privacy Policy

FreWork ("we", "us", or "our") operates frework.co — a verification-first professional network for independent freelancers. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

By joining FreWork, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy. If you do not agree with any part of it, you should not use the platform.

This policy applies to all users of FreWork, including unverified members, verified members, and visitors to frework.co.

We collect the following categories of personal data:

Account & Profile Data

— Full name, email address, phone number, gender, nationality, and country of residence, provided during onboarding.

— Professional details: department, headline, bio, skills, experience level, years of freelancing, location, timezone, and languages.

— Portfolio projects, education, and certifications.

— Profile photo (if uploaded).

Verification Data

— Information submitted as part of the verification process, including test responses, video assessments, and supporting documentation.

— Verification status (unverified, pending, verified).

Usage Data

— Log data including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps.

— Interactions within the platform: connections made, messages sent (metadata only), benefits accessed, and contracts generated.

Payment Data

— If applicable, payment information is processed by our third-party payment processor (Stripe). We do not store full card details on our servers.

Communications

— Any messages or emails you send to the FreWork team directly.

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

— Platform operation: To create and manage your account, verify your identity, and provide access to FreWork's features.

— Verification: To review your professional background and conduct the verification process.

— Communication: To send you notifications about connections, messages, verification status, and platform updates relevant to your account.

— Benefits access: To match you with relevant group benefits and pass necessary details to third-party benefit providers with your consent.

— Legal contracts: To populate contract templates with your profile data when you initiate or sign contracts.

— Security: To detect fraud, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect the integrity of the network.

— Analytics: To understand how the platform is used and improve the product. We use aggregated, anonymised data only for this purpose.

— Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

We do not use your data for advertising, third-party profiling, or selling to data brokers.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with similar data protection frameworks, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

— Contract performance: Processing necessary to provide the services you signed up for.

— Legitimate interests: Processing that is necessary for our legitimate business interests, including security and fraud prevention, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.

— Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable laws.

— Consent: Where we rely on consent (for example, for certain marketing communications), you can withdraw it at any time.

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only in the following circumstances:

— Within the FreWork network: Your profile information (name, headline, department, skills, verification status) is visible to other verified FreWork members. Sensitive personal data (phone, gender, nationality) is never publicly displayed.

— Service providers: We use trusted third-party providers to operate the platform, including hosting (cloud infrastructure), payment processing (Stripe), and email delivery. These providers process data only on our behalf and under strict data processing agreements.

— Benefits partners: If you activate a group benefit, we share the minimum necessary information with the relevant partner to facilitate your access, with your explicit consent.

— Legal requirements: We may disclose your data if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority.

— Business transfers: If FreWork is acquired or merges with another entity, your data may be transferred. We will notify users in advance and ensure equivalent protections remain in place.

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as necessary to provide our services. Specifically:

— Active accounts: Data is retained for the duration of your membership.

— Deleted accounts: Upon deletion, we anonymise or delete personal data within 90 days, except where we are required by law to retain it longer (for example, financial records).

— Verification data: Records of verification decisions are retained for 2 years after the decision, for audit and dispute resolution purposes.

— Inactive accounts: Accounts with no activity for 24 consecutive months may be flagged for deletion. We will notify you before taking any action.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

— Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

— Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.

— Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal retention obligations.

— Restriction: Request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances.

— Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

— Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.

— Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@frework.co. We will respond within 30 days.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These include:

— Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest.

— Access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel only.

— Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments.

— Secure, access-controlled infrastructure with leading cloud providers.

No system is completely secure. If you become aware of a security vulnerability or breach, please notify us immediately at security@frework.co.

FreWork uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the platform and improve the user experience. Specifically:

— Essential cookies: Required for the platform to function (authentication, session management). These cannot be disabled.

— Analytics cookies: Used to understand how the platform is used. These are anonymised and aggregated. You may opt out via your browser settings.

We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels for third-party advertising purposes.

FreWork operates globally. Your data may be processed and stored in countries outside your own, including but not limited to the United States and the European Union. Where data is transferred outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.

FreWork is intended for professional freelancers and is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with their data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you via email or a prominent notice on the platform at least 14 days before the changes take effect. The updated policy will always be available at frework.co/PrivacyPolicy.

Your continued use of FreWork after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.