Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

WorkRate ("we," "us," or "our") helps freelancers research clients and share work experiences through company reviews and trust scores. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have when you use our website and services.

2. Information we collect

We collect information in these categories:

• Account information — when you register, we collect your full name, email address, password (handled securely by Firebase Authentication), gender, and age. We use this to create and manage your account and profile.
• Email verification — we send a one-time verification code (OTP) to your email to confirm your address. Verification codes are stored in hashed form and expire after a short period.
• Profile and settings — you may update your profile details and notification preferences (for example, alerts when someone comments on or reacts to your reviews, or when a company claim is approved).
• Reviews and content — when you submit reviews, ratings, comments, or supporting evidence (such as links to files or documents), we store that content and associate it with your account so it can be shown on company pages and in your review history.
• Company activity — if you search companies, claim a company profile, or interact with company data, we process that activity to provide search, trust scores, and related features.
• Notifications — we store in-app notifications and deliver real-time updates through secure WebSocket connections when you are signed in.
• Session and technical data — when you sign in, we set an HttpOnly, Secure session cookie (__session) so you stay logged in without storing your password in the browser. We may also collect standard log data such as IP address, browser type, and request timestamps for security, rate limiting, and service reliability.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create, authenticate, and maintain your account
• Verify your email address and protect against abuse
• Display and moderate reviews, comments, and company information
• Calculate trust scores and surface relevant company data
• Send notifications you have not opted out of
• Improve security, prevent fraud, and enforce rate limits
• Operate, maintain, and improve WorkRate

4. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only as needed to run the service:

• Service providers — we use trusted third parties to host and operate WorkRate, including Firebase (authentication), cloud hosting providers (such as Vercel and Render), and database services (such as MongoDB). These providers process data on our behalf under their own privacy and security terms.
• Public content — reviews and ratings you post may be visible to other users and visitors. Your display name and review content are shown in connection with companies you review.
• Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of WorkRate and our users.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

We use essential cookies to keep you signed in. Our session cookie is HttpOnly (not accessible to JavaScript on the page), sent only over HTTPS, and used to authenticate API requests after you log in. We do not use third-party advertising cookies on WorkRate.

6. Data retention and deletion

We keep your account information and content for as long as your account is active. You may delete your account from Settings; when you do, we mark your account as deleted and stop treating it as an active profile. Some information may be retained for a limited time where needed for security, legal compliance, or backup recovery.

7. Your choices and rights

You can:

• Update your profile from the Profile page
• Change your password and notification preferences in Settings
• Delete your account from Settings
• Choose not to create an account, though some features require sign-in

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights to access, correct, or delete personal data. Contact us using the details below to make a request.

8. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure session cookies, Firebase authentication, access controls on our APIs, and rate limiting to reduce abuse. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children

WorkRate is not intended for users under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of WorkRate after changes means you accept the updated policy.

11. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, contact us at support@workrate.app.