Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your full name, email address, phone number (Ugandan +256 format), region, and password. You also select one of three roles: Client, Worker, or Job Seeker.

1.2 Profile Information

Depending on your role, you may provide additional profile data during onboarding and at any time thereafter:

• Client profiles: Custom username (used in public URLs), phone number, region
• Worker profiles: Trade/service, hourly rate (UGX), bio/description, phone number, region. After onboarding you may also upload a profile photo and your profile becomes publicly visible.
• Job Seeker profiles: Custom username, phone number, region, skills, years of experience, highest education level

1.3 Job-Related Data

If you post a job, we collect the job title, category, description, requirements, job type, experience level, salary range, location, application deadline, and your contact email and phone number. Your contact details are used for job-related communication but are not displayed publicly on the job listing.

1.4 Application Data

When a job seeker applies for a job, the application may include:

• Cover note, phone number, and address
• Desired salary, available start date, and work schedule preference
• Languages spoken and technical skills
• Education history (school name, location, degree, major, GPA, graduation date)
• Work experience (employer, job title, dates, supervisor details, responsibilities, reason for leaving)
• Professional certifications (name, issuing body, issue and expiry dates)

At the time of application, your name, email, and phone number are copied into the application record as a snapshot. This ensures the employer can contact you even if you later update your profile.

1.5 Profile Photos

You may upload a profile photo (avatar). Photos are compressed on your device and stored securely. Your avatar is displayed publicly on your profile and anywhere your profile appears on the platform.

1.6 Location Data

Workers may have geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) associated with their profile, derived from their stated location. This is used for geographic search functionality. We also collect a region classification (Central, Eastern, Northern, or Western Uganda) derived from the location text you provide.

1.7 Client-Side Storage

Your browser may store certain data locally using IndexedDB and localStorage, including saved artisan profiles, saved jobs, your business profile data, and job application drafts. This data remains on your device and is not transmitted to us unless you take an action that requires it.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your account and profile
• To connect clients with skilled workers and job seekers in their area
• To enable geographic search and region-based filtering
• To process job applications and manage the hiring workflow
• To mediate contact information disclosure — applicant email and phone are only revealed to an employer after the employer changes the application status to "hired"
• To send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset, email changes) via our email service provider
• To display your public profile, including your name, trade, location, and avatar, to other platform users and to search engines
• To verify worker profiles (automated verification badges based on profile completeness)
• To ensure platform safety and prevent fraudulent activity

3. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your data with:

• Other platform users — Your public profile (name, trade, location, avatar, bio) is visible to all visitors. Your phone number is displayed on your public worker profile page.
• Employers reviewing applications — When you apply for a job, the employer can see your application data (cover note, education, experience, certifications, skills, etc.) and your snapshot name, but your email and phone remain hidden until you are hired.
• Job seekers viewing job listings — Public job posting details (title, description, salary, location) are visible to all job seekers. The job poster's contact email and phone are not displayed publicly.
• Service providers — We use Supabase for database hosting, authentication, and file storage, and Resend for sending transactional emails. These providers process data on our behalf under strict data protection obligations.
• Law enforcement — We may disclose information when required by law or to protect the safety of our users.

4. Contact Information Disclosure

A core feature of OpenFundi is the protection of your contact information. The following rules apply:

• Applicant email and phone numbers are not visible to employers while the application status is pending, reviewed, shortlisted, or rejected.
• Applicant email and phone are only revealed when the employer changes the application status to "hired."
• Employer contact email and phone are not displayed on public job listings.
• Worker profile phone numbers are publicly visible on worker profile pages.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information. All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Database access is controlled through Row Level Security policies that ensure users can only access data they are authorized to see. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access and review your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and associated data (this will permanently remove your profile, applications, and job postings)
• Opt out of non-essential communications
• Edit your profile information at any time (note: phone number and email address cannot be changed after account creation)

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your personal data is removed from our servers. Application snapshot data (name, email, phone) may be retained in existing job records for the benefit of employers who have already hired you. Closed job postings remain visible on the platform but can be deleted by the job poster.

8. Cookies and Local Storage

We use cookies to maintain authentication session state. Your browser may also use IndexedDB and localStorage to cache profile data and job drafts locally on your device. You can control cookie and storage settings through your browser preferences.

9. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that process data on our behalf:

• Supabase — Database hosting, user authentication, file storage (avatars), and edge functions. Supabase processes data in accordance with their privacy policy.
• Resend — Transactional email delivery (account confirmation, password resets, email changes). Resend processes email addresses solely for the purpose of delivering these messages.
• Google Analytics — Website analytics to understand how visitors use our platform. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to OpenFundi. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit the site, not your name or other identifying information. Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit the site. This cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google, Inc. Google's ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy.

We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized data about how our platform is used, including page views, search queries, and feature interactions. We do not use Google Analytics for advertising or remarketing purposes. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

openfundiug@gmail.com