Privacy Policy
Effective Date: June 29, 2025
Your privacy is critically important to us. This Privacy Policy outlines how Serpworks.com ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, protects, and discloses your personal information when you use our platform.
1. Platform Overview
Serpworks.com is a specialized online marketplace that connects clients ("Clients") seeking Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services with freelance professionals ("Freelancers") offering these services. Our platform facilitates every aspect of the freelancing process, including:
User Registration: Users can sign up as either a Freelancer or a Client.
Service Listings: Freelancers can showcase their Local SEO services.
Featured Services: Options for Freelancers to promote their services.
Client Projects: Clients can post detailed project requirements.
Freelancer Bidding: Freelancers can submit proposals for client projects.
Internal Messaging: Secure communication between Clients and Freelancers.
Wallet and Payment Systems: Secure management of funds, deposits, and withdrawals.
By using Serpworks.com, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services to you.
a. Information You Provide Directly:
Account Information: Your full name, email address, and a secure password when you register.
Identity Verification: Copies of ID documents (e.g., passport, national ID) for identity verification purposes, crucial for fraud prevention and regulatory compliance.
Profile Information: For Freelancers, this includes your resume, professional bio, skills, portfolio, and other details you choose to add to your public profile. For Clients, this may include company details or project descriptions.
Payment & Financial Information: Details required for processing deposits into your wallet (e.g., credit card details, PayPal information) and for Freelancers to withdraw earnings (e.g., bank account details, e-wallet information). Please note, we do not directly store full payment card numbers; they are handled by our secure payment gateway providers.
Communications: Any messages, chats, or communications you send to other users or to our support team through the platform's internal messaging system.
b. Information Collected Automatically:
Usage Data: Information about how you access and use the platform, including your IP address, browser type, device information (e.g., operating system, device ID), referring/exit pages, and the pages you visit on Serpworks.com.
Location Data: General geographical location derived from your IP address or, if you enable it on your device, precise location data through GPS or Wi-Fi.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Details on these are provided in Section 4 below.
3. How We Use Your Data
We use the collected information for various purposes, primarily to operate, maintain, and improve our platform and services:
Identity Verification and Fraud Protection: To verify your identity, prevent fraud, and ensure a secure environment for all users, fulfilling our Know Your Customer (KYC) obligations.
Payment Processing: To securely process your deposits into the wallet and facilitate withdrawal of earnings for Freelancers.
Facilitating Interactions and Transactions: To enable Clients to hire Freelancers, Freelancers to offer services, and both parties to communicate, collaborate, and complete projects efficiently.
Communication: To send you important updates, service notifications, administrative messages, and news about Serpworks.com.
Platform Analytics and Improvement: To monitor and analyze usage patterns, troubleshoot technical issues, understand user behavior, and continuously enhance the performance, features, and user experience of our platform using tools like Google Analytics.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, and governmental requests, including tax reporting and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Serpworks.com uses "cookies" and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience.
Cookies: Small data files stored on your device that help us remember your preferences, manage your session (e.g., keeping you logged in), and collect usage data.
Types of Cookies Used:
Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for the website to function correctly (e.g., login, security).
Performance Cookies: Collect information about how you use our website (e.g., which pages you visit most often) to improve its performance.
Functionality Cookies: Enable personalized features and remember your choices (e.g., language preference).
Targeting/Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver more relevant advertisements to you and track the effectiveness of our campaigns.
Third-Party Analytics: We use tools like Google Analytics to gather statistical information about how users interact with our website. These tools may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect data on your usage. We do not control these third-party cookies, and their use is governed by the privacy policies of the third parties.
Managing Cookies: You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.
5. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We respect your privacy. Serpworks.com does not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in specific circumstances and with trusted entities as follows:
Service Providers: We share necessary information with third-party service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as:
Payment Gateways: (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) to process secure transactions.
Analytics Providers: (e.g., Google Analytics) to help us understand platform usage.
Customer Support Partners: If we utilize external partners for support services.
Legal Compliance and Protection: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency request). This includes instances where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal information may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you before your personal information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
With Your Consent: We may share your information with third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.
6. Data Security
We are committed to protecting your personal data. Serpworks.com implements industry-standard security measures to safeguard your information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
Encryption: Using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology for data transmission.
Secure Servers: Storing data on secure servers with restricted administrative access.
Password Hashing: Your passwords are encrypted (hashed) to prevent unauthorized access, meaning even we cannot view your plain-text password.
Regular Security Audits: Conducting periodic security assessments to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
7. Your User Rights
You have certain rights regarding your personal data held by Serpworks.com:
Access and Edit Your Profile: You can access, review, and edit most of your personal information directly through your account settings on the platform.
Request Data Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Request Account Deletion: You can request the deletion of your account and associated personal data. Please note that some data may be retained for legal or legitimate business purposes (e.g., transaction records for tax compliance).
Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 11.
8. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active on Serpworks.com. Once your account is deleted or becomes inactive, we will securely delete or anonymize your personal data, except where:
Legal Obligations: We are legally required to retain certain data for a longer period (e.g., transaction records for tax, audit, or regulatory reporting purposes).
Dispute Resolution: Data may be retained for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.
9. Public Profiles
Please be aware that certain information, particularly for Freelancers, will be publicly visible on Serpworks.com. This includes:
Freelancer Profiles: Your public profile information, including your bio, skills, services offered, and portfolio.
Service Listings (Gigs): Details of the Local SEO services you offer.
Reviews and Ratings: Feedback provided by Clients regarding your services.
Clients' posted projects may also be publicly visible to registered Freelancers.
10. Children’s Privacy
Serpworks.com is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.
11. International Compliance (GDPR & CCPA)
Serpworks.com aims to comply with global privacy regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents.
a. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation):
If you are located in the EEA, you have the following rights:
Right to Access: The right to request copies of your personal data.
Right to Rectification: The right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.
Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten"): The right to request that we erase your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to Restrict Processing: The right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions.1
Right to Object to Processing: The right to object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.2
Right to Data Portability: The right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another or3ganization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
b. CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act):
If you are a California resident, you have the following rights:
Right to Know: The right to request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell about you.
Right to Delete: The right to request the deletion of your personal information that we collected from you.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale: Although Serpworks.com does not sell your personal information, the CCPA grants you the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below.
12. Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or if you wish to exercise your user rights, please contact us through our "Contact Us" page on Serpworks.com or via email at [insert your support email address here, e.g., support@Serpworks.com].
13. Consent and Policy Updates
By creating an account and using Serpworks.com, you signify your full consent to this Privacy Policy.
We may update or change this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by email to your registered email address or through prominent notices within the Serpworks.com platform before the changes become effective. Your continued use of the platform after such modifications will constitute your acknowledgment of the modified Privacy Policy and agreement to abide and be bound by the updated terms.