It is important that you read and understand this privacy policy so you are aware of how we, Megapigs, collect, use and store your data. In line with EU regulations, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) we have obtained your consent to do this and your continued use of the megapigs.com platform demonstrates your agreement to this policy and any subsequent changes.

From time to time we may make changes to this policy and we will inform you that changes have been made. megapigs is compliant with GDPR and believes that the site’s users have the right to know how their data is collected and used by us. This notice outlines our practices when gathering, storing, using and deleting your data.

Who is collecting your data?

Your data is being collected by Megapigs.com. Megapigs is committed to protecting you, our users’ (buyers, sellers and the general public visiting our site) personal data and we respect your privacy as outlined in this policy. Should Megapigs be sold, undergo a merger (either fully or partly) or face bankruptcy your data could be included in an asset transfer at which point you will be notified.

Minimum age of our users

All users of megapigs.com must be over the age of 16. All data and information we have unwittingly obtained from children under the age of 16 will be deleted. Any members who are aware or concerned that a member is a child under the age of 16 and sharing information, should report this to our custom support team.

What information do we collect?

When users register with megapigs, they give information about themselves in order to open an account – providing additional information including a full name, the services offer, key skills, geographic location and a profile image. Additionally, all registered users have access to the megapigs on-platform messaging service, to send messages between members of the platform as well as directly to megapigs

MegaPigs hold the following information on our users:

• email address
• member’s name
• PayPal email address (applicable for sellers and affiliates only) megapigs on-platform messages – members must be aware that these messages are not confidential and the megapigs compliance team have the right to review these messages for dispute resolution purposes, or concerns over fraudulent or other illegal activity
• When issuing a complaint against a member or raising an issue, any information provided in this instance will be retained
• Any other correspondence between our users and megapigs will also be retained
• megapigs may also hold some additional data that users provide to improve their freelance profile. Users can view the information they have provided by viewing their profile page when logged in. The information users choose to provide on their profile is in the public domain and is visible to all visitors of the site
• orders placed and received by our users
• users’ PayPal and/or any other future payment partner(s)
• megapigs from time to time may collect additional information such as physical address and additional authentication information.

megapigs does NOT hold any payment card or bank account information. Users’ payment card information is never shared with us by our payment processors

Additional information is also gathered when users view and utilise the platform by form of user behaviour analytics – this information includes, but is not limited to:

• Geographic location
• Browser details
• Device details
• IP address
• Impression data
• Global identifier data from advertisements

Why do we need or want this information?

We need or want this information to allow us to communicate with our users regarding current orders and provide users with services relating to this. Payment processor PayPal or any other payment partner data allows us to check the details of receipts and payments made by or to our users, and is necessary for us to calculate how much commission we earn and how much money we should pay to our members. We keep your messages because we sometimes need them to help resolve disputes between users and megapigs, should they arise, in accordance with our ‘service guarantee’. This helps us to ensure the integrity of the platform; prevent fraud and misuse and; provide a secure and easy place for users to trade their skills. All of the above is vital to ensuring we offer a safe and high quality service to our users. Should we need to use your information for reasons other than those set out in this policy, your consent will be obtained beforehand.

How long is user data retained for?

megapigs retains most user information for a minimum of six years as part of its obligation under tax and accountancy rules. After six years we will review and delete (anonymise) if appropriate. megapigs has no legal requirement to retain message records. Records are retained to resolve queries and disputes between users for as long as necessary. Data may also be retained until no longer needed from closed accounts to prevent fraudulent or other illegal activity, resolve any ongoing disputes or collect outstanding fees.

How do we anonymise user data?

When you as a user asks to have their account deleted, megapigs will in certain cases choose to anonymise some of your data and delete the rest. For example if you are a buyer and you have left feedback on a seller, this data is important to that seller – it impacts on their earnings and customer experience on the site. In such instances megapigs will anonymise the feedback so it cannot be linked to or identify you. The data that we will anonymise includes: username, email, full name, IP address. The following data will always be deleted: your description, profession, profile pictures, city, country, favourite services, favourite sellers and any services.

How do we collect user information?

The majority of information is collected directly by our users voluntarily providing the information on the site, through registration forms, posting services / requests, messaging users and providing any ad hoc voluntary information on the site. Behavioral and technical user data is automatically collected through our systems – an example of this is the use of Cookies (please see below).

Data shared with Third Parties

megapigs will never sell or lease your personal data to third partiesfor marketing purposes. Should we ever want to do this we would gather users’ explicit consent. Your personal data will only ever be provided to third parties to allow the megapigs freelance market place platform to continue operating. Examples of these are our Customer Relationship Management systems, mailing systems, technical support, third party analytics (such as Google) and of course payment processors. megapigs do NOT hold any payment card or bank account information. This is never shared with or by our payment processors. For details on your privacy please refer to our individual payment processors’ privacy policies for details. To protect the platform and its users from fraudulent and other criminal activity, we are duty bound to share your personal data if requested by a regulatory authority or a court order. Your personal data can be used statistically as a group of users with information from other companies (suppliers) used to develop the platform and inform our marketing activity.

The use of Cookies

As described, we collect anonymous behavioral and technical data on our users. This data is obtained by the use of ‘cookies’, small computer programs that are temporarily stored in your web browser. Cookies in isolation do not allow us to identify individual users.We have third party data collectors that use cookies such as Google analytics, Facebook pixel and our payment processors (pertaining to details to remember your payment details should you wish to). megapigs uses cookies which remember your login details (remember your password, should you choose) and also user_Id and time logged in for functionality security purposes. We also, as per EU law, use cookies if you’ve clicked the OK button on the cookie notice. Should you not want us to use cookies, you can set your browser to block them. Please be aware that some of our services may not work properly when cookies are disabled.

Links to third party websites

All links to external sites which are run by third parties are outside the control of this privacy policy; as such, we have no responsibility for their privacy policy and general practices. We recommend that you review their individual privacy policies should you have any concerns.

Users’ rights to update or delete their data

Most of the user generated content (UGC) on the website can be updated directly by our users once they have logged in. Should users wish to update any other information they should contact the support desk to assist them with this. We may require some personal information to make any changes in terms of verifying your identity as a security measure. Users have the right to delete their account at anytime, and this can be arranged by contacting the support desk who will arrange this for you. Please note as detailed above, your data may be stored for a relevant period of time as required by regulatory bodies and our own data storage policies and megapigs may elect to anonymise your data. Additionally, please be aware that once we have deleted your UGC from the site it may still be viewable by some users, if for example it remains cached on their system or they have taken copies e.g. a ‘screen grab’.

Users’ rights to request access to information we hold

All users have the right to access the information we hold about them. This can be done by requesting this from the support desk who will arrange this for you. Please be advised that this may be subject to a $20 fee to cover the cost of providing this information.

Breach notification and data security

In the unlikely event of a breach of our security and in line with our obligations under GDPR, we must notify all users who are affected or at risk of being affected by the breach within 72 hours of the time when we were first alerted to the breach. If you have any questions regarding this policy please contact the service desk.

This policy goes with our terms of service