Important Notice: We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We are committed to protecting your privacy and only share data with trusted service providers necessary to operate our platform.
What Information We Collect
Information You Provide Directly
Account Details
- Name, email address, password (encrypted)
- Username and age confirmation
- Profile photo, shop name, and bio
Transaction Information
- Shipping address and phone number (for orders and trades)
- Payment information (processed securely by Stripe/PayPal - we do not store card numbers)
- Bank account details (encrypted) for seller payouts
Content and Communications
- Product listings (photos, descriptions, categories, prices, tags)
- Messages, comments, and chat conversations with other users
- Reviews and ratings you provide
- Trade preferences (WTT/ISO collections, wishlist items)
- Customer support communications and inquiries
Optional Information
- Social media handles (Instagram, Bluesky, X) for profile display
- Event participation and RSVP data
Information We Collect Automatically
Device and Technical Information
- Device information (model, operating system version, unique device identifiers)
- IP address and general location (country, state/province, city)
- Browser type and version (if using web interface)
- Mobile carrier information
Usage Data
- App activity (pages viewed, features used, buttons clicked, search queries)
- Timestamp data for actions and sessions
- Interaction patterns and preferences
- Performance data and crash logs
Tracking Technologies
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies
- Push notification tokens (to send you notifications)
- Analytics data (anonymized where possible)
- Session identifiers and authentication tokens
Information from Third Parties
- Stripe - Payment verification and transaction status (if implemented)
- Fraud prevention services - Risk scores and verification data (if implemented)
How We Use Your Data
Primary Purposes
- To provide and maintain our marketplace services
- To process transactions and send order confirmations
- To communicate with you about your account and customer service
- To send transactional emails and push notifications
- To detect, prevent, and address fraud, scams, and security issues
- To detect and remove counterfeit items and harmful content
- To investigate abuse, harassment, and violations of our Terms of Service
- To maintain platform safety and trust through automated and human review
- To moderate user-generated content and enforce our policies
- To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service
With Consent
- Marketing communications (only with your consent)
- Analytics and service improvement (you can opt-out)
- Personalized recommendations based on your preferences
Service Improvement
- Develop new features and functionality
- Improve app performance and user experience
- Conduct analytics and measure platform usage
- Fix bugs and technical issues
Data Sharing
Important Note: We do not sell your personal information. We only share data with trusted service providers necessary to operate our platform.
Service Providers
- Stripe & PayPal - Payment processing
- ImageKit - Media hosting and content delivery
- Postmark - Transactional emails
- Expo - Push notifications
- Pusher - Real-time messaging
All third-party service providers are contractually required to protect your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws and may only use your data to perform services on our behalf.
Information Visible to Other Users
- Username and profile photo
- Shop name and bio
- Product listings and descriptions
- Reviews and ratings
- Messages you send to other users
- Shipping details (only shared when you engage in a transaction requiring shipment)
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your data if required to comply with applicable law, respond to lawful requests by public authorities, or protect the rights, safety, and property of users or alaKarte.
Business Transfers
If alaKarte is acquired, merged, or restructured, your personal data may be transferred to the new entity. We will ensure that the same privacy protections continue to apply to your data.
Your Rights
Rights Under Canadian Law (PIPEDA)
As a Canadian company, these are your primary rights:
- Right to access your personal information held by us (use 'Export Data' feature)
- Right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of your information
- Right to withdraw consent at any time (manage in privacy settings)
Rights Under GDPR (EU Residents)
- Request a copy of your personal data (use 'Export Data' feature)
- Correct inaccurate personal data (update in account settings)
- Request deletion of your account and data (use 'Delete Account' feature)
- Receive your data in machine-readable format (JSON export)
- Object to data processing for direct marketing
- Request restriction of processing
- Withdraw consent at any time
Rights Under US State Laws
Applicable to residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and other US states with privacy laws:
- Right to know what personal information we collect and how it's used
- Right to access your personal information
- Right to request deletion of your personal information
- Right to correct inaccurate personal information
- Right to opt-out of sale/sharing of personal information (we do not sell your data)
- Right to opt-out of targeted advertising (we do not use targeted advertising)
- Right to data portability (JSON export available)
- We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights
- We obtain consent before processing sensitive personal information
How to Exercise Your Rights
Exercise your rights through account settings (Settings > Privacy > Export Data or Delete Account) or contact privacy@kartecollect.com. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframes required by applicable law (typically 30-45 days).
Identity Verification: We may need to verify your identity before processing your data rights request to protect your privacy and security.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to provide our Services, maintain safety and security, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
Account Deletion
You may delete your account at any time through Settings > Privacy > Delete Account. Upon account deletion, your personal data is permanently deleted within 30 days.
Specific Retention Periods
- Completed transaction data: 7 years (for tax compliance and legal requirements)
- Anonymized analytics data: Indefinitely (cannot be linked back to you)
- Messages and chat logs: 1 year after last activity
- Inactive accounts: Automatically deleted after 3 years of inactivity
- Customer support records: 3 years after last interaction
- Security and fraud prevention data: Up to 5 years after incident resolution
Data Security
We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your information:
Technical Measures
- Encryption in transit using HTTPS/TLS for all data transmission
- Encryption at rest for sensitive data
- Password hashing using bcrypt with strong salt
- Rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks
- Secure authentication and session management
- Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Administrative Measures
- Controlled access policies
- Security training for team members
- Incident response procedures
- Data processing agreements with all service providers
Limitations: However, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
International Transfers
Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence. As a Canadian company with global operations, we ensure compliance with cross-border data transfer requirements.
We ensure adequate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for EU data, adequacy assessments, and appropriate data transfer agreements for other jurisdictions.
Children's Privacy
alaKarte is not intended for users under 16 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 16 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@kartecollect.com.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or app notification. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.
Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your data rights: