Privacy Policy

Introduction

TrustWizz ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

By using TrustWizz, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account information (name, email address, password)
• Profile information (profile picture, bio, location)
• Reviews and ratings you submit
• Communications with us (support requests, feedback)
• Business information (if you claim a business profile)

Information Collected Automatically

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• Usage data (pages visited, time spent, interactions)
• IP address and approximate location
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our services
• Verify your identity and prevent fraud
• Detect and remove fake reviews
• Send you updates, notifications, and marketing communications
• Respond to your comments, questions, and support requests
• Analyze usage patterns to improve user experience
• Comply with legal obligations

Information Sharing

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

• Service providers: Companies that help us operate our platform
• Business partners: When you interact with a business on our platform
• Legal requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
• Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access your personal information
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your personal information
• Port your data to another service
• Opt out of marketing communications
• Withdraw consent where applicable

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@trustwizz.com.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encryption, secure servers, and regular security audits. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data:

• Account information: Retained for the duration of your account and up to 30 days after account deletion to allow for recovery
• Reviews and ratings: Retained as long as the review remains published; anonymised data may be retained for analytical purposes after deletion
• Usage and analytics data: Retained for up to 26 months from the date of collection
• Communication records: Support tickets and correspondence are retained for up to 3 years after resolution
• Legal and compliance data: Retained for up to 7 years as required by applicable law

When personal information is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymise it. Anonymised data that cannot be linked back to an individual may be retained indefinitely for research and statistical purposes.

Legal Basis for Processing (EEA/UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data under the following legal bases as defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Contractual necessity: Processing required to provide you with the TrustWizz service, including account management, review publishing, and business profile features
• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent, such as for marketing communications, optional analytics cookies, and certain data sharing activities. You may withdraw consent at any time
• Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as fraud prevention, platform security, service improvement, and enforcing our review guidelines — provided these interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights
• Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal proceedings

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we conduct a balancing test to ensure your rights and freedoms are not adversely affected. You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests at any time.

Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

TrustWizz uses automated systems to help maintain the integrity of our platform. This includes:

• Review moderation: Automated tools help identify potentially fraudulent, fake, or guideline-violating reviews. Flagged reviews are subject to human review before any action is taken
• Wizz Score calculations: Business Wizz Scores are calculated using aggregated, anonymised review data and do not involve profiling of individual users
• Fraud detection: We use automated systems to detect suspicious activity such as multiple accounts, review manipulation, or bot activity

No solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects are made about individual users without human oversight. You have the right to request human review of any automated decision that affects you.

Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: You may request details about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, and the purposes for collection
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to Correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: TrustWizz does not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@trustwizz.com. We will respond to verifiable consumer requests within 45 days.

International Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. When we transfer data outside the EEA or UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• Transfers to countries with an adequate level of data protection as determined by the European Commission
• Other legally approved transfer mechanisms

You may request a copy of the safeguards in place by contacting us.

Third-Party Services and Sub-Processors

We use the following categories of third-party service providers who may process your personal data on our behalf:

• Cloud hosting and infrastructure: For storing and serving our platform and your data securely
• Analytics services: For understanding platform usage, performance monitoring, and error tracking
• Payment processors: For securely handling payment transactions
• Email and communication services: For sending transactional emails, notifications, and support communications
• Customer support tools: For managing and responding to support requests
• Security and fraud prevention: For protecting the platform and users from malicious activity

All sub-processors are bound by data processing agreements that require them to process personal data only as instructed by us and to maintain appropriate security measures. For a current list of specific sub-processors, please contact us at privacy@trustwizz.com.

Children's Privacy

TrustWizz is not intended for children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of TrustWizz after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: privacy@trustwizz.com

Address: TrustWizz Inc., Privacy Team