Privacy Policy
1. Information We Collect
Depending on how you use HelpHive, we may collect the following categories of information.
Information You Provide
When you create an account or use our Services, we may collect:
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Password or authentication information
- Profile photograph, if provided
- City, general location, or service area
- Account type, such as parent or sitter
- Availability and scheduling information
- Information included in childcare requests or job postings
- Communications and messages sent through the Services
- Other information you voluntarily provide to us
Parent Information
Parents may provide information necessary to request and arrange childcare services, including:
- Children's first names or nicknames
- Children's ages
- General childcare needs
- Scheduling information
- Location or service address necessary to arrange childcare
- Information about a childcare request or booking
Please do not provide unnecessary sensitive information about a child through the Services.
Sitter Information
Sitters may provide additional information needed to create a sitter profile and participate in the HelpHive marketplace, including:
- College or university information
- .edu email address or other information used to verify student status
- Availability
- Experience and qualifications
- Profile information and photograph
- Background-check information and screening status
- Information necessary to verify eligibility to provide services
HelpHive may use third-party screening providers to conduct background checks or other verification procedures. Those providers may collect information directly from sitters and process that information according to their own privacy policies.
Payment Information
If you purchase a HelpHive membership or otherwise make a payment, payment information may be processed by third-party payment processors. HelpHive does not intend to store complete payment-card numbers on its own systems. Payment information may be processed by providers such as Stripe, Apple, Google, or other payment partners depending on how you purchase or use the Services.
Information Collected Automatically
When you use HelpHive, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, including IP address, device type, operating system, browser type, app version, device identifiers, log information, usage information, crash and diagnostic information, and approximate location information, where enabled or permitted. We may use technologies such as cookies, software development kits (SDKs), analytics tools, and similar technologies to operate, secure, and improve the Services.
2. How We Use Information
We may use personal information to:
- Create and manage user accounts
- Provide and operate HelpHive
- Connect parents with available sitters
- Facilitate childcare requests and bookings
- Verify sitter eligibility and student status
- Conduct or facilitate background screening
- Process memberships and payments
- Communicate with users and provide customer support
- Send service-related notifications
- Improve and develop our Services, and analyze usage and performance
- Detect, prevent, and investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents
- Maintain the safety and integrity of the HelpHive marketplace
- Comply with applicable laws and enforce our policies
We may also use information for marketing communications where permitted by law. Users may opt out of promotional communications by following the unsubscribe instructions in those communications.
3. How We Share Information
We do not sell users' personal information for money. We may share information with trusted third parties when reasonably necessary to operate HelpHive, including:
Service Providers
Companies that provide services on our behalf, such as cloud hosting and database providers, authentication providers, payment processors, background-check and verification providers, analytics providers, customer-support providers, communication and notification providers, and security and fraud-prevention providers. These providers are permitted to use information only as reasonably necessary to provide services to HelpHive or as otherwise permitted by law.
Parents and Sitters
HelpHive is a marketplace designed to connect parents and sitters. Certain profile, availability, and booking-related information may be visible to other users when necessary to facilitate the Services — for example, a parent may receive information about a sitter being considered for a childcare request, and a sitter may receive information reasonably necessary to determine whether to accept a childcare request. We do not intend to publicly display sensitive background-check information.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; protect the rights, safety, or property of HelpHive, our users, or others; investigate fraud, abuse, or security issues; enforce our agreements and policies; or respond to emergencies.
Business Transfers
If HelpHive is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.
4. Background Checks and Verification
Because trust and safety are important to HelpHive, sitters may be required to complete identity verification, student-status verification, background screening, or other eligibility checks. Background checks may be performed by third-party screening providers. HelpHive may receive information such as whether a screening process was completed, whether a sitter passed applicable screening criteria, or other information necessary to determine eligibility. The collection and processing of information by a third-party screening provider may be governed by that provider's own privacy policy and applicable laws.
5. Children's Privacy
HelpHive is intended for adults, including parents, guardians, and college student sitters. HelpHive is not intended for children to create accounts or independently use the Services. Parents and guardians may provide limited information about children when necessary to arrange childcare — we ask users not to provide unnecessary sensitive information about children.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information directly to HelpHive without appropriate authorization, please contact us so that we can review the situation and take appropriate action.
6. Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmitting or storing information is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that personal information will always be completely secure.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Services, maintain user accounts, complete transactions, meet legal and regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, prevent fraud and abuse, enforce agreements, and maintain legitimate business records. When information is no longer reasonably necessary for these purposes, we may delete, anonymize, or securely dispose of it, subject to applicable legal and operational requirements.
8. Account Deletion and Your Privacy Choices
You may request deletion of your HelpHive account and associated personal information by contacting us using the information below or through any account-deletion functionality made available within the Services. Certain information may need to be retained where required by law or reasonably necessary for legitimate purposes such as fraud prevention, security, dispute resolution, or legal compliance.
You may also request correction of inaccurate personal information, and may opt out of certain promotional communications by using the unsubscribe instructions provided in those communications.
9. Location Information
Certain HelpHive features may require location or address information to facilitate childcare requests and connect parents with nearby sitters. Where required, HelpHive will request appropriate device permissions before accessing location information. You may control location permissions through your device settings — disabling location permissions may affect certain HelpHive features.
10. Third-Party Services
HelpHive may use third-party services and technologies to operate and improve the Services, including payment processing, cloud hosting, authentication, analytics, background screening, communications, security, and other business functions. Third-party services may independently collect or process information according to their own privacy policies.
11. Analytics and Advertising
We may use analytics technologies to understand how users interact with HelpHive, improve functionality, identify technical problems, and measure the effectiveness of our Services. If HelpHive introduces advertising or advertising-related technologies in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and our applicable privacy disclosures to reflect those practices.
12. Your California Privacy Rights
If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under applicable California privacy laws, which may include the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used; request access to certain personal information; request correction of inaccurate personal information; request deletion of personal information; opt out of certain forms of sale or sharing of personal information, where applicable; and receive information about how your privacy rights may be exercised. We will process verified privacy requests in accordance with applicable law.
13. Other State Privacy Rights
Residents of other states may have additional privacy rights under applicable state privacy laws. Where required by law, HelpHive will provide applicable rights and mechanisms for exercising those rights.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as HelpHive's Services, technology, business practices, or legal requirements change. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy. If changes are material, we may provide additional notice where required by applicable law.
15. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to request access or deletion of your information, or have a privacy-related concern, please contact us: