Privacy Notice

Bloom Sitters, Inc. ("Bloom," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it as described in this Privacy Notice ("Notice"). This Notice describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website www.bloomsitters.com (the "Website") or use Bloom’s mobile application (the "App"), collectively referred to as the "Services," and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

Please read this Notice carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information. By accessing or using our Services, you agree to this Privacy Notice.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect several types of information from and about users of our Services, including:

A. Information You Provide Us

• Account Registration: When creating a Parent or Sitter account, personal information such as your name, email address, phone number, and account password.
• Profile Information: You may choose to provide a profile photograph, physical address, scheduling availability, and hourly rates.
• Payment Information: All financial transactions are processed by our third-party payment processors (e.g., Stripe). We do not directly collect, process, or store your full credit card number or bank account information on our servers. However, we do receive and store limited transaction data from these processors—such as payment tokens, transaction receipts, subscription status, and the last four digits of your payment method—to facilitate your access to discounted booking rates, manage your subscriptions, and maintain financial records.
• Communications and Media: information you provide when utilizing in-app messaging or transmitting photos during active booking sessions.

B. Information We Collect Automatically

• Usage Details: When you access and use the Services, we may automatically collect certain details of your access to and use of the App/Website, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data.
• Device Information: We may collect information about your mobile device and internet connection, including the device's unique device identifier, IP address, operating system, browser type, and mobile network information.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information that we collect about you or that you provide to us to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our Services.
• Facilitate the scheduling, communication, and management of babysitting engagements between Parents and Sitters.
• Process transactions, subscriptions, and per-booking fees.
• Send you administrative notices, such as booking confirmations, Sitter cancellations, and Bloom policy updates.
• Respond to customer support requests and troubleshoot technical issues.
• Fulfill any other purpose for which you provide the information.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this Notice:

• To Other Users: Information such as your name, profile photo, and availability is shared between Parents and Sitters to facilitate bookings within your personal network or mutual connections. In-App messages and photos are shared only with your designated recipients.
• To Service Providers: We share data with third-party contractors and service providers we use to support our business, such as cloud hosting providers and payment processors, who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential.
• For Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information to comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including responding to any government or regulatory request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Bloom, our customers, or others.

SMS & Mobile Data Privacy:

• Mobile information will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
• This excludes text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

4. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you the Services. You may delete your account and associated personal data at any time via the account settings within the App. Upon deletion, your data will be removed from our active databases, though we may retain certain records strictly for legal, tax, or regulatory compliance purposes.

5. Minors and Verifiable Parental Consent (COPPA Compliance)

The safety and privacy of minors are paramount to Bloom. Our Services are not directed to, nor do we knowingly collect personal information from, children under the age of 13. Access to the Services is strictly prohibited for any individual under the age of 13.

A. Minor Sitter Accounts (Ages 13–17) We permit individuals between the ages of 13 and 17 to utilize our Services as Sitters. To comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines regarding data collection from minors, we require Verifiable Parental Consent (VPC) before a minor user can fully activate an account or transmit personal data.

B. The Verifiable Parental Consent (VPC) Process

• When a user between the ages of 13 and 17 attempts to register a Sitter account, we collect only the minor's name and the email address of their parent or legal guardian.
• We immediately send an email notice to the parent or guardian explaining our privacy practices, what personal information we intend to collect from the minor, and how that information will be used.
• The parent or guardian must provide affirmative consent through the provided link. This process may require the parent to create a Parent Account or verify their identity using a secure method compliant with COPPA (e.g., a credit card transaction).
• If consent is not obtained within seven (7) days, the minor’s preliminary registration information is permanently deleted from our records.

C. Information Collected from Minors Upon receiving VPC, we collect the following information from the minor Sitter to facilitate the core functions of the Services: name, email address, phone number, optional profile photograph, scheduling availability, hourly rates, and in-app communications (including photos) during active booking sessions.

D. Parental Rights and Controls Parents and legal guardians maintain full control over their minor's personal information. At any time, a parent or guardian who has provided consent may:

• Review the personal information collected from their minor.
• Request that we modify or delete the minor's personal information.
• Revoke their consent and refuse to permit further collection or use of the minor's information, which will result in the termination of the minor's Sitter account.

To exercise any of these rights, parents may manage permissions directly within their Parent Account dashboard or contact us at operations@bloomsitters.com.

6. Cookies, Web Beacons, and Other Technologies

Our third-party service providers may use cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies on the Website to provide features and services, improve functionality, or authenticate and verify users. These third parties may use such technologies to collect information about you when you use the Website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content. We do not control these third parties' tracking technologies or how they may be used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the provider responsible directly. Please visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more or to opt out. If you disable cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies then some aspects of the Website may not be available.

U.S. State Privacy Rights
Depending on your U.S. state of residence, you may have specific rights regarding your personal information, including the right to request access to your data, request deletion of your data, and correct inaccuracies. To submit a data rights request, please contact us at the email address provided below.

7. Changes to Our Privacy Notice

We may update our Privacy Notice from time to time. If we make material changes to how we treat our users' personal information, including changes to how we collect or use data from minors, we will notify you through an email to the primary email address specified in your account and/or through a notice within the App.

8. Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this Privacy Notice and our privacy practices, contact us at the details above.

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