Privacy Policy

Social Market HQ is a social commerce platform where people buy, sell, barter, create shops, post Buy Requests, share content, and connect with one another. To provide these services, we need to process certain personal information. This Policy tells you what we collect and how we handle it, in plain language.

By using the platform, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use Social Market HQ.

We collect information in three ways: information you give us, information created as you use the platform, and information collected automatically. This includes:

Information you provide

• Name — your full name, used on your profile and for account identification
• Email address — used to sign in, verify your account, secure it, and contact you
• Password — stored only as a securely hashed value, never in plain text
• Profile details — such as your bio, avatar, cover photo, website, and public contact or social links you choose to add
• Uploaded media — the images and videos you attach to posts, listings, shops, and stories
• Messages — the content of the private messages you send and receive
• Listings and requests — the products, shops, Buy Requests, and barter details you create

Location information

• A general operating location you set on your profile (for example, a city or area) so buyers can find sellers near them — never a precise home address
• Approximate or device location, only where you grant permission, to power nearby discovery and location-based search

Information collected automatically

• Device information — such as device type, operating system, browser, and app version
• Usage and analytics data — how you interact with the platform, which helps us understand and improve it
• Cookies and similar technologies — used to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and keep the platform secure

We only collect information we need to run the platform and to make it useful and safe. Specifically, we use your information for:

• Account security — verifying your email, protecting your account, and detecting suspicious sign-ins
• Fraud prevention — identifying and stopping scams, fake accounts, and abuse
• Recommendations — surfacing relevant listings, sellers, categories, and content, including things near you
• Notifications — telling you about messages, activity on your listings, and important account updates
• Platform functionality — powering feeds, marketplace, shops, Buy Requests, barter, stories, messaging, and search

We do not sell your personal information.

Your account data is stored in secure databases, and your uploaded media is stored and delivered through a specialised media provider that optimises and caches images and videos so they load quickly. Data may be processed and stored on servers located in different countries; wherever it is held, we apply the protections described in this Policy.

We keep your information for as long as your account is active and for as long as we need it to provide the service. Some content, such as temporary uploads and stories, is designed to be short-lived and is removed automatically after its lifetime ends.

When you delete your account, we remove or anonymise your personal information, except where we are required to retain certain records to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including hashing passwords, encrypting data in transit, restricting internal access, and monitoring for abuse. No system is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security — but we work continuously to protect your data and to respond quickly if something goes wrong.

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, keep the platform secure, and understand how it is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings. For full details on the types of cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Cookie Policy.

We rely on trusted third-party providers to operate the platform — for example, cloud hosting and databases, media storage and delivery, email delivery for verification and notifications, mapping and location services, and analytics. These providers process information only as needed to perform their services for us and are required to protect it.

The platform may also contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their policies.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal information, including the right to:

• Access the information we hold about you
• Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Delete your information, subject to legal exceptions
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Receive a copy of your information in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@socialmarkethq.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

You can deactivate or delete your account at any time from your account settings. Deactivating hides your account and prevents sign-in while keeping your data recoverable. Deleting your account removes or anonymises your personal information, subject to the retention exceptions described above. Some content you shared with others may remain visible to them until they remove it.

Where required by law, you can request a copy of the personal information associated with your account in a portable, machine-readable format. To make a request, contact us at privacy@socialmarkethq.com.

Social Market HQ is not intended for anyone under 18, or under the age of legal majority where that is higher. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have, we will delete it.

We may update this Policy as the platform evolves or as the law changes. When we make significant changes, we will notify you and update the version and date below. This Policy is version 1.0.0, last updated 24 July 2026.

If you have questions about this Policy or how we handle your information, contact us at:

• Privacy email: privacy@socialmarkethq.com
• Support email: support@socialmarkethq.com
• Business address: [Business Address — to be confirmed]
• Website: www.socialmarkethq.com