Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

TrustLance is operated by Hielite. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. If you have any questions, contact us at support@hieliteacademy.com.

2. Information we collect

• Account information — name, email address, role (student, employer, mentor, admin), and a securely hashed password. We never store passwords in plain text.
• Profile information — headline, bio, avatar, skills, social/portfolio links, and academy verification status.
• Content you create — projects, documentation, job and gig posts, proposals, contracts, deliverables, messages, reviews, and certificates.
• Usage data — pages viewed, actions taken, and technical data such as IP address, browser type, and device information.
• Cookies — strictly necessary cookies for authentication and session management.

3. How we use your data

• To create and operate your account and verified credential.
• To provide the marketplace: matching talent with jobs and gigs, enabling proposals, contracts, messaging, reviews, and certificates.
• To compute your Trust Score and display your public profile to other users.
• To maintain security, prevent fraud and abuse, and enforce our Terms.
• To communicate with you about your account (e.g. email confirmation, password resets).

4. Legal bases (UK GDPR)

We process your data to perform our contract with you (providing the service), in our legitimate interests (operating and securing the platform), to comply with legal obligations, and where you have given consent.

5. Sharing and service providers

We do not sell your personal data. Public profile information (name, headline, skills, published projects, reviews, Trust Score, tier, and certificates) is visible to other users and the public by design. We share data with trusted processors who host and run the service on our behalf:

• Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage (hosted in the EU).
• Vercel — application hosting and content delivery.

We may also disclose data where required by law.

6. Data retention

We keep your data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service. You may request deletion of your account at any time, after which we will delete or anonymise your personal data, except where we must retain it for legal reasons.

7. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate data (much of which you can edit in your profile).
• Request deletion of your data.
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Request a portable copy of your data.

To exercise these rights, contact support@hieliteacademy.com.

8. Security

We use industry-standard measures including encryption in transit, hashed passwords, and row-level security so that only authorised users can access private data. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.

9. International transfers

Our infrastructure is primarily located in the European Union. Where data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards as required by law.

10. Children

TrustLance is intended for Hielite Academy students, employers, and mentors aged 16 and over. It is not directed at children under 16.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will revise the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you of material changes.

12. Contact

Questions about this policy? Email support@hieliteacademy.com.