Privacy Policy

Who We Are

The Cuddle Pro ("we", "us", "our") operates The Cuddle Pro platform, accessible at thecuddlepro.com and related applications. We are a marketplace connecting clients with certified therapeutic touch practitioners ("Cuddle Pros").

For the purposes of applicable data protection law, The Cuddle Pro is the data controller responsible for your personal information. Our primary place of business is in California, USA.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at support@thecuddlepro.com at any time.

Data We Collect

We collect only what we need to run the platform and provide a safe, functional service. Here's a breakdown:

Category	Data Collected	Who It Applies To
Account Info	Name, email address, phone number, password (hashed)	All users
Profile Data	Display name, bio, location, profile photo, specialties, hourly rate	Cuddle Pros
Booking Data	Session type, date, time, client address, session status	All users
Payment Info	Last 4 digits, card type, billing zip (full card data handled by Square)	Clients
Identity Verification	Government ID (reviewed during onboarding, not stored long-term)	Cuddle Pros
Usage Data	Pages visited, features used, session timestamps, browser/device type	All users
Communications	Support emails, in-app messages, feedback submitted	All users

Data we do NOT collect

• Full payment card numbers (handled entirely by Square)
• Social Security numbers or government ID numbers
• Biometric data
• Location tracking outside of session booking addresses you provide

How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

• To operate the platform — creating accounts, processing bookings, facilitating sessions, and handling payments
• To verify identity and safety — background checks for Cuddle Pros, fraud prevention, and ensuring platform integrity
• To communicate with you — booking confirmations, session reminders, support responses, and platform updates
• To improve our service — analysing usage patterns, fixing bugs, and developing new features
• To enforce our policies — investigating reports, resolving disputes, and taking action against violations
• To comply with the law — responding to valid legal requests, regulatory requirements, or court orders

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract performance — processing necessary to provide you with the platform and services you've signed up for
• Legitimate interests — improving our platform, preventing fraud, and keeping users safe, where these interests are not overridden by your rights
• Legal obligation — where we are required to process data to comply with applicable laws
• Consent — for any optional communications or data uses where we have asked for and received your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Data Sharing

We share your data only in limited, necessary circumstances:

With Cuddle Pros (and vice versa)

When a booking is made, relevant session details are shared between the client and Cuddle Pro — including name, contact information, session address, and session type. This is necessary to facilitate the session.

With service providers

We work with trusted third-party providers to operate the platform. These include:

• Square — payment processing
• Google (Drive, Apps Script) — platform infrastructure and data storage
• Background check provider — identity and safety screening for Cuddle Pros
• Resend — transactional and booking emails

All service providers are bound by data processing agreements and may only use your data as directed by us.

For legal or safety reasons

We may disclose data to law enforcement, regulators, or legal counsel when required by law or where necessary to protect the safety of users or the public.

Business transfers

If The Cuddle Pro is acquired or merged, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you in advance and your rights under this policy will continue to apply.

Payment Data

All payment processing on The Cuddle Pro is handled by Square, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. We never see, handle, or store your full card number, CVV, or complete billing details.

When you enter payment details on The Cuddle Pro, that information goes directly to Square's secure servers. The Cuddle Pro receives only a tokenised reference and non-sensitive metadata (last 4 digits, card type, expiry month/year).

You can review Square's privacy practices at squareup.com/privacy.

Cookies & Tracking

We use a minimal set of cookies to operate the platform:

• Essential cookies — required for login sessions, security, and basic platform functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — used to understand how users navigate the platform so we can improve it. We use privacy-respecting analytics and do not share this data with advertisers.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or cross-site tracking technologies. You will not see The Cuddle Pro-targeted ads following you around the internet.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.

Data Retention

We keep your data for as long as necessary to provide the service and comply with our legal obligations:

• Active account data — retained for the lifetime of your account
• Booking records — retained for 3 years after the session date for legal and dispute purposes
• Payment records — retained for 7 years as required by financial regulations
• Safety reports and incident logs — retained for up to 5 years
• Deleted account data — most data deleted within 30 days of account closure; some records retained longer where legally required

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

Your Rights

You have meaningful control over your personal data. Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

To exercise any of these rights, email support@thecuddlepro.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing the request.

Children's Privacy

The Cuddle Pro is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account or submitted data through our platform, please contact us immediately at support@thecuddlepro.com and we will delete it promptly.

Security

We take data security seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) across all platform communications
• Hashed and salted password storage — we never store passwords in plain text
• Access controls limiting staff access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Regular security reviews of our infrastructure and third-party providers
• Incident response procedures for data breaches, including user notification where required by law

While we do everything reasonable to protect your data, no system is completely immune to risk. If you suspect unauthorised access to your account, please contact us immediately at support@thecuddlepro.com.

California Privacy (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you additional rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know — the categories and specific pieces of personal information we've collected about you in the past 12 months
• Right to Delete — request deletion of personal information we've collected, subject to exceptions
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale — we do not sell personal information, so this right is not applicable, but we honour it regardless
• Right to Non-Discrimination — we will not treat you differently for exercising your CCPA rights

To submit a CCPA request, email support@thecuddlepro.com with the subject line "CCPA Request". We will respond within 45 days.

Policy Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Send a notification email to all registered users
• Display a prominent notice on the platform for 30 days following the change

Your continued use of The Cuddle Pro after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you disagree with a change, you may close your account at any time.

Contact Us

We take privacy seriously and are always happy to answer questions or address concerns. Reach out and a real person will respond.