SparkFix Technologies Inc. ("SparkFix," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our platform at sparkfix.ca and related services (the "Platform"). This Policy complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
- Account information: full name, email address, phone number, password
- Profile information (Service Professionals): bio, years of experience, eco-friendly designation, service areas, profile photo
- Job information (Customers): service address, postal code, unit number, preferred date, service type, job description
- Bid information (Service Professionals): pricing, service proposal messages
- Payment information: Subscription billing data is processed by Stripe. SparkFix does not store credit card numbers.
- Communications: messages sent through the Platform, support inquiries, feedback
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Device information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers
- Usage data: pages visited, time spent, click patterns, referring URLs
- Cookies and similar technologies: session cookies, analytics cookies (see Section 6)
- Location data: approximate location derived from IP address for service matching
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information from third-party authentication providers (if you sign in via a social account), payment processors (Stripe), and analytics services.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information to:
- Operate and maintain the Platform, including matching Customers with Service Professionals
- Process Subscriptions and manage billing through Stripe
- Send transactional communications: job alerts (SMS/email), bid notifications, booking confirmations
- Verify Service Professional identities and qualifications during the vetting process
- Improve the Platform through analytics and usage patterns
- Provide AI-powered service recommendations through our assistant feature
- Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service
- Respond to support requests and communicate with you about your account
3. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:
Between Users
When a Customer posts a job, relevant details (address, service type, date) are shared with Service Professionals who may bid. When a Service Professional submits a bid, their name, bio, experience, and pricing are shared with the Customer.
Service Providers
We share data with trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating the Platform: Supabase (authentication and database hosting, Canada/US), Stripe (payment processing, US), Vercel (hosting, US), Resend (transactional email delivery, US), Twilio (transactional SMS delivery, US), and DeepSeek (AI assistant, China). When you use the AI assistant, your query is transmitted to DeepSeek servers in China for processing. We do not send personally identifiable information (e.g. your name, address, or email) to DeepSeek. AI conversations are not stored beyond the session.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose information if required by law, court order, subpoena, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of SparkFix, our Users, or the public.
Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such transfer.
4. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Platform. Specific retention periods:
- Account data: retained until account deletion, then deleted within 30 days
- Job and bid data: retained for 24 months after job completion for dispute resolution
- Payment records: retained for 7 years as required by Canadian tax law
- Server logs and analytics: retained for 12 months
- AI assistant conversations: not stored beyond the session
5. Your Rights Under PIPEDA/PIPA
Under Canadian privacy law, you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
- Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information (subject to legal or contractual restrictions)
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated personal information
- Complaint: File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) or the BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@sparkfix.ca. We will respond within 30 days.
6. Cookies and Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Platform, remember your preferences, and analyze usage. The types of cookies we use:
| Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Authentication, session management, security | Session |
| Functional | Remember preferences, locale settings | 1 year |
| Analytics | Usage patterns, page performance | 12 months |
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may prevent the Platform from functioning correctly.
7. Electronic Communications (CASL)
SparkFix sends transactional electronic messages — including job alerts, bid notifications, booking confirmations, and Subscription updates — via email (Resend) and SMS (Twilio). These messages are necessary to operate the Platform and are exempt from Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) opt-out requirements as they relate directly to a commercial transaction you have initiated.
If SparkFix sends commercial electronic messages (marketing emails) that fall outside the transactional exemption, each such message will include a clear and prominent unsubscribe mechanism as required by CASL. You may withdraw express consent to commercial electronic messages at any time, free of charge, by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by contacting support@sparkfix.ca. Withdrawals are processed within ten (10) business days.
You may also contact support@sparkfix.ca to opt out of transactional SMS notifications. Note that disabling transactional SMS may mean you receive time-sensitive job and bid updates by email only.
8. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest
- Row-level security on database tables via Supabase
- Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
- Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
- Access controls limiting employee access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
9. International Data Transfers
Your personal information may be stored and processed in Canada, the United States, and — for AI assistant queries — the People's Republic of China (where DeepSeek operates). By using the Platform, you consent to the transfer of your information to these jurisdictions, which may have different privacy protections than your jurisdiction of residence. AI assistant queries are processed without personal identifiers; no account data, home address, or contact information is transmitted to DeepSeek.
10. Children's Privacy
The Platform is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 19 (the age of majority in British Columbia). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child, we will take steps to delete it promptly.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or a notice on the Platform at least thirty (30) days before taking effect. The "Effective" date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.
12. Contact Us
For privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints:
SparkFix Technologies Inc.
Attn: Privacy Officer
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Email: privacy@sparkfix.ca
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca or the BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner at oipc.bc.ca.