Privacy Policy

FarmSittersConnect.com is owned and operated by Farm Sitters, Inc., a Delaware corporation registered to do business in the Commonwealth of Virginia ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the Farm Sitters Connect platform, a Virginia-only technology platform and advertising directory connecting hobby farm and homestead owners with verified farm sitters. Please read this policy carefully.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when registering for and using the platform:

• Personal Identification Information: Legal first name, legal last name, email address, phone number.
• Location Information: Virginia county of residence or operation.
• Farm and Property Details: Farm name, property type (hobby farm, homestead, small livestock, rural property), property address, animal types, and task descriptions.
• Care Instructions and Animal Data: Feeding schedules, medication regimens, veterinary contact information, emergency protocols, daily care routines, and other animal husbandry details provided through your farm profile. This information is shared with sitters you book and may include details about the type, number, and health status of your animals.
• Sitter Profile Information: Business name, service radius, animal skills, property skills, daily and per-visit rates, bio, profile image, animal experience, work history, and references.
• Sitter Home Address: Collected for the purpose of identity verification during background checks through Checkr, Inc. and to enable geographic service-area matching. We do not display your full home address publicly; only your county is shown on your profile.
• Professional Profile Information: Business name, specialty, license number, service area, booking URL, bio, and profile image.
• Credential and Verification Documents: Uploaded credentials, license documents, certifications, and other professional documentation. These may include images of licenses, IDs, or certificates.
• Background Check Data: With your consent, we submit your information to Checkr, Inc. for a third-party background check. We receive from Checkr a pass/fail status and the date of completion, which is displayed on your profile as a verification indicator. We do not receive, store, or have access to the underlying criminal history records, court documents, or detailed findings. Checkr retains and processes background check data in accordance with Checkr's Privacy Policy and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Background check status indicators are retained on your profile for as long as your account is active.
• Payment Information: Payment details are collected and processed by Stripe, Inc. We store only Stripe customer IDs and Stripe Connect account IDs — not your credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or other sensitive financial data.
• Communications: Messages exchanged between users through the platform messaging system, including any attached images or files.
• Photos and Images: Profile photos, farm property images, and any images uploaded as message attachments or credential documentation.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Platform Operation: To create and manage your account, facilitate connections between farm owners and sitters, process bookings, and enable communication between users.
• Compliance Logging: To maintain legally required records of attestations, disclosures, and compliance acknowledgments (see Section 3 below).
• Payment Processing: To facilitate payment transactions through Stripe Connect, including platform facilitation fees and sitter payouts.
• Communications: To send booking confirmations, status updates, and essential platform notifications.
• Platform Improvement: To analyze usage patterns and improve platform functionality and user experience.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable Virginia and federal laws and regulations.

3. Compliance Logs

To maintain our legal position as a technology platform (and not a farm labor contractor), we record and retain detailed compliance logs when users complete attestations and acknowledgments on the platform. These logs include:

• IP Address: The IP address from which the attestation was submitted.
• Timestamp: The exact date and time the attestation was completed.
• Document Version: The version number of the attestation document presented to the user.
• Attestation Text: The full text of each attestation statement the user acknowledged.
• User Identification: The user ID associated with the attestation.

These compliance logs are maintained for legal defense purposes and to demonstrate that all users were properly informed of their rights, obligations, and the nature of the platform. Compliance logs are retained for the duration required by applicable law.

4. Stripe Data Handling

Farm Sitters Connect uses Stripe, Inc. as our payment processor. When you provide payment information (credit card numbers, bank account details, or other financial data), that information is collected, processed, and stored directly by Stripe in accordance with Stripe's Privacy Policy.

We do not store your credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or other sensitive payment information on our servers. We retain only Stripe-issued identifiers (Customer IDs and Connect Account IDs) necessary to process transactions through the platform.

5. Cookies and Local Storage

We use cookies and browser local storage for the following essential purposes:

• Session Authentication: To maintain your login session and authenticate your identity as you navigate the platform.
• User Preferences: To remember your theme preference (light or dark mode).
• Dismiss States: To remember when you have dismissed certain prompts, such as the upgrade savings prompt (14-day dismiss duration).

We do not use third-party tracking cookies or advertising cookies. All cookies and local storage used by Farm Sitters Connect are essential to platform operation. For more details, please see our Cookie Policy.

6. Third-Party Services

We integrate with the following third-party services:

• Firebase Authentication (Google): For user authentication and account management. Firebase processes authentication tokens and basic account identifiers. See Firebase Privacy Information.
• Stripe Connect: For payment processing, payout management, and financial transactions. Stripe collects and processes payment information under its own privacy policy.
• Checkr, Inc.: For third-party background checks on sitters who opt in. Checkr processes personal information, including name, date of birth, and Social Security number, under its own privacy policy and in compliance with the FCRA.
• Twilio: For SMS-based phone number verification. Your phone number is transmitted to Twilio for the purpose of delivering verification codes. See Twilio's Privacy Policy.
• Google Maps API: For county and location-based features, including displaying service areas and facilitating geographic matching between farm owners and sitters.

Each third-party service operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies to understand how they handle your data.

7. Analytics and Server Logging

Farm Sitters Connect does not use third-party analytics platforms (such as Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or similar services) for user tracking or behavioral analysis.

We maintain standard server-side application logs for the purpose of troubleshooting errors, monitoring platform availability, and detecting security threats. These logs may include IP addresses, browser user-agent strings, timestamps, and request URLs. Server logs are retained for a limited period necessary for operational purposes and are not used for marketing or user profiling.

8. Data Retention

We retain your information as follows:

• Account Information: Retained for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, personal information is removed within 30 days, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Compliance Logs: Retained indefinitely or for the period required by applicable Virginia and federal law, as these records serve as legal documentation of platform compliance.
• Booking and Transaction Records: Retained for a minimum of seven (7) years in accordance with tax and financial record-keeping requirements.
• Messages: Retained for the duration of your account. If you delete your account, messages you sent may still be retained in the other party's account and in our records for dispute resolution, legal compliance, and platform safety purposes. Messages involved in an active or recently resolved dispute may be retained beyond account deletion as necessary.
• Credential Documents: Retained for verification purposes while your account is active. Upon account deletion, uploaded credential documents are removed within 30 days, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Photos and Images: Profile photos, farm images, and message attachments are retained while your account is active. Upon account deletion, images are removed within 30 days, except where retention is required for active disputes or legal compliance.
• Background Check Status: The pass/fail status and date of completion received from Checkr are retained while your account is active and removed upon account deletion. We do not retain underlying background check records or criminal history data.
• Care Instructions and Farm Profiles: Retained while your account is active. Upon account deletion, care instructions and farm profile data are removed within 30 days.

9. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS/HTTPS).
• Secure Authentication: User authentication is managed through Firebase Authentication with industry-standard token-based session management.
• Payment Data Isolation: Sensitive payment information is collected and stored exclusively by Stripe, reducing our exposure to cardholder data and minimizing PCI scope.
• Access Controls: Access to production data and systems is restricted to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis.
• Database Security: Our database is hosted on infrastructure with encryption at rest and network-level access restrictions.

While we take reasonable precautions to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

10. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements (such as compliance logs and financial records that must be maintained).
• Data Portability: You may request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@farmhandsconnect.com.

11. Children's Privacy

Farm Sitters Connect is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 18, please contact us immediately.

12. Virginia-Specific Privacy Rights

As a Virginia-based platform, we comply with the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) where applicable. Under the VCDPA, Virginia residents may have additional rights including:

• The right to confirm whether we are processing your personal data and to access that data.
• The right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data.
• The right to delete your personal data.
• The right to obtain a copy of your personal data in a portable format.
• The right to opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Farm Sitters Connect does not sell personal data and does not engage in targeted advertising based on personal data. To exercise your rights under the VCDPA, please contact us at info@farmhandsconnect.com. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Virginia Attorney General's office.

13. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a breach of unencrypted or unredacted personal information that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your data, Farm Sitters Connect will notify affected Virginia residents without unreasonable delay in accordance with the Virginia breach notification statute (Va. Code § 18.2-186.6). Notification will include a description of the incident, the types of personal information involved, steps we are taking in response, and contact information for further inquiries. We will also notify the Virginia Attorney General's office as required by law.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on the platform with a new "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of Farm Sitters Connect after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.