Privacy Policy

Shwaber is operated by Shwaber, Inc. (“Shwaber,” “we,” “us”). This policy covers our website, mobile app, and any related services (the “Service”).

For privacy questions or requests, email us at legal@shwaber.com.

You give us when you create an account or use the Service:

• Name, email, password, phone number.
• Profile info: avatar, bio, business name, service categories, license / insurance details (Pros only).
• Address(es) used to match local services and compute distances.
• Job descriptions, photos, messages exchanged with other users, bids, ratings, and reviews.
• Payment information you enter into our payment processor (Stripe). We don’t store full card numbers on our servers — Stripe handles that.
• Government-issued ID and background-check authorization, if you opt into our Safety Seal verification (Pros only).

We collect automatically when you use the Service:

• Device and browser info (IP address, user agent, OS, screen size).
• Approximate location, derived from IP or — with your permission — precise device location.
• Usage data: pages visited, features used, search queries, interaction timestamps.
• Cookies and similar local-storage technologies for session management, preferences, and (with your consent where required) analytics.
• Service-worker and push-notification subscription identifiers if you opt into in-browser notifications.

We receive from third parties when you use connected services:

• Social sign-in providers (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple) provide your name, email, and avatar when you choose to sign in with them.
• Stripe and our background-check vendor provide verification results and payout status.
• Map / geocoding providers (OpenStreetMap / Photon, Google Places) help us validate and display addresses you enter.

• Operate the marketplace: match Customers with nearby Pros, route messages, process bids and payments.
• Communicate with you: account notices, transactional emails / SMS / push notifications, customer-support replies.
• Verify your identity and prevent fraud, abuse, and misuse.
• Improve the Service: analyze usage patterns, debug issues, run experiments on new features.
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities.
• Send you marketing communications you’ve opted into. You can unsubscribe at any time.

With other users. When you post a job, the job details (excluding precise address until a bid is accepted) are shown to nearby Pros. When you bid on a job, your business name, ratings, and bid details are shown to the Customer. Messages exchanged in a 1:1 thread are visible only to the two parties (and to Shwaber for dispute resolution and safety).

With service providers we use. We share the minimum information necessary with vendors that help us run the Service: Stripe (payments, payouts, identity verification), Resend (transactional email), Anthropic (the AI that helps parse job descriptions), Google Cloud / Neon Postgres (hosting + database), our background-check vendor, our push- notification platforms (Web Push, APNs, FCM), and our error / analytics tooling. These vendors are contractually required to handle your data only for the purposes we specify.

For legal reasons. We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

In a corporate transaction. If Shwaber is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We’ll notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell your personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

We use cookies and similar local-storage technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences (like consumer / provider mode, layout density), and help us understand usage. You can disable cookies in your browser, but parts of the Service won’t function without them (e.g. sign-in).

We retain account info as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion to comply with legal, tax, and accounting obligations and to resolve disputes. Transaction records (jobs, bids, payments) are typically retained for at least seven (7) years to satisfy financial-recordkeeping requirements. Message history is retained for the lifetime of the related job and for a limited period after.

Backups may persist for a limited additional period following deletion before being overwritten.

Depending on where you live you may have rights to:

• Access a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct information that’s inaccurate.
• Delete your account and the personal information associated with it (subject to retention obligations above).
• Export your data in a portable format.
• Object to or restrict certain processing (e.g. marketing).
• Withdraw consent you’ve given (e.g. for marketing emails, push notifications).

To exercise these rights, email us at legal@shwaber.com. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. We’ll respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (typically 30 days).

California residents (CCPA / CPRA): You have additional rights described above, including the right to know specific pieces of personal information collected and the right to opt out of any “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. We do not sell your personal information. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.

EU / UK / Switzerland residents (GDPR / UK GDPR): Our lawful bases for processing include performance of a contract (operating the Service), legal obligation (tax, accounting), legitimate interests (security, fraud prevention, product improvement), and consent (marketing, push notifications). You may lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

The Service is not directed to anyone under 18. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us and we’ll delete it.

Shwaber is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the US, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the US. Where required by law (e.g. for transfers from the EU / UK), we’ll use Standard Contractual Clauses or other appropriate safeguards.

We use industry-standard security measures (encryption in transit, encryption of sensitive fields at rest, hashed passwords, scoped access controls) to protect your information. No system is perfectly secure; we can’t guarantee absolute security but we’ll notify you promptly of any incident affecting your data, as required by law.

The Service may link to third-party websites or services we don’t control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. Review them before providing information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced in-app or by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

Questions or privacy requests? Email legal@shwaber.com.