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Privacy Policy

Ben ("we," "us," "our") operates a trades networking platform that connects construction and trades professionals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our website, voice calls, SMS messages, WhatsApp messages, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Contact information: Name, phone number, email address
• Professional information: Trade or role (e.g., electrician, general contractor, homeowner), years of experience, career stage, service areas, specialties
• Business information: Business name, website, portfolio links, social media profiles (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube)
• Project details: Project descriptions, budget ranges, timelines, trades needed, current capacity, ideal project types
• Communication preferences: Preferred contact method (call, text, email), growth goals, networking preferences
• Referral information: When you refer someone or are referred, we record that relationship

1.2 Information Collected During Voice Calls

When you participate in a phone call with Ben (our AI voice assistant), we collect:

• Call transcripts: A text transcription of what is said during the call
• Call summaries: AI-generated summaries of the conversation
• Extracted profile data: Professional details mentioned during the call that are used to build your networking profile
• Call duration: How long the call lasted

Important: Our voice calls are conducted by an AI assistant powered by artificial intelligence. By participating in a call, you acknowledge that you are speaking with an AI system, not a human, and that the conversation will be recorded and transcribed.

1.3 Information from Third-Party Sources

• Business directory data: We may collect publicly available business information (business name, phone number, address, ratings, reviews) from sources such as Google Maps to identify trades professionals in the GTA

1.4 Information Collected Automatically

• Message logs: Records of SMS and WhatsApp messages exchanged with the Service
• Usage data: Interactions with our website, including pages visited and forms submitted

2. How We Use Your Information

• Networking and matching: To analyze your profile and connect you with complementary trades professionals, general contractors, homeowners, and property managers
• Communication: To contact you via phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp, or email about potential matches, introductions, follow-ups, and service updates
• Profile creation: To build and maintain your professional networking profile within the Ben platform
• Matchmaking quality: To improve our matching algorithms using introduction outcomes and feedback you provide
• Service improvement: To analyze usage patterns and improve the Service
• Referral tracking: To attribute referrals and enable referral-based networking

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Other Users (Introductions)

When we propose a match, we share limited profile information with the other party, including your name, role, specialties, service area, and a brief summary of why you are a good match. We only share your full contact details (phone number, email) after both parties have accepted the introduction.

3.2 With Service Providers

We use third-party services to operate the platform:

• Vapi — Voice call orchestration and phone number provisioning
• Anthropic (Claude) — AI language model for conversation, matching, and profile analysis
• ElevenLabs — Voice synthesis for AI phone calls
• Deepgram — Speech-to-text transcription
• Twilio — SMS messaging
• Meta (WhatsApp Business API) — WhatsApp messaging
• Railway — Cloud hosting infrastructure

These providers process data on our behalf and are contractually obligated to protect your information.

3.3 We Do Not Sell Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

3.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

4. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure hosted by Railway. We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. However, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you request deletion of your data, we will remove your profile and associated information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information
• Opt-out: Opt out of receiving calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages, or emails at any time by replying STOP or contacting us
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent to data processing at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at dave@getbenjee.com.

7. Canadian Privacy Law (PIPEDA)

We comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances. We obtain meaningful consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately.

9. AI Disclosure

Ben uses artificial intelligence extensively throughout the Service:

• Voice calls are conducted by an AI assistant, not a human
• Match recommendations are generated by AI algorithms
• Profile summaries and introduction messages are composed by AI
• Follow-up messages may be AI-generated

We are committed to transparency about our use of AI. If you have questions about how AI is used in any interaction, please ask.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised effective date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

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

Ben
Email: dave@getbenjee.com
Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada