Privacy Policy

At Star Connect, your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your personal information when you use our platform, including our website and associated services such as expert consultations, Star Wish video requests, and group call functionalities.

Star Connect is a comprehensive platform that connects users with experts across various fields including entertainment, education, business consulting, health and wellness, technology, and creative industries. Our platform enables meaningful interactions through multiple communication channels including one-on-one messaging, video calls, group consultations, and personalized video messages through our Star Wish feature.

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of Star Connect, including both service seekers and expert service providers. When we refer to "you" in this policy, we mean any individual who uses our platform, whether you are seeking expert advice, providing expert services, or simply browsing our website.

By accessing, browsing, or using Star Connect in any capacity, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use our services. Your continued use of our platform following any changes to this policy will constitute your acceptance of such changes.

We are committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of our users. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what choices you have regarding your personal information. We encourage you to read this policy carefully and contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Our commitment to privacy extends beyond mere compliance with applicable laws. We believe in transparency, user control, and responsible data stewardship. This policy reflects our ongoing efforts to protect your privacy while delivering the high-quality services you expect from Star Connect.

We collect various types of information to provide, maintain, protect, and improve our services. The information we collect falls into several categories, each serving specific purposes in delivering our platform's functionality.

Personal Information You Provide

When you create an account on Star Connect, we collect personal information that you voluntarily provide. This includes your full name, email address, phone number, date of birth, and profile information such as your bio, profile picture, and professional credentials if you're an expert on our platform.

For expert service providers, we collect additional professional information including your areas of expertise, certifications, educational background, work experience, portfolio items, pricing information, and availability schedules. This information helps us match you with appropriate clients and showcase your qualifications to potential customers.

Communication Data

We collect and store the content of your communications through our platform, including messages, video calls, Star Wish requests, and any files or media you share. This includes both the content of your communications and metadata such as timestamps, participants, and delivery status.

For quality assurance and safety purposes, we may monitor or record certain interactions, particularly initial consultations or when issues are reported. We will always inform you when recording is taking place and obtain necessary consents.

Usage and Analytics Data

We automatically collect information about how you use our platform. This includes pages you visit, features you use, search queries, click patterns, time spent on different sections, and your interaction history with experts or clients. We also collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type and version, device identifiers, operating system, and network information.

We use analytics tools and cookies to gather this information, which helps us understand user behavior, identify popular features, detect technical issues, and improve our platform's performance and user experience.

Location Information

With your permission, we may collect and process information about your actual location. We use various technologies to determine location, including GPS, IP address, and other sensors that may provide information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points, and cell towers. This information helps us provide location-relevant expert recommendations and services.

Payment and Financial Information

When you make purchases on our platform, we collect payment information including credit card numbers, billing addresses, and transaction history. We work with trusted third-party payment processors to handle sensitive financial data securely, and we do not store complete payment card information on our servers.

For experts receiving payments through our platform, we collect additional financial information such as bank account details, tax identification numbers, and payout preferences to facilitate payments and comply with applicable tax regulations.

The information we collect serves multiple purposes, all aimed at providing you with the best possible experience on Star Connect while maintaining the security and integrity of our platform.

Service Provision and Platform Operation

We use your information primarily to provide, operate, and maintain our platform. This includes creating and managing your account, processing your requests for expert consultations, facilitating communications between users and experts, processing payments, and delivering the specific services you request such as Star Wish videos or group consultations.

Your profile information helps us create accurate user profiles that enable effective matching between service seekers and expert providers. We use your preferences, search history, and interaction patterns to personalize your experience and show you the most relevant experts and services.

Communication and Customer Support

We use your contact information to communicate with you about your account, transactions, and our services. This includes sending you confirmations, receipts, technical notices, updates, security alerts, and administrative messages. We also use this information to provide customer support and respond to your inquiries, complaints, or feedback.

When you contact our support team, we may access your account information and communication history to provide more effective assistance and resolve issues more quickly.

Platform Improvement and Development

We analyze usage data and user feedback to understand how our platform is being used, identify areas for improvement, and develop new features and services. This includes conducting research and analysis to better understand user needs, preferences, and behavior patterns.

We use aggregated and anonymized data to generate insights about platform usage, popular expert categories, peak usage times, and other trends that help us optimize our services and infrastructure.

Safety and Security

We use your information to maintain the safety and security of our platform and users. This includes monitoring for fraudulent activities, investigating suspicious behavior, enforcing our terms of service, and protecting against spam, harassment, and other harmful activities.

We may use automated systems and manual review processes to detect and prevent abuse, including analyzing communication patterns, transaction behavior, and user reports to identify potential violations of our community guidelines.

Marketing and Promotional Activities

With your consent, we may use your information to send you marketing communications about new features, expert recommendations, special offers, and other promotional content that we believe may be of interest to you. You can opt out of these communications at any time through your account settings or by following the unsubscribe instructions in our emails.

We may also use your information to create targeted advertisements and personalized content both on our platform and on third-party websites and social media platforms, subject to your privacy preferences and applicable privacy laws.

Legal Compliance and Business Operations

We use your information as necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes. This includes tax reporting, responding to lawful requests from government authorities, and maintaining records as required by law.

In connection with business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, or asset sales, we may transfer your information to the relevant parties, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections and user notification requirements.

At Star Connect, we understand that your personal information is valuable and sensitive. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. However, there are specific circumstances where we may share your information to provide our services effectively and ensure platform safety.

Service Providers and Business Partners

We work with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our platform and provide services to you. These providers include payment processors, cloud hosting services, email delivery services, customer support platforms, analytics providers, and security services.

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and are only permitted to use it for the specific purposes we have outlined. They cannot use your information for their own purposes or share it with other parties without our explicit permission.

Expert-Client Interactions

When you book a consultation or service with an expert on our platform, we share relevant information between you and the expert to facilitate the service. This may include your name, contact information, consultation preferences, and any specific requirements you've mentioned.

Similarly, when experts provide services through our platform, we may share their professional information, ratings, reviews, and service details with potential clients. This sharing is essential for the marketplace functionality of our platform.

Legal Requirements and Safety

We may disclose your information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or governmental requests. This includes responding to court orders, subpoenas, or other legal demands from law enforcement or regulatory authorities.

We may also share information to protect the rights, property, and safety of Star Connect, our users, or the public. This includes sharing information to prevent fraud, investigate potential violations of our terms of service, or address security threats.

Business Transfers

In the event that Star Connect is involved in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the new entity. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our platform before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Aggregated and Anonymous Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you. This might include industry trends, usage statistics, or demographic information that helps us and our partners understand market dynamics and improve our services.

With Your Consent

We may share your information with other parties when you explicitly consent to such sharing. This might include sharing your information with third-party applications you choose to connect with your Star Connect account, or participating in promotional activities with our partners.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, though this may limit your ability to use certain features or services that depend on such information sharing.

Public Information

Some information you provide may be publicly visible on our platform. This includes your public profile information if you're an expert, reviews and ratings you provide, and any content you choose to make public. Please be mindful of what information you choose to make publicly available.

The security of your personal information is a top priority at Star Connect. We implement comprehensive security measures designed to protect your data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our security practices are regularly reviewed and updated to address emerging threats and maintain the highest standards of data protection.

Technical Safeguards

We employ industry-standard encryption protocols to protect your data both in transit and at rest. All communications between your device and our servers are encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols. Sensitive information stored in our databases is encrypted using advanced encryption standards (AES-256).

Our platform infrastructure is hosted on secure cloud servers with multiple layers of protection including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular security monitoring. We use secure coding practices and conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Access Controls and Authentication

We implement strict access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access personal information, and only when necessary for their job functions. All access to personal data is logged and monitored. We use multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and regularly review and update access permissions.

For user accounts, we encourage the use of strong passwords and offer two-factor authentication options to enhance account security. We also monitor for suspicious login activities and will alert you to unusual access patterns.

Data Processing and Storage

We follow data minimization principles, collecting and retaining only the information necessary to provide our services. Personal data is processed in secure environments with restricted access, and we regularly purge unnecessary data according to our data retention policies.

Our data processing activities are governed by strict internal policies and procedures that ensure consistent application of security measures across all aspects of our operations.

Third-Party Security

All third-party service providers who have access to personal information are required to maintain appropriate security measures and are bound by contractual obligations to protect your data. We conduct due diligence on all service providers and regularly review their security practices.

Incident Response

We have established incident response procedures to handle potential security breaches quickly and effectively. In the unlikely event of a security incident that affects your personal information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

While we implement robust security measures, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information, but we are committed to maintaining the highest reasonable standards of data protection and continuously improving our security practices.

User Responsibilities

You also play an important role in protecting your information. Please use strong, unique passwords for your account, enable two-factor authentication when available, keep your login credentials confidential, and log out of your account when using shared devices. Report any suspicious activities or potential security issues to our support team immediately.

At Star Connect, we believe you should have control over your personal information. We provide you with various rights and choices regarding how your information is collected, used, and shared. These rights may vary depending on your location and applicable privacy laws.

Access and Portability Rights

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you. Through your account settings, you can view most of your personal information, including profile details, communication history, transaction records, and privacy preferences. If you need additional information or have trouble accessing your data, you can contact our support team.

You also have the right to data portability, which means you can request a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. This allows you to transfer your data to another service provider if you choose to do so.

Correction and Update Rights

You can update and correct your personal information at any time through your account settings. This includes changing your profile information, contact details, preferences, and privacy settings. We encourage you to keep your information current to ensure you receive the best possible service.

If you notice any inaccuracies in your data that you cannot correct yourself, please contact our support team, and we will help you update your information promptly.

Deletion Rights

You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain limitations. You can delete your account at any time through your account settings, which will remove most of your personal information from our active systems.

However, we may retain certain information as required by law, for legitimate business purposes such as fraud prevention, or to resolve disputes. We will inform you of any information that cannot be deleted and the reasons for retention.

Marketing Communication Preferences

You have complete control over marketing communications from Star Connect. You can opt out of promotional emails, notifications, and other marketing messages through your account settings or by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

Even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you transactional messages related to your account, services you've requested, or important platform updates.

Privacy Settings and Controls

We provide comprehensive privacy controls that allow you to customize how your information is used and shared. You can control the visibility of your profile information, manage your communication preferences, set location sharing permissions, and configure notification settings.

For experts on our platform, additional privacy controls are available to manage how your professional information is displayed and shared with potential clients.

Cookie and Tracking Preferences

You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences and our cookie management tools. You can choose to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences for different types of cookies.

Please note that disabling certain cookies may limit some platform functionality, but you will still be able to use core features of our service.

Objection and Restriction Rights

In certain circumstances, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal information or request that we restrict how we use your data. This might apply to direct marketing activities, automated decision-making, or processing based on legitimate interests.

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, you can use your account settings, contact our privacy team directly, or reach out to our customer support. We will respond to your requests promptly and in accordance with applicable privacy laws. Some requests may require identity verification to protect your privacy and security.

Star Connect uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, provide personalized content, analyze platform usage, and improve our services. This section explains what these technologies are, how we use them, and how you can control them.

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit our website or use our application. They contain information that helps us recognize you, remember your preferences, and provide a more personalized experience. Cookies cannot harm your device or access personal files on your computer.

Similar technologies include web beacons, pixel tags, local storage, and mobile device identifiers, which serve similar purposes to cookies but may work differently depending on your device and browser.

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for our platform to function properly. They enable core features such as user authentication, security, and basic navigation. You cannot opt out of these cookies as they are essential for providing our services.

Performance Cookies: These cookies collect information about how you use our platform, such as which pages you visit most often and any error messages you might encounter. This information helps us improve our platform's performance and user experience. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and anonymous.

Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow our platform to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personalized features. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we use on our platform.

Targeting/Advertising Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests. They also help us measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and limit the number of times you see an advertisement.

Third-Party Cookies

We work with trusted third-party providers who may set cookies on your device to provide services such as analytics, advertising, customer support, and social media integration. These third parties have their own privacy policies governing their use of cookies and personal information.

Major third-party services we use include Google Analytics for website analytics, social media platforms for integration features, payment processors for transaction handling, and customer support tools for help functionality.

Analytics and Usage Tracking

We use analytics cookies to understand how users interact with our platform. This includes tracking page views, user journeys, feature usage, and performance metrics. This information helps us identify popular content, optimize user flows, and detect technical issues.

We may also use heat mapping and session recording tools to understand user behavior patterns, which helps us improve our user interface and overall user experience.

Managing Cookie Preferences

You have several options for managing cookies and tracking technologies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent.

You can also use our cookie preference center to customize your cookie settings specifically for our platform. This allows you to accept or reject different categories of cookies based on your preferences.

Impact of Disabling Cookies

While you can disable cookies, please note that doing so may limit some functionality of our platform. Essential cookies cannot be disabled as they are necessary for basic platform operation, but you can control optional cookies based on your preferences.

If you disable cookies, you may experience reduced personalization, need to re-enter information more frequently, and may not be able to use certain advanced features of our platform.

Star Connect is committed to protecting the privacy of children and complying with applicable laws regarding the collection and use of personal information from minors. Our platform and services are designed for users who are at least 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under this age.

Age Restrictions

Our platform is intended for users who are at least 13 years old. If you are under 13, you should not use our services or provide any personal information to us. Users between the ages of 13 and 18 should have parental or guardian consent before using our platform and sharing personal information.

In jurisdictions where the minimum age for data processing consent is higher than 13 (such as 16 in some European countries), we comply with the applicable local age requirements.

Information Collection from Minors

We do not knowingly collect, use, or share personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete such information from our records.

For users between 13 and 18, we may collect limited information necessary to provide our services, but we take additional precautions to protect their privacy and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

Parental Rights and Controls

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 13 has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action. We will work with you to delete any such information and prevent future unauthorized access.

Parents and guardians have the right to review, modify, or delete their child's personal information, and to refuse further collection or use of their child's information. We encourage parents to be involved in their children's online activities and to monitor their internet usage.

Special Protections for Minors

For users under 18, we implement additional privacy protections, including restricted data sharing, enhanced consent mechanisms, and limited data retention periods. We also prohibit certain types of targeted advertising and marketing communications to minors.

We regularly review our practices regarding minor users to ensure compliance with evolving privacy laws and to maintain the highest standards of protection for younger users.

Educational Content and Safety

When minors are present on our platform with appropriate consent, we are committed to providing a safe environment. This includes implementing robust content moderation, safety reporting mechanisms, and age-appropriate interaction guidelines.

We encourage all users, particularly minors and their parents, to report any inappropriate content or behavior they encounter on our platform. We take all safety reports seriously and investigate them promptly.

Compliance with Children's Privacy Laws

We comply with applicable children's privacy laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the United States and similar regulations in other jurisdictions. Our practices are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure ongoing compliance with these important protections.

If you have questions about our children's privacy practices or need to report a concern, please contact our privacy team directly for prompt assistance.