This privacy policy describes the relationship between Paid Voting. (“Paid Voting”, “we”, or “us”), the products and services operated by Paid Voting. (collectively, such services, including any new features and applications, the “Paid Voting Services”), and the users of Paid Voting Services (“you” or “your”). The policy describes matters with respect to information including personally identifiable data (“Personal Data”) and other information that is collected from users of the Paid Voting Services.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. It applies to all interactions you have with the Paid Voting Services.

COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

We collect the following categories of information, depending on how you use the Site:

Identifiers & Contact Info: name, username/handle, email, phone number, postal address, country/region, account IDs.

Age & Eligibility: date of birth or age range (to confirm you’re 18+ or age of majority).

Account & Transaction Data: login credentials (hashed), purchase history, vote purchases/consumption, refunds, chargebacks, promo redemptions, customer support history.

Payment Data: tokenized payment instrument details, billing address, AVS/CVV result codes, 3-D Secure outcomes, fraud risk signals from payment processors. We do not store full card numbers.

Device/Technical Data: IP address, device and browser info, operating system, language, time zone, cookie IDs, device IDs, session logs, crash logs, and security/anti-fraud signals (including VPN/proxy detection, velocity checks, and device fingerprinting).

Usage Data: pages viewed, features used, timestamps, referral URLs, clickstream, email/SMS engagement.

User Content: text, images, profile info (contestant content; fans generally do not submit comments).

KYC/Verification (if requested): government ID, selfie (liveness), and related metadata for identity checks.

Winner Tax/Prize Data (if applicable): W-9/W-8 forms, SSN/TIN, mailing address, and prize fulfillment information required by law.

Sensitive Data. We do not intentionally collect sensitive data (e.g., health, precise geolocation, biometrics) except (i) ID documents for KYC and (ii) tax identifiers for prize compliance—only when required and handled under heightened controls.

Sources. You, your devices, payment processors (e.g., Stripe), identity verification vendors, fraud-prevention/abuse-prevention providers, analytics providers, email/SMS providers, and (if you enter a sponsored contest) sponsors or promotional partners.

Notice at Collection (California)

We collect the categories of personal information listed below. For each category, we describe examples, purposes (see Why we use your information), typical retention (see Retention), and who we disclose to (see Disclosures to third parties).

• Identifiers & Contact
  Examples: name, username, email, phone, postal address, country/region, account IDs.
  Purposes: account creation, communications, support.
  Retention: account life + up to 7 years.
  Disclosures: service providers, payment, anti-fraud, email/SMS.

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• Age/Eligibility
  Examples: date of birth or age range.
  Purposes: eligibility checks.
  Retention: account life.
  Disclosures: service providers.
  
  

• Account & Transaction
  Examples: purchase history, vote credits, refunds/chargebacks, support history.
  Purposes: operate contests, payments, support, compliance.
  Retention: up to 7 years.
  Disclosures: payment, accounting, anti-fraud.
  
  

• Payment (tokenized)
  Examples: billing address, AVS/CVV results, 3-D Secure outcomes.
  Purposes: process purchases, resolve disputes.
  Retention: up to 7 years.
  Disclosures: payment processors/banks.
  
  

• Device/Technical
  Examples: IP, device/browser, cookie/device IDs, session/crash logs.
  Purposes: security, anti-fraud, performance.
  Retention: 3–5 years.
  Disclosures: hosting, anti-fraud, analytics.
  
  

• Usage
  Examples: pages viewed, features used, timestamps, referral URLs, clickstream, email/SMS engagement.
  Purposes: analytics & improvement, security.
  Retention: 3–5 years.
  Disclosures: analytics, service providers.
  
  

• User Content (contestant content)
  Examples: profile info, images.
  Purposes: display entries, operate contests.
  Retention: account life.
  Disclosures: hosting, moderation.
  
  

• KYC/Verification (if requested)
  Examples: government ID, selfie (liveness), related metadata.
  Purposes: identity verification, anti-fraud.
  Retention: 5–7 years.
  Disclosures: KYC provider.
  
  

• Winner Tax/Prize (if applicable)
  Examples: W-9/W-8, SSN/TIN, mailing address, prize fulfillment info.
  Purposes: compliance with tax/prize laws.
  Retention: 5–7 years.
  Disclosures: tax/fulfillment providers.
  
  

• Sensitive (limited)
  Examples: KYC IDs; tax identifiers (only if required).
  Purposes: verification, legal compliance.
  Retention: 5–7 years.
  Disclosures: KYC/tax providers.
  
  
  

We do not sell personal information for money. If we ever “share” identifiers with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising, you can opt out via “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” in the footer. We also honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) and other recognized universal opt-out mechanisms (UOOMs) where required by law.

WHY WE USE YOUR INFORMATION (PURPOSES & LEGAL BASES)

We use information for:

Operating the Site and Contests (account creation, votes, tallying, leaderboards, Official Rules).
Legal bases (GDPR/UK GDPR): Contract; Legitimate Interests.

Payments & Billing (process purchases, deliver digital items, handle receipts, taxes).

Bases: Contract; Legal Obligation; Legitimate Interests.

Safety, Security & Anti-Fraud (detect bots, multi-accounting, stolen cards, vote manipulation; audit/adjust tallies; mitigate chargeback abuse).

Bases: Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligation.

Customer Support & Communications (account notices, transactional emails/SMS, service messages).

Bases: Contract; Legitimate Interests; Consent where required.

Marketing & Promotions (optional newsletters, contest reminders, offers; SMS if you opt-in).

Bases: Consent; Legitimate Interests (where permitted). You can opt out at any time.

Compliance (tax reporting for winners, responding to lawful requests, recordkeeping).

Bases: Legal Obligation.

Product Analytics & Improvement (metrics, debugging, quality, new features).

Bases: Legitimate Interests; Consent where required (e.g., non-essential cookies).

Automated Decision-Making for Anti-Fraud (risk scoring may block transactions or trigger review).

Bases: Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligation. See §9 for your rights related to automated decisions.

Automated anti-fraud decisions. We use risk scoring (signals may include device, IP, velocity, chargeback history, KYC matches) to block suspicious transactions, hold credits, or trigger manual review. If an action is denied based on automated processing, you may request an explanation and human review at support@paidvoting.com.

COOKIES AND TRACKING

We use cookies, SDKs, and similar technologies to run the Site, keep you logged in, measure performance, secure payments, and (if enabled) for marketing.

Types:

• Strictly Necessary (required): login, security, purchase flow, consent storage.
  
  

• Functional/Performance: preferences, load balancing, analytics.
  
  

• Analytics: site usage metrics, feature performance.
  
  

• Advertising (optional): retargeting, cross-context behavioral ads (if enabled).
  
  
  

Manage preferences via our Cookie Settings link in the footer. Your browser may send Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals; we honor them as required by applicable law.

We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) and other recognized universal opt-out mechanisms (UOOMs) where required by law. Signals sent from your browser will apply to that browser or device.

Regional consent. In the EEA/UK, we set non-essential cookies/SDKs only with your consent. In certain U.S. states, you can opt out of targeted advertising via our footer link or a recognized opt-out signal.

DISCLOSURES TO THIRD PARTIES

We disclose information to:

• Payment Processors & Banks (e.g., Stripe) to process transactions, prevent fraud, and resolve disputes.
  
  

• Fraud/Abuse Prevention & Security Vendors (device fingerprinting, bot detection, KYC providers).
  
  

• Analytics & Measurement Providers (site performance, usage).
  
  

• SMS/Email Providers for communications you request or allow.
  
  

• Contest Sponsors/Promotional Partners (only for specific sponsored contests and as described in the Official Rules and opt-in disclosures).
  
  

• Service Providers/Contractors under contracts restricting use to our instructions.
  
  

• Law Enforcement/Regulators when required by law or to protect rights, safety, and platform integrity.
  
  

• Corporate Transactions (merger, acquisition, financing, sale of assets) where data transfer is part of the deal.
  
  

We do not sell your personal information for money. If we “share” identifiers with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising (as defined under California law), you can opt out via “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” in the footer. For sponsored contests, limited data sharing with the sponsor may occur as described at entry (you’ll see a clear notice).

Controller and Service Provider Roles

Paid Voting acts as the business/controller for the personal information described in this Policy. We engage service providers/processors (for hosting, analytics, payments/KYC, fraud prevention, communications) that are bound to our instructions and prohibited from using personal information for their own purposes. For sponsored contests, a sponsor may act as an independent or joint controller for limited processing (e.g., winner fulfillment) as disclosed at entry.

RETENTION

We keep data only as long as necessary for the purposes above:

• Account basics & transactions: while your account is active and up to 7 years after for tax/audit/legal recordkeeping.
  
  

• Fraud/abuse logs: typically 3–5 years (longer if needed for investigations).
  
  

• KYC & winner tax records: typically 5–7 years (or as required by law).
  
  

• Marketing data: until you opt out or your account is deleted.
  
  

We may anonymize/aggregate data for analytics and keep it indefinitely.

SECURITY

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the data (e.g., TLS in transit, role-based access, encrypted storage for sensitive fields, audit logging, least-privilege access, periodic reviews). No system is perfectly secure. You’re responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.

If we discover a security incident that materially affects your personal information, we will notify you and applicable authorities as required by law.

Eligibility. The Site is intended for adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in some regions) without required consent.If you believe a minor provided data, contact support@paidvoting.com and we will delete it.

YOUR CHOICES

Email Marketing: use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

SMS/MMS: text STOP to opt out; text HELP for help. Message/data rates may apply.

Cookies/Tracking: adjust in Cookie Settings and via browser settings; we honor GPC and other UOOMs where required.

Sponsored Contests: we disclose any sponsor data sharing at entry; you may decline such sharing by not entering those contests.

YOUR RIGHTS

Your rights vary by location. Subject to exceptions, you may have the right to:

• Access/Know the categories and specific pieces of personal information we hold about you.
  
  

• Correct/Rectify inaccurate personal information.
  
  

• Delete/Erase personal information.
  
  

• Portability of certain data.
  
  

• Opt Out of targeted advertising (“share”), certain profiling, and (if applicable) sales.
  
  

• Restrict/Object to certain processing (EU/UK).
  
  

• Withdraw Consent where processing is based on consent.
  
  

• Appeal a rights request decision (US state laws).
  
  

• Automated decisions (anti-fraud): We use automated fraud/risk scoring to protect the platform. If an action is denied based on such processing, you may request an explanation and human review at support@paidvoting.com (EU/UK residents: you may also object/seek restriction as allowed by law).
  
  
  

Under-16 data: We do not knowingly sell or share personal information of consumers we know are under 16. Where required by law, we obtain opt-in consent before any such activity.

How to submit a request. Email support@paidvoting.com with your name, the email tied to your account, your request type, and your region. We will verify your identity (e.g., by email link or requesting limited info). You may use an authorized agent as permitted by law (we may require proof of authorization). We will respond within the timelines required by law.

Timelines & appeals. We respond to requests within 45 days (we may extend once by 45 days where reasonably necessary). Where applicable (e.g., VA/CO/CT), if we deny your request you may appeal within 45 days; we will respond within 45 days and provide how to contact your Attorney General if you remain unsatisfied.

California disclosures. In the last 12 months we have collected the categories listed in §1; disclosed them to the service providers/contractors and partners in §4 for the stated purposes; do not sell data for money; may “share” identifiers with ad partners for cross-context advertising if enabled—opt out at the footer link. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes requiring a “limit use” link (Cal. Civ. Code §1798.121), other than to provide requested services or as allowed by law.

EEA/UK legal bases & transfers. See §2 for legal bases. When we transfer personal data outside the EEA/UK, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (and UK addendum) and implement appropriate safeguards. You may contact us for a copy of relevant transfer terms (redactions may apply).

Supervisory authority (EEA/UK). You may lodge a complaint with your local authority, but we’d appreciate the chance to resolve your concern first at support@paidvoting.com.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Your information may be stored and processed in the United States and other countries where we or our providers operate. These locations may have data protection laws different from your region. We use approved safeguards (e.g., SCCs) for cross-border transfers where required.

SPONSORED CONTESTS & JOINT PROCESSING

For certain sponsored contests, the sponsor may be an independent or joint controller of limited data (e.g., winner fulfillment). The sponsor’s privacy practices are described in the Official Rules and/or a sponsor privacy notice presented at entry. Read those notices carefully before participating.

THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SERVICES

Links to third-party sites/services are provided for convenience. Their privacy practices are not ours. Review their policies before providing data.

DO NOT TRACK

Your browser’s “Do Not Track” setting is not standardized. We don’t respond to DNT signals. We do respond to GPC signals as required for opt-out of “sale”/“sharing.”

FINANCIAL INCENTIVES

We do not offer financial incentives tied to the collection, retention, sale, or sharing of personal information at this time. If we later offer promotions that qualify as a “financial incentive,” we will provide a separate notice describing the material terms, categories of personal information involved, and how to opt in or withdraw at any time.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Policy. Changes take effect when posted with a new “Last Updated” date. Material changes will be highlighted or otherwise notified as required by law. Your continued use of the Site means you accept the revised Policy.