This policy explains what personal information laowai吗 collects, why, how it is protected and the choices you have. It is written with the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (PIPL) and comparable laws in mind.
1. Information we collect
- Account information: name, username, email address, password (stored only as a secure hash by our authentication provider), language preference.
- Profile information you choose to publish: photos, videos, bio, city, categories, languages, skills, experience, availability, rates and, where you add them, physical attributes relevant to modelling or casting work.
- Identity verification documents: a passport or residence permit image you upload to verify your identity. This is sensitive personal information and is handled as described in section 4.
- Contact handles: WeChat ID, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram or LinkedIn, if you add them. These are never shown publicly and are only revealed to a counterpart after you both accept a connection.
- Marketplace activity: gigs, applications, invitations, messages, ratings, reports, saved items, Connects transactions and notifications.
- Technical data: IP address, device and browser information and basic usage logs, used for security, fraud prevention and rate limiting.
2. How we use it
- To provide the marketplace: showing your profile, matching talent with gigs, delivering applications and messages.
- To keep the platform safe: verifying identities, preventing fraud and spam, enforcing our terms and reviewing reports.
- To run the Connects ledger and keep an accurate history of every balance change.
- To send service notifications you can control in Settings.
- To improve the platform using aggregated, non-identifying statistics.
We do not sell your personal information.
3. What others can see
Your public profile (display name, username, photos, bio, city, categories, languages, rates, ratings and verification badge) is visible to visitors. Your email, contact handles, Connects balance, identity documents and account status are never public.
4. Identity documents
- Documents are uploaded over an encrypted connection, checked for file type and size, and stored in a private storage bucket that no user account can read.
- Only authorised reviewers can view a document, through a link that expires after 60 seconds. Every view is recorded in an audit log.
- The document is deleted after the review decision (approved or rejected). We keep only the outcome, the reviewer and the date.
- We ask for your separate consent when you submit a document. You can withdraw it by not submitting, or by deleting your account before review.
5. Where data is stored
The platform runs on cloud infrastructure (database, authentication, file storage and hosting providers) whose servers may be located outside mainland China. By using the platform you consent to this cross-border transfer for the purposes in section 2. We use providers that apply industry-standard security, including encryption in transit and at rest.
6. How long we keep it
- Account and profile data: while your account is active.
- Identity documents: until the review decision, then deleted.
- Messages: while the conversation’s participants have active accounts.
- Connects transactions, moderation and audit records: retained after account closure in anonymised form where needed for accounting, fraud prevention or legal obligations.
7. Your rights
You can access and correct your information in Settings, export it on request, and delete your account at any time (Settings → Delete account). Deleting your account removes your personal details, profile, media links and any pending identity document, and permanently blocks sign-in. To exercise any other right, contact us.
8. Security
Access to data is enforced in the database itself (row-level security), privileged actions are performed only by audited server code, and administrative access is limited and logged. No system is perfectly secure; if we become aware of a breach affecting you we will notify you as required by law.
9. Children
laowai吗 is only for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from minors.
10. Changes and contact
We will post updates to this policy here and notify you of significant changes. Questions or requests: contact us.