Privacy Policy - Spirit Collective

Effective Date: August 1, 2025
Last Updated: August 6, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Spirit Collective (“we,” “our,” or “us”), a platform operated by Internect LLC. We provide a unique combination of social networking, marketplace, and educational services through our website at thespiritcollective.net (the “Platform”).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Platform. By using Spirit Collective, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Age Requirement: Our Platform is only available to users who are 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13, you may not use Spirit Collective.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

Account Registration

Name and username
Email address
Date of birth (to verify age)
Profile information (bio, photo, interests)
Location (optional)

Donations

Name and email address
Payment information (processed by Stripe or PayPal)
Donation amount and date
Billing address (if required)

Vendor/Instructor Applications

Business information
Tax identification numbers
Bank account details (for payouts via Stripe Connect or PayPal Marketplace)
Professional qualifications (for instructors)
Product/course descriptions

User-Generated Content

Posts, comments, and messages
Photos and videos
Course materials and assignments
Product listings and descriptions
Group discussions
Stories and polls

Important Privacy Notice for Images: If you upload images to the Platform, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Other users can download and extract any location data from images on the Platform.

Communications

Support requests
Feedback and suggestions
Email correspondence

Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data

Pages visited and features used
Time spent on the Platform
Click paths and search queries
Device information (type, operating system, browser)
IP address and approximate location
Browser user agent string (for security and spam detection)

Cookies and Tracking

Session cookies (for login)
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics)
Performance cookies (LiteSpeed Cache)
Preference cookies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Provide and Improve Our Services

Create and manage your account
Process donations and transactions
Facilitate marketplace purchases
Deliver educational content
Enable social features and messaging

Process Payments

Execute transactions between buyers and vendors
Calculate and distribute platform fees (5% + $0.25 per transaction)
Generate tax documents
Prevent fraud

Communicate With You

Send transaction confirmations
Provide customer support
Share platform updates (with your consent)
Send important notices about your account

Ensure Safety and Security

Verify user identities
Detect and prevent fraud
Investigate violations of our terms
Protect users from harmful content

Legal Compliance

Comply with legal obligations
Respond to legal requests
Enforce our agreements
Protect our rights and those of our users

4. How We Share Your Information

With Other Users

Your public profile information
Content you post publicly
Vendor information on product listings
Instructor information on course pages

With Vendors and Instructors

Buyer information necessary to fulfill orders
Student information for course enrollment
Messages sent through our platform

With Service Providers

Stripe and PayPal (payment processing)
Amazon S3 and CloudFront (media storage and delivery)
Brevo/SendInBlue (email delivery)
Google Analytics (usage analytics)
Wordfence (security monitoring and threat detection)
Automated spam detection services (for posts and messages)

For Legal Reasons We may disclose information when required by law or to:

Comply with legal process
Protect our rights and safety
Investigate fraud or security issues
Respond to government requests

Business Transfers If we merge with or are acquired by another company, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5. Your Privacy Rights

For All Users

Access and Download You can access your personal information through your account settings and request a copy of your data by contacting us.

Correction You can update your account information at any time through your profile settings.

Deletion You can delete your account through the Platform settings. To request complete data deletion, please visit our Data Deletion Instructions page.

Communication Preferences You can opt out of promotional emails through the unsubscribe link in any email or your account settings.

Additional Rights for EU Residents

If you are located in the European Union, you have additional rights under GDPR:

Right to data portability
Right to object to processing
Right to restrict processing
Right to lodge a complaint with supervisory authorities

Additional Rights for California Residents

California residents have additional rights under CCPA:

Right to know what information we collect
Right to delete personal information
Right to opt-out of sale (we do not sell personal information)
Right to non-discrimination

6. Special Provisions

Minors (Ages 13-17)

Users between 13 and 17 years old:

May create standard accounts with basic features
Must obtain parental consent to become vendors or instructors
Have additional privacy protections for educational activities
Cannot access certain financial features

Vendor and Instructor Data

Vendors and instructors acknowledge that:

Transaction data is shared with buyers/students as necessary
Public business information will be displayed on the Platform
They are responsible for their own privacy practices with customer data
They must comply with applicable privacy laws

Educational Records

Course completion records and certificates are maintained in accordance with educational standards and may be retained indefinitely for verification purposes.

7. Data Security and Retention

Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

Encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
Regular security assessments
Access controls and authentication
Secure payment processing through PCI-compliant providers

Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

Active account data: Maintained while account is active
Inactive accounts: Deleted after 7 years of inactivity
Transaction records: 7 years (tax and legal requirements)
Educational records: Indefinitely (certificates and completions)
User content: Until you delete it or request removal

Data Breach Notification

If a data breach occurs that may compromise your personal information, we will notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery and provide information about steps to protect yourself.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States where our servers are located. By using our Platform, you consent to these transfers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers.

9. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Platform may contain links to third-party websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

Keep you logged in
Remember your preferences
Analyze platform usage
Improve performance

Cookie Durations:

Session cookies: Deleted when you close your browser
Login cookies: 2 days (or 2 weeks if you select “Remember Me”)
Preference cookies: 1 year
Analytics cookies: Varies by service

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may limit platform functionality.

Embedded Content

Posts and content on our Platform may include embedded content from other websites (such as videos, images, or articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you visited the other website directly. These websites may:

Collect data about you
Use cookies
Embed additional third-party tracking
Monitor your interaction with the embedded content

11. Do Not Track Signals

Our Platform does not currently respond to Do Not Track browser signals. However, you can manage tracking through cookie settings and opting out of analytics where available.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

Posting the new policy on this page
Updating the “Last Updated” date
Sending an email notification (for significant changes)

13. Contact Information

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

Email: team@thespiritcollective.net
Website: https://thespiritcollective.net
Company: Internect LLC d/b/a Spirit Collective
Location: North Carolina, USA

For privacy-specific inquiries, please include “Privacy Request” in your subject line.

By using Spirit Collective, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.