Privacy Policy

📜 Introduction

Welcome to SmartApply ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency in how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding data collection and usage when you use our Chrome extension and services.

By using SmartApply, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

📊 Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you purchase a license or register for SmartApply, we collect the following personal information:

Data Type	Purpose	Retention
Email Address	Authentication, account management, and service communications	Until account deletion
Full Name	Account personalization and customer support	Until account deletion
Contact Number	Customer support and account verification	Until account deletion

✅ Why We Collect This Data:

Authentication: To verify your identity and secure your account
License Validation: To ensure you have a valid, active subscription
Customer Support: To assist you with technical issues or questions
Marketing Communications: To send you updates about features, promotions, and service improvements (you can opt-out at any time)

Usage Data

We automatically collect certain information when you use SmartApply:

Cover Letter Generation Usage: Number of cover letters generated to track your usage limits
License Information: License key, plan type, purchase date, and expiry date
Extension Version: To ensure compatibility and provide support
API Request Logs: Timestamp and license key for rate limiting and usage analytics

Local Data Storage

The following data is stored locally in your browser and is never transmitted to our servers:

Your freelancer profile data (skills, work history, hourly rate)
Job posting analysis results
Extension preferences and settings

🔒 Privacy First: Your professional profile data remains completely private and is processed locally on your device. We never access, store, or transmit this sensitive information to external servers.

🎯 How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

Account Management: To create, maintain, and secure your SmartApply account
Service Delivery: To provide you with access to premium features like AI-powered cover letter generation
Usage Tracking: To monitor your cover letter usage against your plan limits
Customer Support: To respond to your inquiries and provide technical assistance
Marketing Communications: To send you newsletters, updates, and promotional offers (opt-out available)
Service Improvement: To analyze usage patterns and improve our features and user experience
Fraud Prevention: To detect and prevent unauthorized access and fraudulent activity
Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations

🛡️ Data Sharing and Disclosure

✨ Our Promise:

We DO NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

Limited Third-Party Services

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers only for the following purposes:

Payment Processing: Payment processors to handle subscription payments (they receive only necessary payment information)
Email Services: Email service providers for sending transactional and marketing emails
Cloud Infrastructure: Hosting providers for secure data storage and service delivery
AI Services: OpenAI API for cover letter generation (only job posting data is sent, never your personal information)

All third-party service providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the specified purposes.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect our rights, property, or safety.

🔐 Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

Encryption: All data transmissions use HTTPS/TLS encryption
Secure Storage: Passwords are hashed using bcrypt before storage
Access Controls: Strict access controls limit who can view your data
Regular Audits: We regularly review our security practices and update them as needed
Rate Limiting: Per-user API rate limiting prevents abuse (10 requests per 5 minutes)

⚠️ Important: While we implement strong security measures, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your data to the best of our ability.

⚖️ Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

        Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated personal data
Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time
Data Portability: Request your data in a portable format
Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent for data processing where applicable

      

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@smartapplypro.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

💰 Refund Policy

7-Day Money-Back Guarantee

We stand behind the quality of SmartApply and offer a 7-day refund policy from the date of purchase.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a refund, you must meet the following conditions:

Within 7 Days: Your refund request must be submitted within 7 calendar days of your purchase date
Usage Limit: You must not have used more than 50% of your cover letter generation limit
Good Faith: The refund request must be made in good faith (not for fraudulent purposes)

📋 Important Refund Conditions:

If you have used 50% or more of your cover letter generation limit, you are NOT eligible for a refund
Refund requests after 7 days from purchase will not be processed
Lifetime licenses are subject to the same refund policy
Refunds will be processed to the original payment method within 5-10 business days

How to Request a Refund

To request a refund:

Email us at support@smartapplypro.com
Include your license key and email address used for purchase
Briefly explain your reason for the refund (optional but helpful)
Our team will review your request and respond within 2 business days

Non-Refundable Items

The following are not eligible for refunds:

Renewal charges for recurring subscriptions (you can cancel future renewals anytime)
Purchases made through third-party resellers (subject to their refund policies)
Accounts suspended or terminated for violations of our Terms of Service

🔐 User Responsibilities & Data Transparency

        Your Responsibilities
        No Guarantees: SmartApply provides analysis and insights to assist your job search. Ultimate success depends on your own strategy, skills, and approach. We do not guarantee job acquisition or application success.
Platform Compliance: You are solely responsible for ensuring your use of SmartApply complies with the terms of service of any freelance platform you use (Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, etc.).
Verify Independently: Always independently verify job requirements, client information, and platform policies before submitting applications.
Account Security: Keep your login credentials secure and do not share your license key with others.
Lawful Use: Use SmartApply only for lawful purposes and in accordance with our Terms of Service.

      

Data Transparency

🌐 Publicly Available Data Only:

SmartApply uses only publicly available job posting data that is visible to all users on freelance platforms. We do not:

Access proprietary or restricted platform data
Scrape or store confidential information
Transmit your profile data to external servers
Share your data with other users or platforms

Local Processing

Your freelancer profile data (skills, work history, portfolio) is processed entirely on your local device. This means:

We never have access to your professional profile information
Your data stays on your computer and is not transmitted to our servers
You maintain complete control over your sensitive information
Even if our servers are compromised, your profile data remains safe

🛡️ Legal Disclaimer

Independent Service

SmartApply is an independent productivity tool designed to assist freelancers.

Platform Independence: We are NOT affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or officially connected to:

Upwork Inc.
Fiverr International Ltd.
Freelancer.com
Any other freelance marketplace or job platform

All trademarks, service marks, and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Use of these names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

No Warranty

SmartApply is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to:

Merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
Accuracy, reliability, or completeness of analysis results
Uninterrupted or error-free operation
Compatibility with all platforms or browsers

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SmartApply shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages resulting from your use or inability to use the service.

🍪 Cookies and Tracking

SmartApply uses minimal tracking technologies:

Browser Storage

We use Chrome's local storage API to store:

Your authentication token (for staying logged in)
User preferences and settings
Profile data you enter (stored locally only)

Analytics

We do not currently use third-party analytics tools like Google Analytics. We only track:

API usage for rate limiting purposes
Cover letter generation count for usage enforcement

No Behavioral Tracking: We do not track your browsing behavior, job searches, or activities on freelance platforms.

👶 Children's Privacy

SmartApply is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will delete such information.

🔄 Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make changes:

We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
For material changes, we will notify you via email or through the extension
Your continued use of SmartApply after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

🌍 International Users

SmartApply is operated from and our servers are located in the United States. If you are accessing our service from outside the U.S., please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located.

By using SmartApply, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and processing in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

GDPR Compliance (EU Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right to be informed about data processing
Right to access your personal data
Right to rectification of inaccurate data
Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
Right to restrict processing
Right to data portability
Right to object to processing