Privacy Policy

SC BRAIDZ & CUTZ LTD ("BraiderSpace", "we", "us", "our") is a UK-based online marketplace connecting clients with professional Afro hair braiders. We are registered in England and Wales.

Our registered address is: High Street, Guildford, United Kingdom.

For all data protection enquiries, please contact us at: info@braiderspace.com

We collect the following categories of personal data:

Account Information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and password (stored in encrypted form).

Profile Information: Clients may provide a profile photo and location. Braiders additionally provide business details, service descriptions, pricing, availability, and portfolio images.

Identity Verification (Braiders only): To verify braider identities, we collect government-issued ID documents (front and back) and a selfie photograph. This data is used solely for verification purposes.

Booking & Transaction Data: We collect details of bookings made through the platform, including service type, date, time, location, and payment amounts.

Payment Information: Payment card details are processed directly by Stripe, our payment provider. BraiderSpace does not store full card numbers. We retain transaction records for accounting and dispute resolution purposes.

Communications: Messages sent between clients and braiders via our platform are stored to facilitate the service and resolve disputes.

Technical Data: We automatically collect IP addresses, browser type, device information, and usage data (pages visited, time spent) to improve our platform.

Cookies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your account
• To facilitate bookings between clients and braiders
• To process payments and manage deposits
• To verify braider identities and maintain platform safety
• To send booking confirmations, reminders, and service updates
• To send marketing communications (where you have consented)
• To respond to support requests and resolve disputes
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and illegal activity
• To comply with our legal obligations under UK law
• To improve and personalise your experience on the platform
• To conduct analytics and measure platform performance

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

Contract Performance: Processing necessary to fulfil our contract with you (e.g. processing bookings, payments, and account management).

Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as fraud prevention, platform security, and improving our services — provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.

Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable laws, such as financial record-keeping and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent: Where we send marketing communications or use non-essential cookies, we rely on your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with:

Service Providers: Third-party companies that help us operate the platform, including Stripe (payments), Resend (email delivery), and cloud hosting providers. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data.

Other Platform Users: Braider profiles (name, photo, services, reviews) are visible to clients. Booking details are shared between the relevant client and braider.

Legal Authorities: We may disclose data to law enforcement or regulatory bodies where required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the acquiring entity, subject to equivalent data protection obligations.

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account plus 2 years after closure
• Transaction records: Retained for 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
• Identity verification documents: Retained for 12 months after verification, then securely deleted
• Marketing preferences: Retained until you withdraw consent

You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by contacting info@braiderspace.com.

As a UK data subject, you have the following rights:

Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.

Right to Erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data.

Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

Right to Object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.

Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making: You have the right not to be subject to solely automated decisions that significantly affect you.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@braiderspace.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These include:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS)
• Encrypted password storage
• Access controls limiting staff access to personal data
• Regular security assessments
• Secure payment processing via Stripe (PCI DSS compliant)

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no internet transmission is completely secure. Please use a strong, unique password for your account.

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the platform, remember your preferences, and analyse usage. For full details of the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies independently.

BraiderSpace is not intended for use by persons under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at info@braiderspace.com.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a prominent notice on the platform. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of BraiderSpace after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

SC BRAIDZ & CUTZ LTD
High Street, Guildford, United Kingdom
Email: info@braiderspace.com
Phone: +44 7725 832753

You may also contact the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you have concerns about how we handle your data.