How we collect and store information depends on the Services you use and the activities in which you participate. You can use some of the Site and Services without providing any information other than that automatically collected as described below.

Visitors who access and browse the Site without registering are “Site Visitors.” In order to utilize some of the Services offered by Care On the Way, you must register with Care On the Way. All users who register with Care On the Way are “Registered Users.”

A. Information You Provide

Regardless of whether you are a Site Visitor or a Registered User, all information that you provide to us when registering, posting a job, posting a profile, communicating through the Site, utilizing our mobile applications, or through email or chat, will be stored by us. You represent and warrant that you have the right and authority to provide us with all information you provide about yourself or others. You may provide us with information in various ways, including:

1. When registering

When you register directly through Care On the Way, we will collect and store the information that you provide to us on our online registration forms. This may include, among other information, your:

• • first and last name
  • email address
  • home address
  • gender
  • birthday
  • phone number

If you register for a Service that requires you to pay a fee, Care On the Way may collect your payment method details, such as account number, expiration date, and security code, as well as your billing address, for payment purposes and your birthday, if not previously provided.

If you are a Care Provider, you will be asked to provide your Social Security number so that a third-party background check can be initiated. Background checks are used to promote safety and trust on the platform. There is no option to opt out of the background check. The information is sent securely to a third-party provider, who may then contact you to begin the process. Care On the Way does not store your full SSN in its system and only sees the last four digits.

2. When posting a job

If you are a Care Seeker, we collect and store all of the additional information that you provide to us in your job posting or that is otherwise included in an auto-generated job posting. This may include, among other information:

• • the type of care you are looking for, your schedule, location, hourly rate, number and ages of individuals needing care (which may include children or adults), family members, or pets (if applicable), narrative job description, and any care-related requirements
  • pictures you choose to send through the chat system
  • health information, if you choose to provide it
  • any other information you may choose to include in your job posting

3. When posting a profile

If you are a Care Provider, we collect and store all of the additional information that you provide to us in your profile. This may include, among other information:

• • details on the care you offer, such as the type of care, availability, location, education, languages spoken, and ability to drive
  • related services you provide
  • phone number
  • pictures sent through the chat system, if you choose to share them
  • references, if you choose to provide them
  • any other information you may choose to include in your profile

4. Otherwise, through the Site, email, or chat

You may also provide additional information through features on the Site or through communications such as email or chat. This includes information exchanged via our messaging system. If you provide information about someone other than yourself (e.g., a family member needing care), you represent that you have obtained their consent to share their information with Care On the Way.

B. Information Provided by Others

1. By Site Visitors, Registered Users, and others

Care On the Way also captures and collects information that Site Visitors, Registered Users, and others provide about one another. For example, Care Seekers may submit ratings and optional written notes about Care Providers after a booking is completed. Ratings may be submitted immediately or at a later time. Care Providers may not request or prompt Care Seekers to leave a rating. Care On the Way does not verify or guarantee the accuracy of user-submitted ratings or notes.

2. By third parties to verify your information and representations

To promote the safety and integrity of the platform, Care On the Way may use third-party service providers to verify user information on an ongoing basis against a variety of sources, which may include but are not limited to, national criminal databases, sex offender registries, certain media streams, terrorist watch lists, criminal and fugitive watch lists, fraud watch lists, law enforcement reports, and other data to assist us in verifying the information you provide us (such as your name, address, email address, etc.) and the representations and warranties you make in the Terms of Use and on the Site (such as representations regarding your criminal background) (“Preliminary Membership Screens”). The results of any Preliminary Membership Screens will be made available to Care On the Way and will not be shared with others. Care On the Way determines eligibility based on predefined criteria and does not modify background check results.

3. By third parties that perform background checks

As provided in the Terms of Use, Care Providers must undergo a background check conducted by a third-party consumer reporting agency before using the platform. Care On the Way may receive access to the full report and may automate or manually apply pass/fail decisions in accordance with its eligibility standards.

4. By service providers used in connection with our Services

We may receive information from third-party service providers engaged through Care On the Way, such as home care agencies or payment processors. This may include care-related or transaction-related information.

5. By other sources

We may obtain information about you from external sources, including third-party service providers, business partners, and marketing data providers. This information may include demographic data, fraud prevention data, or payment-related data. We may combine this with the information you provide to us and use it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

C. Information You Expressly Authorize Us to Collect

We may, from time to time, request permission to collect certain information from or about you. For example, if you use a Care On the Way mobile application, we may request permission to access and store your location (e.g., your precise GPS-based functionality on the mobile devices used to access the Site and Services).

• • Care Seekers may be asked to enter their address when completing a profile and during booking, where their current location is displayed.
  • Care Providers may be asked to enter their address, and the system may later use location data to provide job opportunities nearby.
  • Once permission is granted, the system may continue tracking location data to support features such as displaying nearby care opportunities or bookings.

We will access and/or store such information unless you subsequently opt-out or adjust your location settings at any time through your mobile device settings. At this time, Care On the Way does not request access to your device’s contact list. If this feature is introduced in the future, we will request permission before accessing such information.

D. Automatically collected information

We may automatically collect certain information about the computer or devices (including mobile devices) you use to access the Site and Services as described below.

1. Log files, IP addresses, and information about your computer and mobile device

When you visit the Site, Care On the Way may collect the internet protocol (“IP”) address of your device (or the proxy server you use to access the internet), your operating system, browser type and language, and other device-related identifiers. If you are using a mobile device, we may also collect device-specific data, such as your mobile operating system and unique identifiers. We may correlate this information with other data we have about you to improve the Services, detect misuse, and customize your experience. We may also automatically collect information related to how you interact with the Site and the Services, such as referring and exit pages, URLs, platform type, number of clicks, domain names, landing pages, content viewed, time spent on specific pages, date and time of access, error logs, and other similar information.

2. Cookies and other technologies

A cookie is a small data file stored on your computer, mobile phone, or other device, and allows us to recognize when you return to the Site using the same browser or device. Like many websites, we and our service providers may use cookies and tracking pixels to monitor Site usage patterns, customize your experience, maintain session continuity, improve the Site, and evaluate the effectiveness of any ads we may use. These technologies may help us understand which pages are visited and which features are most used among other things. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline or manage cookies. In some cases, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use Care On the Way. Tracking pixels do not identify individual users, and data collected through them is analyzed on an aggregate basis.

3. Online analytics and advertising

We may use analytics tools and work with third-party service providers to help us understand how users interact with the Site and to improve the quality and performance of our Services. These third-party tools may use cookies, tracking pixels, or similar technologies to collect aggregated information about user behavior, such as which pages are visited, how long users spend on certain pages, and how users navigate through the Site.

We may also use advertising technologies in the future—such as ad platforms that place tracking pixels or cookies on your browser—to help us evaluate the effectiveness of ads and improve user experience. These tools may allow us to measure how users engage with our ads, which platforms drive traffic to our Site, or whether to run retargeting campaigns. If we implement such tools, any data collected will be used in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and users will be provided with legally required notices and opt-out mechanisms.

If we begin using interest-based or behavioral advertising, you may opt out of receiving such ads from participating companies through industry opt-out tools, such as:

• • Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) opt-out
  • Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) opt-out

These tools allow you to opt out of certain personalized ads but do not necessarily prevent all ads from being shown. You may continue to see general, non-targeted ads. If you use a new browser or device or clear cookies, you may need to opt-out again.

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) setting. We do not currently respond to DNT signals, as there is no industry-standard interpretation of such signals. However, we do not use your information in a way that conflicts with this Privacy Policy, and you may still have the ability to limit the use of cookies and similar technologies by adjusting your browser settings.

In general, the information we collect may be used for our business purposes, including: (1) to improve our Services and enhance your experience with Care On the Way, (2) to help us provide a safe and trustworthy community for all users, and (3) to communicate with you. For example, we may use your information to:

1. 1. register and service your account;
   2. include your information in Care Seeker profiles, job postings, and Care Provider profiles;
   3. respond to inquiries, provide support, and request feedback;
   4. notify you about new features, updates, services, or promotions we believe may be of interest;
   5. administer sweepstakes or contests, if we choose to offer them;
   6. enable Care Seekers and Care Providers to search and view profiles based on the information users provide on the Site;
   7. help Care Seekers identify Care Providers whose profiles appear to meet their needs and preferences;
   8. allow Registered Users to search for, find, connect with, and message other users;
   9. verify representations and warranties you make to us in the Terms of Use or on the Site;
   10. conduct analytics and research to improve the functionality and user experience of the Services;
   11. review usage patterns and generate reports to guide future development;
   12. help protect the safety, integrity, and lawful use of the Site and its community; and
   13. personalize content or communications on the Site or in email messages.

We may aggregate and/or de-identify information collected through the Site, the Services, or via other means in such a way that the information cannot reasonably be used to identify you. We may use or disclose such aggregated or de-identified information for any lawful business purpose, including to analyze trends, improve our services, develop new features, or share insights with partners or the public. The information is no longer considered personal information under applicable laws.

In addition to using the information collected by Care On the Way for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, we may share your information with various third parties, as described below. Please review this section carefully. By using our Site or Services, you agree to allow us to share the information you provide to us in the ways described here. Your ability to make changes to what information is shared is described in Section IV.

A. With All Site Visitors and Registered Users

If you are a Care Seeker or a Care Provider, in order to increase your chances of finding a job or finding the care you need, we may share with Site Visitors and Registered Users the information that is included in your job posting or profile, aside from your contact information, as well as the following registration information, which we may include in your job posting or profile: your first name, your last name, city, state, profile picture, and if you are a Care Provider, your gender and age. With certain exceptions, you choose how much detail you want to include in either your job posting or your profile. We may also share on your profile or job posting any company reviews you have posted on our Site.

If you are a Care Provider and we offer the ability to connect through Facebook in the future, your profile may indicate whether you have connected to Care On the Way through Facebook and may show your connections with other Care On the Way members, including the nature of those connections. At present, we do not offer this functionality.

If you are a Care Provider and have completed a background check or verified certain information through Care On the Way, we may disclose that verification status in your profile as a Registered User, in addition to your response rate.

If you post information in a Care On the Way online group forum, that information may be viewed by any Site Visitor or Registered User who accesses the forum.

We may display personal testimonials of Registered Users and other endorsements on our Site or in other marketing materials. These testimonials or endorsements may include information such as the Registered User’s first name, last name, town, and state. With a Registered User’s consent, we may include their full name.

B. With Other Registered Users and Corporate Providers

In addition to the information that may be provided to all Registered Users and Site Visitors, Care Provider reviews may be made available to certain Registered Users. If you are a Care Provider, your approximate location (e.g., through map plotting) may be made available to certain Registered Users and Site Visitors.

If you are a Care Seeker or a Care Provider, you may appear in search result listings if you match the search criteria used by a Care Provider or Care Seeker, as applicable. Similarly, you may appear in emails sent to Care Providers or Care Seekers in your area.

If you fill out a form to request information from a specific corporate Care Provider, such as a daycare or tutoring center, the contact information you submit on the form will be forwarded to that provider. Similarly, if you call a corporate Care Provider directly or click to a corporate Care Provider’s site from the Care On the Way site, any information you provide over the phone or on the provider’s site will be provided by you directly to the provider.

If you provide information about someone other than yourself, you represent that you have authority to provide us the information and to authorize us to share the information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Once provided to a corporate Care Provider, the information is subject to the privacy policies of the corporate Care Provider. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a corporate Care Provider may share information about you and your dependents who are receiving their services, including contact information, utilization information, and medical and health-related information, with Care On the Way and any of its subsidiaries. Such shared information would be subject to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

If we terminate your registration for any reason, we reserve the right to send a notice of your termination to other Registered Users with whom we believe you have corresponded.

C. With Vendors and Service Providers

We may share information with vendors and service providers with whom we have a contractual relationship and who perform services on behalf of Care On the Way. These vendors may include but are not limited to those who conduct background checks or Preliminary Membership Screens, process payments, send SMS notifications to Registered Users, provide fraud detection and prevention services, offer demographic or geolocation support, or assist with communication and support tools. In certain cases, such as vendors supporting fraud prevention or in-app messaging, the information shared may include the contents of messages you send through our app. These vendors are required to safeguard your information and may only use it to perform the services we request.

D. Visibility Within the App and in Third-Party Listings

At this time, Care On the Way does not make user-generated content—such as job postings or Care Provider profiles—publicly accessible through third-party search engines, social media platforms, or other external websites. Information such as your first name, last name, photo, city, state, and the job or provider description you submit may only be visible to Registered Users within the mobile app. It is not viewable by unregistered users or the general public. Should this approach change in the future, we will revise this Privacy Policy accordingly and notify users as required by applicable law.

E. With Facebook if You Connect to Care On the Way Through Facebook

Care On the Way does not currently offer the ability to connect your account through Facebook or any other third-party social media platform. If we introduce this feature in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and request your permission before accessing or sharing information through Facebook’s API or similar services.

F. As Required by Law or for Reasons of Safety

We may disclose your information when we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary or appropriate to comply with the law, legal process, or regulatory request; to investigate or prevent suspected fraud, illegal activity, or violations of our Terms of Use or Privacy Policy; or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Care On the Way, our users, our employees, or others. This may involve sharing your information with law enforcement agencies, government authorities, courts, or other third parties when legally permitted or required.

G. With Our Affiliates

You acknowledge and agree that we may disclose any of the information we have collected about you to our current or future affiliates and subsidiaries. This may be done for the purposes of providing you with the Services, operating or improving the Site or app, offering employment or service opportunities, or for other lawful commercial purposes. These affiliated companies will use your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy or privacy standards that offer comparable levels of protection.

H. With Your Consent

We may also share your information with third parties when you provide us with your explicit consent to do so. This consent may be given through the app or other authorized means and may apply to specific information or categories of information, as defined at the time of consent.

I. Background Checks

Care On the Way requires all Care Providers to undergo and pass a background check through a third-party consumer reporting agency before using the platform. By registering as a Care Provider, you consent to the completion of this background check and acknowledge that a badge or status indicator reflecting the results may be displayed on your profile. Care Providers may not opt out of this process.

You acknowledge that background checks may contain sensitive personal information, and you agree to provide accurate and complete information to both Care On the Way and the background check provider. The third-party background check provider may send results to you by email. At this time, Care On the Way does not distribute results by postal mail.

All background checks are conducted and delivered by third-party service providers in accordance with applicable laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Care On the Way does not edit, modify, or make determinations about the contents of any background check but may determine eligibility based on predefined criteria.

J. Business Transactions

In the event of a business transition—such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our assets—your information may be included among the transferred assets. By using our Services, you acknowledge and consent that such transfers may occur and are permitted under this Privacy Policy. Any acquiring entity or its affiliates may continue to use your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Registered Users have control over what optional information they choose to share with us when utilizing our Services (such as pictures, certain details in a job description or profile, etc.).At present, we do not share user profiles with third-party websites or public search engines, and we do not offer login or account linking through Facebook. Registered Users have the following opt-out choices with respect to the sharing of their information:

• • If you do not want to share your approximate location (through Google map plotting), do not access the Site and do not download the mobile app or delete it from your device.
  • If you do not want to appear in Care Seeker search results and in certain Care Seeker emails, do not access the Site and do not download the mobile app or delete it from your device.
  • Users of a Care On the Way mobile application, who have given Care On the Way permission to access certain information from their mobile device such as their location, may subsequently opt out of that information sharing by adjusting the settings in their mobile device.

If new sharing features are introduced in the future, you will be notified and given appropriate opt-out options.

Except as otherwise provided above, you may email the customer service department at hello@careontheway.com or adjust your account settings to opt out of any of the above information sharing that is applicable to your account. Your opt-out preferences will take effect within 10 days of receipt of your request.

By becoming a Registered User, you are consenting to receive certain email communications from us, such as welcome emails, scheduling notifications and booking information, notifications of new Care Seekers or Care Providers in your area, customer surveys, and administrative notices. You have a choice at any time to stop us from sending you emails for marketing purposes by emailing Care On the Way’s customer service department at hello@careontheway.com. Please note that despite any indicated email marketing preferences, we may continue to send you administrative emails regarding Care On the Way, including, for example, notices of updates to our Privacy Policy, notifications of new Care Seekers or Care Providers in your area, responses to job postings from Care Providers, and responses to job applications from Care Providers, if we choose to provide such notices to you in this manner.

If you are a Care Provider, certain Care Seekers may initiate contact with you directly using the messaging features of the Care On the Way Site. You have an option at any time to request that Care Seekers no longer contact you by emailing Care On the Way’s customer service department at hello@careontheway.com. Upon receiving your request, we will take reasonable steps to prevent further contact through our platform.

You can update certain information by logging into your account and using the account settings. If you would like to remove specific information you’ve posted—such as profile details or job postings—you can do so by editing or deleting those items directly in the app under My Profile & Settings or My Bookings.

If you would like us to remove other information you voluntarily submitted (for example, messages), you may contact us at hello@careontheway.com. In some cases, we may not be able to remove the information, in which case we will inform you and explain why.

You may also delete your account directly through the Care On the Way mobile application. If you prefer, you can email us at hello@careontheway.com to request an account closure.

When you close your account, we will remove your name and contact information from our publicly viewable records. If you close your account, we are not required to keep your information and may delete some or all of it without notice or liability. However, we may retain certain information if we believe it is necessary for fraud prevention, legal compliance, safety, enforcing our rights, audit purposes, or business operations, such as analyzing anonymized data to improve the platform.

We may also retain your information to support other Registered Users you’ve interacted with. For example, if you’ve sent messages to another user or posted information that others have saved, that content may remain visible to them. Some information may continue to exist in system backups, archives, or search engine caches outside our control.

Care On the Way is not responsible for data retention policies of third-party services or search engines that may still display your content even after it has been deleted from our platform.

Care On the Way’s Site and Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18.  Moreover, if we become aware that we have collected personal information (as defined by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) from children under the age of 13, we will take reasonable steps to delete it as soon as practicable.

We have implemented a variety of administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect against the unauthorized access, destruction, or alteration of your information.  These safeguards vary based on the sensitivity of information that we collect, process, and store and the current state of technology.

Although we take appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot guarantee that the information we collect will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.

The Site and Services may contain links to third-party websites and services.  However, we are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by those websites or services, nor are we responsible for the information or content they contain.  This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by us through the Site and Services; thus, when you use a link to go from the Site or Services to a third-party website or service, this policy is no longer in effect, and the privacy policy of such third-party site or service will govern.

Care On the Way reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use at any time. We will notify you about material changes and provide you with choices about such changes as required by applicable law. Material changes will go into effect 30 days after we provide notice. Non-material changes or clarifications will take effect immediately upon posting of the updated policy on our Site. You should periodically check our Privacy Policy page for updates. Your continued use of the Site or the Services after any effective date constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

If you are a California resident, California law requires us to provide you with some additional information regarding how we collect, use, and share your “personal information” (as defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”)).

Categories of personal information we collect.

Throughout this Policy, we discuss in detail the specific pieces of personal information we collect from and about our users.  Under the CCPA, we are also required to provide you with the “categories” of personal information we collect as defined by California law.  The categories we collect depending on the types of services you use are:

• • identifiers (such as name, address, email address);
  • commercial information (such as transaction data);
  • financial data (such as payment method details and billing address);
  • internet or other network or device activity (such as browsing history or usage information);
  • geolocation information (e.g., your approximate location based on IP address, or precise location with your consent);
  • inference data about you (e.g., the additional services or advertising we think would be of most interest to you based on your interactions with us);
  • professional or employment-related data (e.g., if you are a Care Provider, your references and employment history);
  • education information (e.g., if you are a Care Provider, your level of education);
  • legally protected classifications (such as gender or information obtained from a background check, where applicable);
  • physical characteristics or description (e.g., photos you choose to upload to your job postings or profile);
  • sensory or visual information (e.g. if you provide us this information in connection with disability care planning or child care)
  • medical information (e.g. if you provide us this information in connection with disability care planning or child care); and
  • other information that identifies or can be reasonably associated with you (e.g., registration and log-in information).

Please note that specific pieces of your personal information may belong to more than one of the above-referenced categories.

How we source, use, and share these categories of personal information. We source, use, and share with third parties the categories of personal information we collect from and about you consistent with the various business and operational purposes we discuss throughout this Policy and for the business and operational purposes of our service providers in accordance with the CCPA.  See the “Information We Collect And their Sources”, “Purposes For Which We Use Information” and “How We Share and Categories of Third Parties with Whom We Share Information” section(s) above for more information.

Please note that the CCPA sets forth certain obligations for businesses that “sell” personal information to third parties.  We do not engage in such activity and have not engaged in such activity in the past twelve months from the effective date of this Policy.

CCPA Rights Disclosure.

If you are a California resident, the CCPA allows you (or an authorized agent acting on your behalf) to make certain requests related to your personal information.  Specifically, the CCPA allows you to request us to:

• • Inform you about the categories of personal information we collect or disclose about you; the categories of sources of such information; the business or commercial purpose for collecting your personal information; and the categories of third parties with whom we share/disclose personal information. Such information is also set forth in this Policy.
  • Provide access to and/or a copy of certain personal information we hold about you.
  • Delete certain personal information we have about you.
  • Provide you with information about the financial incentives that we offer to you, if any.

The CCPA further provides you with the right to not be discriminated against (as provided for in applicable law) for exercising your rights.  Please note that certain information may be exempt from such requests under California law.  For example, we need certain information in order to provide the Services to you.  We also will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before responding to a request.  In doing so, we may use one or more of the following methods: (i) using your login credentials to verify you (it being understood that we may also ask you to reauthenticate yourself), or (ii) matching two or more data points provided by you with data points maintained by us.  If we are unable to verify you through the foregoing methods, we shall have the right, but not the obligation, to request additional information from you. If you would like further information regarding your legal rights under California law or would like to exercise any of them, or if you are an authorized agent making a request on a user’s behalf, please contact us at hello@careontheway.com.

Shine the Light Disclosure. The California “Shine the Light” law gives residents of California the right under certain circumstances to request information from us regarding the manner in which we share certain categories of personal information (as defined in the Shine the Light law) with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.  We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

Under Nevada law, certain Nevada consumers may opt-out of the sale of “personally identifiable information” for monetary consideration (as such terms are defined under Nevada law) to a person for that person to license or sell such information to additional persons.  If you are a Nevada resident and you have purchased services or products from us, you may submit a request to opt-out of any potential future sales under Nevada law by contacting us via e-mail at hello@careontheway.com.  Please note we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity and the authenticity of the request.

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, you can contact us via email at hello@careontheway.com or at:

Care On the Way, LLC
2066 Potomac Way
San Mateo, CA 94403