Privacy Policy
California users: Click here to see our Privacy Information for California Residents
Care.com Inc. (“Care.com,” “we” or “us”) provides this website and various digital content and services available at or through that website and related mobile applications (taken together, the “Service”). It is our policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect while operating the Service, as set forth below. Please note that our affiliates may have separate privacy policies. By using the Service, you consent to our collection, storage, use and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy
1. Information We Collect, Sources of Information, and the Purposes for Which We Use the Information.
Website and App Usage
Like most website and mobile application providers, Care.com collects certain information available via web browsers, mobile devices and servers, such as page views, clicks, browser type, device type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor request. Care.com’s purpose in collecting such information is to better understand how Care.com’s visitors use its Service. From time to time, Care.com may release information in an aggregate or otherwise deidentified form, e.g., by publishing a report on trends in the usage of its Service.
Care.com also collects information like Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for logged in users.
Aggregated Statistics
Care.com collects data about the behavior of users of the Service. For instance, Care.com may collect data to identify the most popular activities on the Service, and activity dates and times. Care.com may use this information itself, display it publicly or provide it to others.
Gathering and Use of Information
Certain visitors to the Service choose to interact with Care.com in ways that require Care.com to gather information that can directly identify them. The amount and type of information that Care.com gathers depends on the nature of the interaction.
For example, we ask visitors who sign up for our newsletter to provide a ZIP code and email address, and creating an account may require a mobile phone number. Those who engage in transactions with Care.com — by purchasing admission to an activity, for example — are asked to provide additional information, including as necessary the financial information required to process those transactions. In each case, Care.com collects such information that is reasonably necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of the visitor’s interaction with Care.com. Care.com does not disclose such information other than as described below. And you can always refuse to supply information, with the caveat that it may prevent you from engaging in certain activities through the Service.
If you are have provided your email address, phone number or other contact information, Care.com (and any activity provider you have booked with) may use that info to communicate with you (including via email and SMS/MMS) to tell you about upcoming activities, promotions, or new features, to solicit your feedback, or for other marketing purposes. To the extent required by law, you may opt out of marketing communications from Care.com, such as via an unsubscribe link at the bottom of a marketing email or by replying “STOP” to text messages. Note that you may not opt out of transactional communications, such as an email confirming your purchase with Care.com.
If you engage a service provider through the service, such as an activity partner or a payments processor, that service provider may provide us with information about you or your family, such as information relating to your activities or transactions with the service provider or activity partner.
If you send us a request (for example via a support email or via one of our feedback mechanisms), we reserve the right to use it in connection with our business and publish it in order to help us clarify or respond to your request or to help us support other users.
2. Categories of Third Parties With Whom We Share Information
Care.com discloses information that either directly or indirectly identifies you only to those of its employees, contractors, affiliated organizations and suppliers (including its providers) that reasonably need to know that information in order to process it on Care.com’s behalf or to provide services available via Care.com’s Services. Such information may be disclosed to activity providers, payment processors and other service providers, and as set forth under the headers “Cookies,” “Business Transfers”, and “Ads” below.
For example:- your name and your child’s name, birth date, school, allergies, and similar information is sent to activity providers you have booked with, so they can provide services and reasonably operate their business;
- your contact phone number is provided to activity providers you have booked with so they can call in an emergency or to address issues related to the services they may be providing you;
- your email address is provided to activity providers you have booked with so they can send you information regarding their programs, your email address may be provided to third parties acting on behalf of Care.com to facilitate marketing campaigns consistent with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Some of Care.com’s employees, contractors, affiliated organizations and suppliers may be located outside of your home country; by using the Service, you consent to the transfer of such information to them.
Care.com may also disclose information in response to a subpoena, court order or other governmental request, or when Care.com believes in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the wellbeing, property or rights of Care.com, you, third parties or the public at large.
Care.com takes a variety of measures to protect against the unauthorized access, use, alteration or destruction of information. However, please note that no method of information security can be guaranteed to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure of information.
3. Cookies/Do Not Track Notice
A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Care.com uses cookies to help Care.com identify and track visitors, their usage of Care.com website, and their website access preferences. Care.com visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Care.com’s websites, with the drawback that certain features of Care.com’s websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies. Some browsers used to access the Internet may give you the option through "Do Not Track" settings associated with such browsers to request that a website operator not track your information across its website or other websites. We engage in such tracking in order to optimize and/or customize our Service, detect and respond to allegations of fraud, and to otherwise ensure the safety of our Registered Users and website visitors. While we do not currently honor such browser requests, we will not use your information in a manner that violates this Privacy Policy. In addition, you retain the ability to opt out of certain online analytics and advertising activities as discussed herein.
4. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Rights Regarding Your Information. Depending on the jurisdiction where you reside, you may have the right to ask us to:
- Inform you about the types of personal information we collect or disclose about you; the types of sources of this information; the business or commercial purpose for collecting this information; and the categories of third parties to which we disclose this information;
- Provide you access to and/or a copy of certain personal information we hold about you;
- Correct or update personal information we hold about you;
- Delete certain personal information we have about you;
- Restrict or object to certain uses of your personal information; or
- Opt you out of the processing of your personal information for purposes of profiling that furthers decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects, if applicable.
Certain information may be exempt from these requests under applicable law. For example, we need certain information in order to provide the Site and Services to you or comply with applicable law. We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before responding to a request. Depending on the sensitivity of the information you are requesting and the type of request you are making, this may include verifying your name and email address. If we cannot verify your identity, we may be unable to respond to your requests. As provided in applicable law, you also have the right to not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.
If you would like to exercise any of the rights set out in this section, please contact us using the information in Section 11, “Questions or Requests to Delete,” below. You may be able to designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf. For us to verify an authorized agent, you must provide the authorized agent with signed, written permission to make such requests or a power of attorney. We may verify your identity directly with you before processing the authorized agent’s request, as permitted by applicable law.
Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to appeal our decision to deny your request. We will provide information about making an appeal in our response denying the request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
Notice of Right to Opt Out of Sales of Personal Information and Processing of Personal Information for Targeted Advertising Purposes
Depending on your jurisdiction of residence, you may have the right to opt out of “sales” of your personal information and sharing/processing of your information for targeted advertising.
As explained above, we may disclose personal information to third-party advertising providers for targeted advertising purposes or use related analytics partners to help us analyze use of our Services and our user/customer base. Under certain state laws, the disclosure of your personal information to these third parties may be considered a “sale” or “share” (as those terms are defined by such laws) of personal information or the processing of personal information for “targeted advertising” purposes. To opt out of these disclosures, you can use the “Your Privacy Choices” or “Do Not Sell or Share My Information” link on our Site footer. Note that you will need to opt out on each device you use to access the Services.
5. Changing or Removing your Personal Information and Closing your Account
You can update certain of your information by logging into your account and accessing your account settings. If you would like to remove some of the information you have posted on the Site, such as information you posted in profiles and job postings, you may do so by editing or deleting that item in your My Profile & Settings area or your My Jobs area. If you no longer wish to participate in our Services, you may close your account directly through your account settings. If you close your Care.com account, we will remove your name and other contact and identifiable information from our publicly viewable database. If you close your account, we have no obligation to retain your information, and may delete any or all of your account information without liability. However, we may retain information related to you if we believe it may be necessary to prevent fraud or future abuse, or for legitimate business purposes, such as analysis of aggregated, de-identified information, account recovery, auditing our records, enforcing our rights and obligations under our agreements, or if required by law. Care.com may also retain and use your information if necessary to provide the Services to other Registered Users. For example, just as an email you may send to another person through an email provider resides in that person’s inbox even after you delete it from your sent files or close your account, emails you send through Care.com to other Users, as well as your contributions to Care.com groups, may remain visible to others after you have closed your account. Similarly, other information you have shared with others, or that others have copied, may also remain visible. Care.com disclaims any liability in relation to the deletion or retention (subject to the terms herein) of information, or any obligation not to delete the information. Care.com does not control when search engines update their search index or cache, which may contain certain job posts, profiles or other information that have since been removed from Care.com’s Site.
6. Business Transfers
If Care.com, or some or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, or in the event that Care.com goes out of business or enters bankruptcy, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquirer of Care.com may continue to use your information as set forth in this policy.
7. Ads
Ads appearing on any of our websites may be delivered to users by advertising partners, who may set cookies. These cookies allow the ad server to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement to compile information about you or others who use your computer. This information allows ad networks to, among other things, deliver targeted advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. This Privacy Policy covers the use of cookies by Care.com and does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers.
8. Privacy Policy Changes
Care.com may change its Privacy Policy from time to time, and in Care.com’s sole discretion. If we make changes that are material, we will let you know by posting on the Service, sending you an email, or other communication before the changes take effect. The notice will designate a reasonable period of time after which the new Privacy Policy will take effect. Care.com encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such change.
9. Privacy Information for California Residents
Throughout this Privacy Policy, we discuss the specific pieces of “personal information” (as defined in the CCPA) that we collect from and about users of our Site and Services. In accordance with the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (collectively, the “CCPA”), we are providing you with additional information about the personal information we collect from California residents, how we disclose that personal information, and your privacy rights.
Personal Information We Collect, Use, and Disclose
As discussed throughout this Privacy Policy, we collect personal information directly from you, from our vendors and clients, and from the cookies and tracking technologies we use. The specific categories of personal information vary depending on the Site or Services you engage with and how you use them. In the past year we have collected and anticipate continuing to collect the following types of personal information from users and visitors of our Site and Services. For each category of personal information, we provide additional details about how we use and disclose the personal information we collect.
Identifiers and Other Non-Public Personal Information as described in California Civil Code § 1798.80(e), including, for example, name, address, email address, phone number, driver’s license, and/or IP address. We may use this personal information to provide services you have requested from us; to respond to inquiries; to service your account; for our day-to-day business operations; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your personal information within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; as reasonably necessary to operate our business, including internal research and development; to perform activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of our systems, Site, and Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance them; to identify and repair errors in the functionality of our systems, Site, or Services; to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms; and, as needed, to use for other short-term, transient purposes.
Characteristics of Protected Classifications, including, for example, gender or gender identity, health/medical conditions, and/or information obtained from a background check. We may use characteristics of protected classifications to provide services you have requested from us; to respond to inquiries; to service your account; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your characteristics of protected classifications within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure the security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; and as reasonably necessary to operate our business, including internal research and development; and to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms.
Commercial Information, including, for example, transaction data, purchase or use history or tendency, financial data (such as payment method details and billing address), and/or Services purchased, obtained, or considered. We may use commercial information to provide services you have requested from us; to evaluate and improve our Site and Services; to respond to inquiries; for our day-to-day business purposes; to service your account; to help us better understand your preferences; to enhance your experience by personalizing our Site and Services; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your commercial information within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure the security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; as reasonably necessary to operate our business, including internal research and development; to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms; and, as needed, to use for other short-term, transient purposes.
Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity, including, for example browsing history, search history, and/or information regarding your interactions with our Site. We may use internet or other electronic network activity to provide services you have requested from us, including access to our Site features; for our day-to-day business purposes, including development or improvement of our Site and Services; to service your account; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your internet or other electronic network activity within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; to perform functions needed to operate our business, including internal research and development; to perform activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of our systems, Site, and Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance them; to identify and repair errors in the functionality of our systems, Site, or Services; to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms; and, as needed, to use for other short-term, transient purposes.
Geolocation Information, including, for example, information about the approximate location of you or your device as well as the precise GPS location of your device if you agree to turn this functionality on through the Services or your device settings. We may use geolocation information to provide services you have requested from us, such as recommending Care Providers in your area; to enhance your experience by personalizing our Site and Services; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your geolocation information within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; as reasonably necessary to operate our business; to identify and repair errors in the functionality of our systems, Site, or Services; to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms; and, as needed, to use for other short-term, transient purposes.
Audio, Visual, or Other Similar Information, including, for example, voice recordings from customer service calls and/or photos you upload to your profile or job posting. We may use this information to provide services you have requested from us; to respond to inquiries; to service your account; for our day-to-day business operations including development or improvement of our Site and Services; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your information within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; as reasonably necessary to operate our business, including internal research and development; to perform activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of our systems, Site, and Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance them; to identify and repair errors in the functionality of our systems, Site, or Services; and to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms.
Professional or Employment-Related Information, including, for example, Care Provider references, employment history, and/or certifications. We may use this professional information to provide services you have requested from us, including matching Care Providers with Care Seekers; to respond to inquiries; to create and service your Care Provider profile and account; for our day-to-day business operations; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose your professional information within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; as reasonably necessary to operate our business, including internal research and development; to perform activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of our systems, Site, and Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance them; and to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms.
Inferences we draw from information we collect about you to create a profile of you, including, for example, information reflecting your inferred preferences and interests. We may use inferences to provide services you have requested from us, including matching Care Providers with Care Seekers and other content or information customization; for our day-to-day business operations; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; and for safety and compliance. We may disclose inferences about you within our corporate group and to our vendors and business partners to ensure security and integrity of our Site and Services; to provide services you request; as reasonably necessary to operate our business, including internal research and development; to perform activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of our systems, Site, and Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance them; to identify and repair errors in the functionality of our systems, Site, or Services; and to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms.
Sensitive Personal Information, including, for example, your account login credentials, precise geolocation information, contents of communications between Care Providers and Care Seekers on our Site, and/or health data. When collected, we only use or disclose sensitive personal information for the purposes allowed by the CCPA and its implementing regulations in connection with our legitimate business purposes We may use or disclose sensitive personal information when reasonably necessary to provide services you have requested from us or expect us to provide; to protect your physical safety or that of others; for our day-to-day business operations, including servicing your account and providing customer service; to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions; to perform activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of our systems, Site, and Services and to improve, upgrade, or enhance them; and to detect and prevent illegal or malicious acts or violations of our policies or terms. Please note that given our limited uses of sensitive personal information for legitimate business purposes, we do not offer a “Right to Limit” under the CCPA.
In addition to the uses and disclosures of personal information described above, we may use and disclose any personal information we collect or maintain as reasonably necessary to comply with law and legal requirements; to cooperate with and respond to law enforcement requests; or as otherwise required by applicable law, court order, governmental regulation, or other legal process.
Any personal information we collect and maintain may be provided to our professional advisors, including accountants, auditors, consultants, and lawyers, when reasonably necessary for our professional advisors to perform services for us and give us appropriate advice.
Any personal information we collect and maintain may be given to another company in the event of a sale, merger, or other acquisition of some or all of our assets or business or as part of the negotiation or evaluation of such sale, merger, or other acquisition.
Our Retention of Personal Information. For detailed information about our retention practices, please see the “How We Protect Information and Information Retention” section above.
California Privacy Rights
California residents may make certain requests about their personal information under the CCPA as set forth in “Your Rights and Choices” section above.
In addition, if we offer any financial incentives in exchange for your personal information, we will provide you with appropriate information about such incentives.
Right to Opt Out of “Sale” or “Sharing” of Personal Information. The CCPA requires that we describe certain disclosures of personal information where we receive valuable consideration. California law treats such disclosures as “sales” even if no money is exchanged. The CCPA also requires us to disclose how we “share” personal information, i.e., how we disclose personal information for purposes of cross-context behavioral advertising (also called targeted advertising). Such activities are described more in the Policy above.
To opt out of our use of your personal information through cookies and similar technologies for purposes that are considered “sales” or “sharing,” you can use the “Your Privacy Choices” or “Do Not Sell or Share My Information” link on our Site footer. If you have a legally recognized browser-based opt out preference signal turned on through your browser, we recognize the preference expressed by this signal in accordance with applicable law.
We do not knowingly sell the personal information of minors under 16 years of age.
Do Not Track Notice. Some browsers used to access the Internet may give you the option through “Do Not Track” settings associated with such browsers to request that a website operator not track your information across its website or other websites. We engage in such tracking in order to optimize and/or customize our Services, detect and respond to allegations of fraud, and to otherwise ensure the safety of our Registered Users and Site Visitors. While we do not currently honor such browser requests, we will not use your information in a manner that violates this Privacy Policy. Please note that Do Not Track is a different mechanism than the “Global Privacy Control” discussed immediately above, which we do honor.
Shine the Light. California Law allows customers who are California residents to request certain information once per year regarding our disclosure of “personal information” (as that term is defined under applicable California law) to third parties for such third parties’ direct marketing purposes.
10. Privacy Information for Nevada Residents
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 connect@care.com. Please note we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity and the authenticity of the request.
11. Questions or Requests to Delete
If you have questions about your personal data please contact our support team at connect@care.com.