SmartShanghai Privacy Policy

SmartShanghai respects your privacy and safeguarding your information is core to how we design our products. This policy explains what we collect across , why we collect it, and the controls that are available to you.

Information we collect

• Account & profile details. When you register or update a profile we store identifiers (username, email, phone number, WeChat ID), verification data, demographic tags (such as nationality or preferred language), and optional biographical information you choose to share for listings or the community.
• Listings, reviews, and submissions. Content you post in housing, jobs, buy & sell, directory, event, review, dating, or venue forms includes text, prices, availability, location references, media uploads, and contact preferences. These entries remain associated with your account so you can manage, refresh, or delete them later.
• Communications and support. We keep records of private messages, enquiries, customer-service tickets, and contact-form submissions to help mediate disputes, investigate abuse, or follow up on requests.
• Newsletter subscriptions. Email addresses supplied for newsletters or alerts are stored on SmartShanghai infrastructure in Hangzhou or Hong Kong and on trusted providers (Mailgun for transactional delivery and Mailchimp for marketing automation) solely so we can send the messages you opted into.
• Payments & transactions. When you purchase job credits, advertising, or other paid services we keep invoices, totals, payment method identifiers, and reconciliation data. Card numbers and wallet credentials are handled by the payment processors (e.g. WeChat Pay, Alipay, or bank transfer partners) and never stored in our application database.
• Device & log data. Each visit generates IP address, browser/OS, referrer, timestamps, and clickstream data. We also use cookies and similar identifiers for login persistence, localization, analytics, fraud prevention, and preferences.

How we use your information

• Authenticate users, secure accounts, and verify ownership of listings or companies.
• Publish, moderate, and surface listings, reviews, classifieds, and user-generated content across SmartShanghai apps and channels.
• Process payments, issue invoices, and reconcile credits tied to your account.
• Send transactional alerts, reminders, and the newsletters you have subscribed to (every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link and we limit promotional sends to two per month unless you explicitly opt in otherwise).
• Improve the platform through analytics, debugging, and aggregated insights that we may share with partners or advertisers without revealing individual users.
• Enforce our Terms of Use, respond to legal requests, and prevent fraud or abuse.

Cookies and analytics

SmartShanghai cookies keep you logged in, remember preferences such as language or city filters, and help us limit repeated popups or ads. Some advertising and measurement partners may set their own cookies or pixel tags so they can cap frequency or measure campaign performance. You can disable cookies in your browser, but core features like login, posting, and checkout may not work correctly.

When we share data

• Service providers who help us operate (Mailgun, Mailchimp, cloud hosting, analytics, payment processors). They only receive the minimum data needed to provide their services.
• Business partners involved in fulfilling orders you place (for example, a venue you contact or an employer you apply to). We share the contact information you supply in those forms.
• Authorities or legal counsel when required to comply with law or to protect the rights, property, or safety of SmartShanghai, our users, or the public.

Your choices

• Manage newsletter preferences or unsubscribe at any time using the link provided in every email.
• Edit or delete listings through your dashboard; removing a listing also removes its associated personal contact info from public view.
• Update profile, contact, and notification settings under your account.
• Delete your account to remove personal information stored with us. Some transaction or compliance records may remain in backups or logs where retention is required by law.

Data retention & security

We retain personal data only as long as needed for the purposes noted above, including regulatory or accounting obligations. Access to production systems is limited to authorized personnel bound by confidentiality agreements. We use industry-standard security practices, including encrypted transport (HTTPS), credential hashing, and internal monitoring, but no online service can guarantee absolute security.

Contact us

If you have questions about this policy, would like to exercise a privacy right, or require assistance opting out of communications, please contact us using our support form. We respond to privacy-related requests as quickly as possible.

Last updated: December 12, 2025