Who we are
MASAR (masarnow.com) is a marketplace for paid, one-to-one video conversations with people who have firsthand experience of a university, degree, employer or career.
MASAR is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [REGISTERED ADDRESS]. Those details are being finalised and will appear here. For privacy questions, write to [PRIVACY EMAIL]; until that address is published, use the contact page.
The short version
- We collect what we need to run accounts, profiles, search, bookings, calls and payments, and to resolve problems fairly.
- Your card details go to Stripe, never to us.
- We don't record video or audio. Calls are transcribed as text only when both people agree, and transcripts are deleted after 90 days unless a problem report or chargeback is open.
- We log when each person joins and leaves a call and the connection quality, so no-shows and technical problems can be judged on facts.
- We don't sell your data, we don't show ads, and we don't use your calls or messages to train AI.
- You can download your data and delete your account from Settings at any time.
What we collect
| What | Examples | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Email, password (stored only as a secure hash by our sign-in provider), name, the date you accepted our terms and confirmed you're 18 or older | To create and secure your account |
| Profile | Photo, headline, about, country, city, time zone, languages, skills, experience, education, certifications, LinkedIn, website and X links | To show who you are and make you findable. Only name and country are required |
| Guide applications | Your answers, including the private screening questions, your LinkedIn profile and payout country | So our team can review your application |
| Bookings | Who, when, which session, price, your questions for the guide, your time zone, the version of our terms you accepted, and the IP address and browser used to book | To deliver the session and evidence what was agreed |
| Payments | Card brand, last four digits, card country, Stripe's fraud risk signals and receipt link | To take payment, prevent fraud and handle refunds and chargebacks |
| Guide payouts | Stripe collects your identity documents, date of birth and bank details directly. We only receive whether your payout account is ready | To pay guides and meet financial regulations |
| Calls | Join and leave times, time in the room, connection quality, camera and microphone on or off, device and browser, errors, whether the call tab was in the background, and each person's transcription choice | To run the call and resolve no-shows, lateness and technical problems fairly |
| Transcripts | The text of what was said, labelled by speaker | Only when both people agree when joining. Used to resolve disputes |
| Messages, feedback and reports | Messages between you and the other person in a booking, private feedback after a session, reviews, problem reports and files you attach | To coordinate sessions, keep the community safe and decide refunds |
| Search | What you type into search | To show results. With smart search on, the search text alone is sent to Anthropic to work out the filters |
| Technical | IP address, device and browser, pages requested, security and rate-limit records | To keep MASAR running and secure |
| Emails | A record of each email we sent you and whether it was delivered | To show that confirmations and reminders were sent |
Why we use it
- To provide the service you asked for: accounts, profiles, search, bookings, calls, payments, payouts and the emails that go with them.
- To keep people safe and settle problems fairly: call records, fraud signals, reviewing messages when a problem is reported, and keeping evidence while a case or chargeback is open. This is in our and our members' legitimate interests.
- Transcripts, only with consent: both people must choose to allow transcription when they join. Either can decline, and nothing is transcribed.
- To meet legal obligations: tax and accounting records, and responding to lawful requests.
We only send you emails about your account, bookings and payouts. We don't send marketing emails.
Who we share it with
- The other person in your booking sees what the session needs: your name, photo, headline, the questions you wrote and your messages.
- Everyone can see public profile information. Guides are always public. Members can hide their profile from search in their profile settings.
- Service providers that run parts of MASAR for us:
- Supabase, for our database, sign-in and file storage. Our data is stored in Sydney, Australia.
- Vercel, for hosting. Our servers run in Sydney, Australia.
- Stripe, for payments, payouts and guides' identity checks. Stripe also acts as an independent controller for its own legal duties.
- Daily, for video calls and transcription.
- Resend, for sending email.
- Anthropic, to interpret smart-search text. Only the text you typed is sent.
- Authorities, when the law requires it, or to protect someone from serious harm.
International transfers
Our providers operate in several countries, including Australia, the United States, Canada and the European Union, so your information may be processed outside the country where you live. Where the law requires, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers: [TRANSFER SAFEGUARDS TO BE CONFIRMED].
How long we keep it
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Account and profile | While your account is open. Deleting your account removes your profile content and photo |
| Bookings, payments, refunds and payouts | As long as tax and accounting law requires: [RETENTION PERIOD FOR FINANCIAL RECORDS] |
| Call records, messages, feedback and problem reports | Kept with the booking record, so past disputes can still be reviewed |
| Transcripts | 90 days after the session, or longer only while a problem report or chargeback is open |
| Technical and security logs | Short periods, set by our hosting and sign-in providers |
Your choices and rights
- See and change your profile at any time from Edit profile.
- Hide your profile from search (members only; guides who take bookings are always listed).
- Download your data as a file from Settings.
- Delete your account from Settings. We remove your profile, photo, experience and education and block sign-in. Booking, payment and dispute records are kept, anonymised, for as long as the law requires.
- Decline transcription on any call.
Depending on where you live, you may also have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to how we use your information, and to complain to your data protection authority. To use these rights, contact us at [PRIVACY EMAIL]. We may ask you to confirm it's really you.
Cookies
We use only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and secure. There are no analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit, access to administrative tools is limited to MASAR staff, and payment details are handled entirely by Stripe. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will tell you if a breach affects you when the law requires it.
Children
MASAR is only for people aged 18 or over. We don't knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has an account, contact us and we'll remove it.
Changes to this policy
When we make important changes we'll update this page and, where it matters, email you before they take effect.
Contact
Privacy questions: [PRIVACY EMAIL]. You can also reach us through the contact page.