Privacy Policy

Be Heard Space ("we", "our", "us") operates the website at beheardspace.com and the booking platform at the same domain. Be Heard Space is not a licensed mental health provider, therapist, or medical service. We provide peer emotional support sessions with trained, empathetic listeners.

For privacy enquiries: privacy@beheardspace.com

Information you provide directly:

• Name, email address, and phone number when booking a session
• Payment information (processed by third-party gateways — we do not store card details)
• Messages or notes you include with your booking
• Account credentials if you create a staff account

Information collected automatically:

• IP address and approximate location (country/city level)
• Browser type, device type, and operating system
• Pages visited, time on site, and referral source
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 7)

Information from third parties:

• Google account information if you sign in with Google (staff portal only)
• Payment verification data from our payment processors (Paystack, Stripe, Flutterwave)

• Booking fulfilment: to confirm, schedule, and deliver your session
• Communication: confirmation emails, session reminders, and post-session follow-up
• Payment processing: to charge for sessions and issue refunds where applicable
• Service improvement: to analyse how the platform is used and improve it
• Legal compliance: to comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Security: to detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access
• Marketing: only with your explicit consent via our cookie preferences

We do not sell your personal data to any third party.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and United Kingdom, we process personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: processing necessary to book and deliver your session
• Legitimate interests: fraud prevention, security, service improvement
• Consent: analytics and marketing cookies (you can withdraw at any time)
• Legal obligation: where required by applicable law

We share personal data only with:

• Payment processors (Paystack, Stripe, Flutterwave) — to process transactions
• Communication tools (email and SMS providers) — to send transactional messages
• Analytics providers (Google Analytics 4) — only with your analytics cookie consent
• Advertising platforms (Meta Pixel) — only with your marketing cookie consent
• Google Meet — to generate and share video session links
• Law enforcement or regulators — when required by law

All third-party processors are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

• Booking records: retained for 7 years for financial and legal compliance
• Account data: retained until account deletion plus 30 days
• Marketing data: until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• Analytics data: retained by Google Analytics per their data retention settings (default 14 months)
• Server logs: 90 days

We use cookies and similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for full details. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie settings icon (🍪) at the bottom-left of any page.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: request that we restrict processing of your data
• Portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: withdraw any consent you have given at any time
• Opt-out of sale (CCPA): we do not sell personal data
• Non-discrimination (CCPA): we will not discriminate for exercising your rights

To exercise any right, email privacy@beheardspace.com. We will respond within 30 days (EEA/UK) or 45 days (California).

Be Heard Space operates globally. Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence. Where transfers occur from the EEA or UK to countries without an adequacy decision, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or other appropriate safeguards.

Our service is intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including encryption in transit (TLS), access controls, and secure infrastructure. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

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

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a new effective date. Continued use of our service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For privacy-related questions or requests: privacy@beheardspace.com

If you are located in the EEA or UK and believe we have not handled your data correctly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (e.g., the ICO in the UK, or your national Data Protection Authority in the EU).