Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2025-05-04

1. Introduction

Design Responsibly is a third-party payment administrator. We help organizations pay freelancers, creators, and other independent contractors quickly, compliantly, and with care.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information when you are onboarded as a freelancer or creator in connection with a payment program administered by Design Responsibly. It also explains your rights regarding your personal data and how to exercise them.

We take data privacy seriously. The information you share with us — including your banking details and tax documentation — is sensitive, and we treat it accordingly.

If you have questions about this policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at trust@designresponsibly.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to process your payment and meet our legal and tax reporting obligations. This includes identity and contact information, tax documentation required by applicable law, banking information needed to execute your payment, and records of the transactions we process on your behalf.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information solely to process your payment, verify your identity and banking information, meet our tax reporting obligations, maintain accurate financial records, and communicate with you about your payment status. We do not use your personal information for marketing, advertising, or any purpose unrelated to your payment.

We do not sell your personal data. We share your information only as necessary to process your payment and fulfill our legal obligations — for example, with the financial institutions that execute your payment, the software platforms we use to operate our business, and government tax authorities as required by law. All third-party service providers are selected for their compliance posture and are required to protect your data.

5. International Data Transfers

Design Responsibly is based in the United States. If you are located outside the U.S., your personal information will be transferred to and processed in the United States in connection with your payment.

6. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your personal information for as long as required by applicable law, and delete or anonymize it securely when it is no longer needed. In practice, most data is retained for no longer than required by our legal and tax obligations, after which it is securely deleted.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you are located, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data.

Right of access — You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure — You may request that we delete your personal data, subject to our legal retention obligations.
Right to restriction — You may request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability — You may request that we provide your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to object — You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to withdraw consent — Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
Right to lodge a complaint — You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In the EU, this is your national supervisory authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

For California Residents (CCPA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, to request deletion of their personal information, to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and to non-discrimination for exercising these rights.

For All Individuals

Regardless of location, you may contact us at any time to update your personal information, ask questions about how your data is used, or request that we address any concerns you have. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at trust@designresponsibly.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you have concerns about the security of your data, please contact us at trust@designresponsibly.com.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our services are intended for adults engaged in professional freelance or contract work. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately at trust@designresponsibly.com.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. If we make material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify affected individuals. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

For any questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at trust@designresponsibly.com.