Cookie policy

This Cookie Policy explains how FreelancerPeople uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit our website, sign in to your account, browse packaged services known as "SERVEs", negotiate custom contracts, or manage payments through your buyer wallet. It describes what these technologies are, the categories we rely on, what each one does, and the controls available to you so that you can make informed choices about your data.

This policy works alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains in fuller detail how the information collected through cookies is used, the legal bases we rely on, and the rights you can exercise. Where this Cookie Policy refers to how cookie-derived data is handled or retained, the Privacy Policy is the controlling reference. By continuing to use FreelancerPeople, and where required by law by confirming your choices through our cookie controls, you agree to the use of cookies as described here.

1. What cookies and similar technologies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device. When you return to the site or move between pages, your browser sends the cookie back, allowing the site to recognise your session, remember your preferences, and operate reliably. Cookies cannot run programs or carry viruses, and on their own they typically hold short identifiers rather than your name or contact details.

Throughout this policy, "cookies" is used as a convenient shorthand for cookies and a family of related technologies that perform comparable functions. These include local storage and session storage in your browser, pixels and tags embedded in pages or emails, and software development kits used inside any mobile experience. We describe the most relevant of these technologies in their own section below.

• Session cookies exist only while your browser is open and are removed when you close it; they are commonly used to keep you signed in during a single visit.
• Persistent cookies remain for a defined period or until you delete them, and they help us remember choices such as your preferred language or display settings across visits.
• First-party cookies are set by FreelancerPeople directly, while third-party cookies are set by a service provider that supports part of the site.

2. The categories of cookies we use

We group the technologies on FreelancerPeople into a small number of clear categories so you can understand the purpose of each. Some categories are essential for the platform to function and cannot be switched off without breaking core features, while others are optional and exist to improve your experience or help us understand how the site is performing.

• Strictly necessary cookies are required to load the site securely, keep you authenticated, and protect against fraud and abuse. They cannot be disabled through our optional controls because the platform would not work safely without them.
• Functional and preference cookies remember the choices you make and the state of your interface so that your experience feels consistent and personal.
• Performance and analytics cookies help us measure how the site is used in aggregate so we can fix problems, improve navigation, and prioritise what to build next.

Where the law requires consent for a category, we will not set those cookies until you have provided it, and you can change your mind at any time using the controls described later in this policy. Strictly necessary cookies are set on the basis of our legitimate interest in delivering a secure, working service.

3. What strictly necessary cookies are used for

Strictly necessary cookies make the foundational parts of FreelancerPeople work. They maintain your authenticated session as you move between pages, so you do not have to sign in repeatedly while browsing SERVEs, messaging a seller, or reviewing a contract. They also support security functions such as detecting unusual sign-in activity, balancing load across our infrastructure, and preventing fraudulent or automated misuse that our Trust & Safety team works to keep off the platform.

These cookies are equally important to the parts of the platform that handle money. When you add funds to your buyer wallet, fund an order into escrow, or move through KYC identity verification before requesting a payout, strictly necessary cookies help keep that flow secure and tied to your verified session. Because these functions are central to operating the service safely, this category is always active.

4. What functional and preference cookies are used for

Functional and preference cookies remember the small decisions that make the platform feel like yours. They can store your chosen language, region, currency display, and interface settings, and they keep track of things like whether you have dismissed a particular notice so it does not reappear on every visit. They may also remember recently viewed SERVEs or talent so that returning to your shortlist is quicker.

These cookies can also support smoother day-to-day workflows, such as keeping the state of a form while you draft a custom offer or carry a fixed-price or weekly-billed hourly contract through to checkout. If you decline this category, the platform will still work, but some conveniences may reset between sessions and you may need to re-enter certain preferences.

5. What performance and analytics cookies are used for

Performance and analytics cookies help us understand how FreelancerPeople is actually used so that we can make it better. They collect aggregated and, where possible, de-identified information about which pages are visited, how long sessions last, which features are popular, and where users encounter errors or drop off. This insight guides our Marketplace Team and product teams when deciding what to improve, from search and category browsing to the checkout and Resolution Center experiences.

We use this category to measure performance trends rather than to build a detailed profile of any single person for advertising. If you decline analytics cookies, you can continue to use every feature of the platform; we simply receive less information about how the site performs in aggregate. For more on how analytics data is processed and retained, see our Privacy Policy.

6. Similar technologies, including local storage

Beyond traditional cookies, FreelancerPeople relies on a few related browser technologies that serve similar purposes. Local storage and session storage let us keep small amounts of information in your browser to speed up the interface, preserve unsaved work in progress, and reduce repeated requests to our servers. Unlike cookies, this data generally stays in your browser rather than being sent automatically with every request.

We may also use lightweight pixels or tags within certain pages and transactional emails to confirm that a message was delivered or opened, which helps us keep important account, payment, and dispute notifications reliable. Any mobile experience may use comparable software development kits in place of browser cookies. These technologies are governed by the same categories and choices described in this policy.

7. Third-party cookies

Some functions on FreelancerPeople are delivered with the help of trusted service providers, and these partners may set their own cookies when their components load on our pages. Examples include providers that help us process payments securely, deliver content quickly across regions, protect the platform from fraud and abuse, and supply the aggregated analytics described above. These third parties act under contract and are permitted to use the data only to provide their service to us.

We do not control the cookies set directly by these providers, and their own privacy and cookie notices govern how they handle the information they collect. Where third-party cookies fall into an optional category, we will respect the choices you make through our controls. You can find more detail about the categories of providers we work with in our Privacy Policy.

8. How to manage or disable cookies

You have several ways to control cookies on FreelancerPeople. Where required, we present a cookie control when you first visit that lets you accept or decline optional categories, and you can reopen that control at any time to update your preferences. Changes take effect for cookies in the optional categories; strictly necessary cookies remain active because the platform cannot operate securely without them.

You can also manage cookies directly in your browser. Most browsers let you view stored cookies, delete them, and block some or all of them through their settings or privacy menus. Be aware that blocking strictly necessary cookies will prevent you from signing in and using core features such as the wallet, escrow, and messaging.

• Use your browser's settings to clear existing cookies and local storage, or to block new ones, either globally or for specific sites.
• Use private or incognito browsing if you prefer cookies to be discarded automatically when you close the window.
• Revisit our cookie control to change which optional categories you allow, at any time and as often as you like.

9. Do-Not-Track signals

Some browsers can send a "Do-Not-Track" signal to indicate that you would prefer not to be tracked across websites. There is no single, agreed industry standard for how sites should interpret this signal, and behaviour varies widely between browsers and services. Because of this lack of a common standard, FreelancerPeople does not currently change its behaviour in response to Do-Not-Track signals.

This does not reduce the choices available to you. You can still decline optional cookie categories through our controls and manage cookies in your browser as described above, and we will honour those preferences regardless of any Do-Not-Track setting. If a recognised standard for these signals emerges, we will reassess our approach and update this policy accordingly.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the technologies we use, new features on the platform, or developments in law and best practice. When we make a change, we will revise the "Last updated" reference shown near the top of this page, and where a change is significant we may provide a more prominent notice or ask you to review your cookie choices again.

We encourage you to revisit this page periodically so you stay informed about how we use cookies and similar technologies. Your continued use of FreelancerPeople after an update takes effect indicates your acceptance of the revised policy, except where your fresh consent is required by law.

11. Questions and contact

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or about how to manage your preferences, our Support team is glad to help. You can reach us through our Contact page, and we will do our best to respond promptly and clearly.

For related information, you may find it helpful to read our Privacy Policy for how cookie-derived data is used, our Refund & Cancellation Policy for how orders and funds are handled, and the Resolution Center for how disputes are managed.