Privacy Policy

1. Who we are and what this policy covers

The Service is provided by CheckMateSG LIMITED (UEN: 202532817Z), a company registered in Singapore (referred to as "CheckMate", "we", "us" or "our").

In this Privacy Policy:

• Service means the CheckMate WhatsApp service, the website at checkmate.sg, the CheckMate checkers' app on Telegram, and related applications provided by us.
• Personal data has the meaning given in the PDPA: data, whether true or not, about an individual who can be identified from that data, or from that data together with other information we have or are likely to have access to.
• Submission means any message, link, image, screenshot or other content you send to CheckMate for checking.
• Checker means a volunteer who has joined our checkers' programme to help assess Submissions.
• You means the individual using the Service, whether as a member of the public, a website visitor or a Checker.

2. What personal data we collect

If you use the CheckMate WhatsApp service

• Your phone number, which WhatsApp provides to us when you message us and which we use to identify you and reply to you.
• Your WhatsApp profile information that WhatsApp makes available to us, such as your profile name.
• Your Submissions: the messages, links, images and screenshots you send or forward to us, which may contain personal data about you or about other people (for example, the sender of a message you forward).
• Information you give us during sign-up and use, such as your age group, your preferred language and your responses to our prompts, surveys or feedback requests.
• Referral activity: if you join through another user's invite link, or invite others through yours, we record that link so that monthly check allowances can be applied correctly.
• Usage data: the number and timing of your Submissions, how you interact with our replies and menus, and your remaining monthly check allowance.

If you visit our website

• Analytics data: we use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to understand how the website is used. This collects information such as your IP address, device and browser type, the pages you visit, and how you arrived at the site. You can find out how Google uses this data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites (opens in new tab).
• Contact form: if you write to us through the website, we collect the details you enter, which may include your name, email address, phone number, age, occupation, how you heard about us, and your message.
• White paper and resource downloads: if you request a download, we collect your name, email address, organisation and role so that we can send it to you.

If you are a Checker

• Your Telegram account information, including your Telegram user ID, name and username, which we use to sign you in to the checkers' app and to send you notifications.
• Application details you give us when you apply to join the programme, such as your name, contact details and relevant experience.
• Your checking activity: the votes and ratings you give on Submissions, your response times, and your progress through the programme, which we use to assess Submissions fairly and to run the programme.

3. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for these purposes:

• To provide the Service: to receive your Submissions, assess them using a combination of automated systems (including artificial intelligence models) and human Checkers, and send you our assessment.
• To run your account: to apply your monthly check allowance, process referrals, remember your language preference and respond to your menu selections.
• To respond to you: to reply to enquiries, feedback and requests sent through the Service or the website, and to send you resources you have asked for.
• To keep you informed about the Service: to send you service messages on WhatsApp, such as changes to your check allowance, new features, or important notices about the Service. We do not send marketing for third parties.
• To keep people safe: to detect and track scams, misinformation and other harmful content, to build up our record of previously checked messages so that similar Submissions can be assessed faster, and to protect the Service against misuse.
• To improve the Service: to analyse how the Service is used, measure the accuracy of our assessments, train and evaluate our automated systems, and develop new features.
• For research and public education: to study scams, misinformation and online harms, and to share what we learn, as described in section 4 below.
• To run the checkers' programme: to onboard, train, assign work to, and recognise Checkers, and to maintain the quality of assessments.
• To comply with the law: to meet our legal obligations, respond to lawful requests from public agencies, and protect our rights and the safety of our users and the public.

4. How we share your personal data

• With Checkers: Submissions are shown to our volunteer Checkers so that they can assess them. Checkers see the content of your Submission but not your phone number. Checkers agree to keep what they see confidential.
• Message Database and research: Messages that you have shared with CheckMate may be anonymised of personally identifiable information (for example numbers, names and addresses) and stored in our database for the purpose of tracking and researching scams and misinformation. Anonymised messages, together with the assessments made of them, may be made available to the public, to other CheckMate users, and to research partners such as universities, via our website, our service, or as research datasets. We do not release your phone number or any other identifier of you.
• With service providers: we use third parties to help run the Service, such as WhatsApp (Meta) for messaging, Telegram for the checkers' app, cloud hosting and database providers, providers of artificial intelligence models that help assess Submissions, analytics providers, and email and form-handling providers. They process personal data only as needed to provide their services to us, and we require them to protect it.
• With public agencies: where we believe a Submission indicates a scam or other harmful activity, or where we are required to do so by law or in response to a valid request, we may share Submissions and related information with law enforcement and other public agencies in Singapore for the purpose of preventing harm or supporting investigations.
• Organisational changes: if CheckMate merges with, or transfers the Service to, another organisation, your personal data may be transferred to that organisation. We will let you know before your personal data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
• With your consent: we may share your personal data for any other purpose with your consent.

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share your phone number with anyone other than the service providers we need in order to reply to you, or where the law requires it.

5. How long we keep your personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as it is needed for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law. Because scams and misinformation recur, we keep anonymised Submissions and their assessments indefinitely so that we can recognise repeat messages and study trends over time.

When personal data is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

6. Where your personal data is stored

Some of our service providers store or process data outside Singapore. Where personal data is transferred out of Singapore, we take reasonable steps to ensure that it receives a standard of protection comparable to that under the PDPA, for example through contractual safeguards with the provider.

7. Your rights

Under the PDPA, you may:

• Access the personal data we hold about you and learn how it has been used or disclosed in the past year.
• Correct personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Withdraw consent to our continued collection, use or disclosure of your personal data. You can do this at any time by contacting us. If you withdraw consent, we may no longer be able to provide the Service to you.
• Ask us to delete your personal data. We will do so unless we need to keep it to meet a legal obligation. Anonymised Submissions that can no longer be linked to you are not personal data and may be retained.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Data Protection Officer using the details in section 11. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your identity first.

8. Security

We take reasonable security measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal, including access controls and encryption in transit. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

To protect yourself, remove private details such as names, addresses and account numbers from a message before sending it to us. We rarely need them to check a message.

9. Children

The Service is not directed at children under 13. If you are under 13, you must have a parent or guardian's consent to use the Service. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child under 13 without such consent, we will take steps to delete it. Parents or guardians who believe this has happened can contact us.

10. Links to other sites and changes to this policy

Our Service and our assessments may contain links to websites we do not operate. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their policies.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the new version on this page and update the "Last updated" date at the top. If a change materially affects how we use your personal data, we will also let you know through the Service. Continued use of the Service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

11. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise any of your rights, you can reach us at:

• General enquiries: contact@checkmate.sg
• Data Protection Officer: contact@checkmate.sg