Terms for Freegle Users

When the website was upgraded in 2016, a new set of 'Terms of Use' and related good practice guidelines for using Freegle Direct were introduced. The wording was discussed and agreed by poll on Development Group in August 2016. Since then, there have been a few tweaks as our technology has changed. The version below is the current one (1.7.21) on the website.

Terms of Use

We could give you a ten page long Terms of Use. Like you'd read that.

As far as we're concerned, it's simple:

• Use Freegle to pass on unwanted items direct to others.
• Everything must be free and legal.
• Be nice to other freeglers, and they'll be nice to you.
• We don't see or check items offered - see our disclaimer.
• Freegle communities may have additional rules. If you have questions, find your community from the Explore page and use the Contact button.
• Please keep yourself safe and watch out for scams.
• Objectionable content or behaviour will not be tolerated.
• If you see anything inappropriate, suspicious or just dodgy then please report it .
• You must be aged 13 or over, as there is user-generated content.
• We won’t sell your email address or personal data to anyone else - see privacy page.
• We will email you posts, replies, events, newsletters, etc. - control these in Settings.
• We will make your post public to publicise Freegle, but not your email address - see privacy page.

Got questions?

If you have questions, please contact us.

Disclaimer

Freegle puts people who have unwanted items in touch with people who want those items. Because of how it works, Freegle never sees or checks items and they may not be in working order. Posting an advert or responding to an advert does not guarantee you will be able to get rid of unwanted items or get the items you want. Any agreement you reach about any items will be between the person requesting or advertising items and you. It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking any laws in offering or getting goods through Freegle. When something can be reused for its original purpose, freegling it is fine (it's what we're for!) but if it would legally count as waste (e.g. a mixture of low economic value which would require sorting), you must not freegle it. If in doubt, check here on GOV.UK.

Safety

Freeglers are lovely. But many of them will be people you've never met before. So please use common sense when posting to Freegle or collecting an item. For example:

• Don't post in public on Freegle telling people when you're going to be out.
• Most collections occur at home, but if you're worried about that, arrange to meet in a cafe or other public place.
• Please ensure your property is physically safe for people who collect from you, as we all have a duty of care towards others.

Scams

Regrettably, occasionally online scammers target Freegle groups, often by offering high-value items, and then asking you to pay for courier charges. We catch a lot of these, and you never see them, but sometimes they sneak through.

While some groups allow postage, you should never hand over money in advance. We don't recommend any specific courier (so if you see a message saying we do, it’s a scam).

If you are unlucky enough to be scammed, please report it to the Police, and to us.

Privacy

1. What data we process We process your email address, name, approximate location, and profile picture. If you log in using a social login (Facebook/Google/Yahoo) then we will obtain these details from them.

All OFFER/WANTED posts are public, so if you put phone numbers, email addresses or postal addresses into them, other people will be able to see them. If you're concerned about this, don't do it!

2. How we process data We use your email address to send you various emails about your posts and posts from other freeglers. You can change the emails you receive or turn them off from Settings. We won't show your email address to any organisation outside Freegle, and other freeglers won't see it (unless your community leaves Freegle - see below).

We show your name, profile picture and approximate location to other freeglers to make the site more engaging and show that freeglers are real people. If you don't want that, you can change it in Settings.

We try to protect you from spammers and fraudsters. Sometimes our volunteers may read what you write in Chat to other freeglers to check that it's not spam, phishing or fraud. If we happen to find something which is against Freegle rules, we may take further action.

So that potential new users can see what is being offered on Freegle, we make some details of posts public, i.e. the item name, approximate location, the description and any photos. No personal details are made public unless in this information.

3. Cookies and Tracking You'll have seen lots of irritating popups on websites about consent for cookies. We have one of those too. Sorry, but it's the law. Here are some technical details.

3.1 Necessary function We store some things which are strictly necessary to make the site work.

We store cookies for sessions and for your cookie preferences. Those are needed for the site to work. We store some information in your browser's local storage. This contains a few settings and is also used when you're replying to a post. That's like the "shopping cart" example in the Information Commissioner's advice and does not require consent. We use Google and Facebook's buttons to allow you to log in. They store a few third-party cookies of their own, which are strictly necessary to make those buttons work. We use Matomo to collect information about how people use the site. This is similar to Google Analytics, but more privacy-safe. We have configured this not to use any cookies. We record information about your browser/device and how you use the site. This helps diagnose problems and make the site easier to use. We don't pass anything identifying you to other people. 3.2 Optional function We store some other things which help make the site better.

When something goes wrong on the website, we log it to a third party site called Sentry. They help organise the logs and make it easier for us to identify problems. This should not include any of your personal data. You can read their privacy policy here. We show job ads from WhatJobs, both on the site and in emails. We'd prefer not to, but we don't raise enough from donations alone to keep going. We don't pass them any information at all unless you click on one of the job links, not even your IP address. We also show ads from selected partners, using Google's advertising service. You can read more about which cookies Google uses here. All or partial advertising on this Website or App is managed by Playwire LLC. If Playwire publisher advertising services are used, Playwire LLC may collect and use certain aggregated and anonymized data for advertising purposes. To learn more about the types of data collected, how data is used and your choices as a user, please visit https://www.playwire.com/privacy-policy. If you are concerned about these, you can also install a privacy blocker such as AdBlock or Ghostery and still use the site. Please remember that while Freegle is free to use, it's not free to run, so it helps if you donate.

4. Deleting your data We'll delete your data automatically if you're inactive for six months. If you want to leave Freegle, please go here.

Once you leave, this will delete all your personal data within 14 days. If you change your mind before then, or left by mistake, you can log back in to reactivate your account.

5. Communities leaving Freegle Freegle communities may in theory choose to leave Freegle and move somewhere else. This has never actually happened, but it's possible in theory. If this happens then we will be in touch with you to discuss what should happen to your details.

6. Legal Basis We operate under the legal basis of Legitimate Interest.

Got questions? Privacy is a complicated and important area, which we take seriously. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us. Our registered address is Weaver's Field, Loud Bridge, Chipping PR3 2NX.

If you're unhappy, you can also contact the Information Commissioner's Office here.

Got questions?

Privacy is a complicated and important area, which we take seriously. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us.

Links

• Spam - further explanation to counter accusations that we spam!
• Basic Information
• Admin