Terms of Service

Terms of Use / Terms & Conditions – Hospitality Finance Network
Last updated: 19/11/2025

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1. Who We Are & What These Terms Cover

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of:

• The Hospitality Finance Network website at hospitalityfinancenetwork.com (“Website”)
• Any related pages, subdomains, content, features, or tools we operate
• Any online community areas, including our discussion spaces and Career Hub
• Our official presence on LinkedIn or other platforms where these Terms are referenced

In these Terms:

• “HFP Net”, “we”, “us”, “our” refers to: Hospitality Finance Network
  Email: support@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com
• “You”, “your” means any person or entity who accesses or uses the Website or any related services.

By accessing or using the Website, creating an account, or participating in the community, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines, which are incorporated by reference.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Website.

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2. Eligibility & Account Registration

2.1 Eligibility

To use the Website and create an account, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old; and
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement; and
• Use the Website in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.

The Website is primarily designed for hospitality finance professionals and related roles, but others (e.g. recruiters, vendors, students) may join subject to these Terms and the Community Guidelines.

2.2 Account Registration

Some features require a registered account. When you register:

• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information.
• You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential.
• You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

You agree to:

• Notify us promptly at privacy@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com if you suspect any unauthorised use of your account.
• Not share your password or allow others to use your account.

We reserve the right to refuse registration, suspend, or terminate accounts at our discretion if we believe you have violated these Terms or pose a risk to the community.

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3. Our Services & No Professional Advice

3.1 What We Provide

HFP Net provides a professional community platform for hospitality finance, including:

• Articles, guides, and knowledge resources
• Community discussions and Q&A
• A Career Hub for job postings and job searches
• Information about events, webinars, and other initiatives related to hospitality finance

We may add, modify, or discontinue features at any time, with or without prior notice.

3.2 No Financial, Legal, Tax, or Audit Advice

The content on HFP Net (including articles, posts, comments, and resources) is for general information and discussion only. It is not:

• Financial, legal, tax, or audit advice
• A substitute for professional advice tailored to your specific situation
• A guarantee that any method or template will be appropriate or compliant for your property, brand, or jurisdiction

You are responsible for obtaining appropriate professional advice before acting on any information from the Website.

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4. Community Guidelines

Your use of the Website and participation in the community is also governed by our Community Guidelines.

By using HFP Net, you agree to:

• Follow the Community Guidelines at all times
• Behave in a professional, respectful manner
• Not share confidential, proprietary, or sensitive information in breach of your obligations to your employer or third parties

Violations of the Community Guidelines may lead to:

• Removal or editing of your content
• Warnings or temporary restrictions
• Suspension or termination of your account

We reserve the right to update the Community Guidelines periodically. Your continued use of the Website after such updates means you accept the revised guidelines.

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5. User Content & Intellectual Property

5.1 Your Content

“User Content” includes anything you post, upload, submit, or otherwise make available on or through the Website, including:

• Posts, comments, replies, messages
• Articles, documents, templates, spreadsheets, graphics
• Job postings and profiles
• Any other text, images, or files

You retain ownership of your User Content, subject to the rights you grant below.

5.2 Your Responsibilities for User Content

By submitting User Content, you represent and warrant that:

• You have the necessary rights, licences, and permissions to share it.
• It does not infringe or violate any third-party rights (e.g. copyright, confidentiality, trademarks, privacy rights).
• It does not contain sensitive personal data or confidential information about your employer, colleagues, guests, or other parties without proper authorisation.
• It complies with these Terms, the Community Guidelines, and applicable laws.

You are solely responsible for your User Content and any consequences of sharing it.

5.3 Licence You Grant to HFP Net

By posting or submitting User Content to the Website, you grant HFP Net a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable licence to:

• Use, reproduce, distribute, display, perform, and adapt your User Content in connection with operating, promoting, and improving the Website and our services; and
• Create derivative works (e.g. excerpts, summaries, or translated versions) for community and educational purposes.

This licence continues for as long as your content is hosted on our platform and for a reasonable period thereafter for backup, archival, and legal purposes.

If you delete your account or specific User Content:

• We will make reasonable efforts to remove the content from public display going forward;
• However, copies may remain in backups, archives, and logs;
• Content may also remain accessible if it has been shared, quoted, or referenced by other users, or where removal is technically or legally impractical.

5.4 Our Content & Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, HFP Net and/or our licensors own all rights, title, and interest in:

• Website design, layout, and structure
• Logos, trademarks, branding, and graphics
• Articles, guides, and original resources created by or for HFP Net
• Software, code, and underlying technology

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Website for your personal and professional use as a hospitality finance professional, subject to these Terms.

You may not:

• Copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our content for commercial purposes without our prior written consent
• Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices
• Use our name or logo in a way that implies endorsement or partnership without our permission

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6. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Website:

1. Unlawfully
   • For any illegal purpose or in violation of any laws or regulations.
2. To Harm or Exploit Others
   • Harass, abuse, threaten, or harm any individual or group.
   • Share hateful, discriminatory, or defamatory content.
3. To Infringe Rights
   • Upload or share content that infringes intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.
   • Share confidential or proprietary information without permission.
4. To Disrupt the Service
   • Introduce viruses, malware, or other harmful code.
   • Attempt to gain unauthorised access to accounts, systems, or data.
   • Overload, disrupt, or interfere with the Website’s normal operation.
5. For Spam or Misrepresentation
   • Send unsolicited or mass messages (“spam”), especially for sales purposes.
   • Misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or affiliation.
6. To Evade Enforcement
   • Create multiple accounts to evade suspension or bans.
   • Circumvent technical or administrative measures put in place to protect the Website and its users.

We reserve the right to investigate and take appropriate action (including removal of content, account suspension, or legal action) if we suspect violations of this section.

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7. Career Hub – Additional Terms

7.1 For Job Seekers

When you use the Career Hub as a job seeker, you acknowledge that:

• HFP Net does not guarantee that you will receive job offers, interviews, or employment.
• You are responsible for the accuracy of information in your CV, profile, and applications.
• Once you submit information to an employer/recruiter, they may become an independent data controller of your data, and their own privacy/terms will apply.
• You should perform your own due diligence on potential employers and roles.

We may remove or restrict access to job-related content if we suspect it is fraudulent, misleading, or inappropriate.

7.2 For Employers & Recruiters

If you post jobs or recruit via HFP Net you agree that:

• All roles posted are genuine, legal, and accurately described.
• You will not discriminate unlawfully based on protected characteristics.
• You will comply with applicable employment, equality, and data protection laws.
• You will handle candidate data fairly and securely, in line with your own privacy obligations.

We reserve the right to edit or remove job posts and to restrict or terminate access for recruiters/employers who misuse the platform.

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8. Third-Party Services & Links

The Website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or tools (e.g. LinkedIn, analytics services, external articles, training providers).

• We do not control or endorse third-party content or services.
• Your use of such third-party sites is at your own risk and subject to their terms and policies.

HFP Net is not responsible for any loss or damage arising from your use of third-party sites or services.

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9. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

1. “As Is” Basis
   The Website and all content, including user-generated content, are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory.
2. No Warranties
   We make no representations or warranties that:
   • The Website will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.
   • Any content will be accurate, complete, up to date, or suitable for your specific needs.
   • Any advice, recommendations, or templates will be appropriate, compliant, or successful in your context.
3. User Responsibility
   You use the Website and rely on content at your own discretion and risk. You are responsible for verifying information and seeking professional advice where necessary.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain disclaimers; in such cases, these may not apply to you in full, and your statutory rights remain unaffected.

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10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• HFP Net and its owners, directors, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunities, arising from or related to your use of the Website, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law (such as liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud).

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11. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless HFP Net, its owners, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, demands, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your use of the Website;
• Your User Content;
• Your violation of these Terms, the Community Guidelines, or applicable law;
• Your infringement of any third-party rights.

We reserve the right to assume exclusive defence and control of any matter subject to indemnification, and you agree to cooperate with us in such defence.

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12. Suspension & Termination

We may, at our discretion and without prior notice:

• Suspend or restrict your access to the Website (in whole or in part);
• Remove or modify your User Content;
• Terminate your account;

if we believe that:

• You have violated these Terms or the Community Guidelines;
• You pose a risk to other users, the community, or our infrastructure;
• We need to comply with legal or regulatory requirements;
• We are discontinuing or modifying our services.

You may also terminate your account at any time by contacting us or using any available account deletion tools.

Upon termination:

• Your right to use the Website ceases immediately.
• Some obligations (e.g. intellectual property licences, indemnity, limitation of liability) will continue to apply.

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13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect:

• Changes to our services or business model
• Legal or regulatory developments
• Feedback from users

When we make material changes:

• We will update the “Last updated” date at the top; and/or
• We may notify you via email, Website notice, or other reasonable means.

Your continued use of the Website after the updated Terms are posted means you accept the changes. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Website.

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14. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms and any disputes arising out of or relating to them or your use of the Website are governed by the laws of Sri Lanka without regard to its conflict of law principles.

You agree that:

• Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Sri Lanka, unless mandatory laws grant you different rights.
• Before initiating formal legal proceedings, both parties will attempt to resolve disputes amicably where possible.

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15. General Provisions

• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines, form the entire agreement between you and HFP Net regarding your use of the Website.
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
• No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision in these Terms will not be considered a waiver of such right or provision.
• Assignment: You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

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16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms or want to contact us for any reason, you can reach us at:

Hospitality Finance Network
Email: support@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com

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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – Hospitality Finance Network
Last updated: 19/11/2025

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1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how [Hospitality Finance Network] (“HFP Net”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data when you use:

• Our website: hospitalityfinancenetwork.com
• Our LinkedIn page and other official social channels
• Any other online services or tools we operate for the HFP Net community

Data controller:

Hospitality Finance Network
Email: data@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can contact us at:
privacy@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com

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2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• Members who create accounts or profiles
• Visitors to the website who browse without creating an account
• Job seekers using the Career Hub
• Employers / recruiters posting roles
• Partners, vendors, and contributors who interact with us

By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

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3. What Personal Data We Collect

The type of data we collect depends on how you interact with us.

3.1 Data You Provide Directly

Account & Profile Data

When you create an account or join the community, we may collect:

• Name
• Email address
• Password (stored in encrypted form)
• Country/region
• Current job title/role
• Employer / type of property (optional)
• LinkedIn profile URL (optional)
• Profile picture (optional)
• Short bio or professional summary (optional)

Community Participation

When you participate in the community, we process:

• Posts, comments, messages, and other content you create
• Topics and areas you choose to follow or engage with
• Files or documents you upload (e.g. templates, guides) – you must ensure you have the right to share these and that they do not contain confidential or sensitive information without permission

Career Hub – Job Seekers

If you apply for or show interest in roles via our Career Hub, you may provide:

• CV/Resume
• Cover letters or professional summaries
• Work history, education, and skills
• Salary expectations (if voluntarily provided)
• Other information you choose to include in applications or messages to recruiters

Career Hub – Employers / Recruiters

When you post a job or create an employer profile, we may collect:

• Your name and contact details
• Company name and company description
• Job posting details (role, location, salary range if provided)
• Any other information you voluntarily include in job posts or messages

Contact & Support

When you contact us (via forms, email, or social media), we may collect:

• Your name and contact details
• The content of your message and any attachments

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3.2 Data We Collect Automatically

When you visit our website or use our services, we may automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type, device type, operating system
• Referring pages/URLs
• Pages visited, time spent, and click paths
• Approximate location based on IP (country/city level)
• Log files, error logs, and usage analytics

This is typically collected via cookies, analytics tools, and server logs. See Section 8 for more on cookies.

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3.3 Data from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

• LinkedIn or other social networks if you follow or interact with our official pages, or if you choose to log in/connect via a social account (where available)
• Analytics and marketing tools (e.g. Google Analytics) – mostly aggregated, non-identifiable usage data
• Recruiters, employers or other members who refer you, mention you in job-related content, or share your public professional profile (in line with applicable law)

We will only use this information as permitted by law and in line with this Privacy Policy.

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4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

4.1 To Provide and Operate Our Services

• Create and manage your user account
• Allow you to log in, post, comment, and participate in the community
• Publish and manage articles, resources, and community content
• Operate the Career Hub (posting, viewing, and applying for jobs)
• Facilitate communication between job seekers and employers (where allowed)
• Provide customer support and respond to your queries

4.2 To Communicate With You

• Send you service-related emails, such as account confirmation, password reset, and important notifications about the platform
• Send you community updates, newsletters, or announcements if you opted in
• Inform you of new articles, events, webinars, or jobs relevant to hospitality finance
• Contact you regarding changes to our terms, guidelines, or privacy policy

You can opt out of non-essential marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link or contacting us.

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4.3 To Improve Our Services

• Analyse how members and visitors use the website
• Understand which topics are most valuable to the community
• Improve site performance, content structure, and user experience
• Develop new features or services based on aggregated usage patterns

Where possible, we use aggregated or anonymised data for analytics.

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4.4 To Maintain Security and Prevent Misuse

• Protect our website and services against abuse, spam, fraud, and unauthorised access
• Enforce our Community Guidelines, Terms of Use, and other policies
• Investigate and respond to reports of inappropriate content or behaviour

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4.5 To Comply With Legal Obligations

We may process and retain certain data as required by law, such as:

• Record-keeping and accounting obligations
• Responding to lawful requests from public authorities
• Managing legal claims or disputes

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5. Legal Bases for Processing (If/Where GDPR Applies)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK, or similar jurisdictions, we rely on the following legal bases to process your personal data:

• Performance of a contract – e.g. where processing is necessary to provide the services you sign up for.
• Legitimate interests – e.g. to operate, secure, and improve the community, communicate with you about relevant content, and prevent misuse, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent – e.g. for sending marketing emails or using certain non-essential cookies, where required by law.
• Legal obligations – e.g. where we must keep certain records for tax, compliance, or regulatory reasons.

You can withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent (this does not affect processing prior to withdrawal).

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6. How We Share Your Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data.

We may share your data in the following situations:

6.1 With Other Members

• Your profile information, posts, and comments may be visible to other members and visitors, depending on your settings and the platform design.
• If you post jobs or apply for roles, relevant information you choose to provide will be visible to other users involved in that process (e.g. employers, job seekers).

Please be mindful that any information you choose to make public in the community can be seen, copied, or shared by others.

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6.2 With Service Providers

We may use third-party providers to help us run the community and website, for example:

• Website hosting and infrastructure providers
• Email delivery and newsletter tools
• Analytics providers
• Customer support and ticketing tools
• Payment providers (if we later introduce paid features)

These providers are only allowed to process your data on our behalf, under our instructions, and must protect it appropriately.

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6.3 With Employers / Recruiters

If you use the Career Hub to apply for jobs or express interest, we may:

• Share your application details and relevant profile information with the employer or recruiter who posted that role
• Allow employers/recruiters to contact you using the details you provided for job-related purposes

We are not responsible for how employers/recruiters independently handle your data once they receive it. They act as independent data controllers and should provide their own privacy notices.

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6.4 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if we believe it is reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes
• Respond to lawful requests from government authorities
• Enforce our terms, community guidelines, or agreements
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of HFP Net, our members, or the public

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6.5 Business Transfers

If we undergo a reorganisation, merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will ensure that the receiving party is bound by similar privacy obligations.

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7. International Data Transfers

Because this is a global community, your data may be stored or processed in countries outside your own, including countries that may have different data protection laws.

Where required by law (e.g. under GDPR), we will take appropriate measures to ensure your personal data is protected, such as:

• Using Standard Contractual Clauses or similar contractual safeguards
• Working with providers in jurisdictions that provide an adequate level of protection
• Implementing technical and organisational measures to secure the data

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8. Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Enable basic site functionality (e.g. login, session management)
• Remember your preferences (e.g. language, cookie choices)
• Analyse site usage and performance (e.g. Google Analytics or similar tools)
• Improve content relevance and user experience

Types of cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies – required for the site to function and cannot be switched off.
• Performance/analytics cookies – help us understand how visitors use the site.
• Functionality cookies – remember your settings and preferences.
• Marketing cookies (if used in the future) – help track effectiveness of campaigns and content.

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies. You can manage your preferences via:

• Our cookie banner or settings, where provided
• Your browser settings (blocking or deleting cookies)

Please note: disabling certain cookies may impact your experience on the site.

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9. Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including:

• As long as you have an active account
• For the duration needed to provide you services and operate the community
• For as long as needed to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements

When we no longer need your data:

• We will delete or anonymise it, or
• Where deletion is not possible (for technical or legal reasons), we will securely store and isolate it from further use.

You may request deletion of your account or certain data (see Section 10), but please note:

• Some content (e.g. posts, comments) may remain in anonymised or aggregated form
• We may need to retain some records for legal or audit reasons

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10. Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances (e.g. when it’s no longer needed, or if you withdraw consent).
• Restriction: Ask us to restrict processing of your data in certain cases.
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (where technically feasible and legally applicable).
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent: Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:
privacy@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com

We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the time period required by applicable law.

If you are in the EEA, UK, or similar jurisdiction, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

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11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, such as:

• Secure hosting environments
• Encryption where appropriate (e.g. passwords, some data in transit)
• Access controls and role-based access for staff/admins
• Regular monitoring of systems and logs

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to minimise risks.

You can help by:

• Using a strong, unique password
• Keeping your login details confidential
• Logging out after using shared devices
• Informing us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account

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12. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not intended for children under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them.

If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent or legal basis, we will take steps to delete it.

If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at privacy@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com.

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13. Third-Party Websites & Links

Our website and community may contain links to third-party websites, tools, or services (e.g. LinkedIn, job boards, training providers).

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

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14. Your Responsibilities as a Member

As part of this professional community, you also have responsibilities:

• Do not upload or share personal data about others without their consent or a clear lawful basis.
• Do not share confidential or proprietary information belonging to your employer, colleagues, guests, or third parties without permission.
• Respect other members’ privacy and follow our Community Guidelines.

Violations may lead to content removal, account suspension, or other actions as described in our Terms and Community Guidelines.

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15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in our services or features
• Legal or regulatory developments
• Feedback from the community

When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the “Last updated” date at the top
• Notify you through the website, email, or other reasonable means

Continued use of our services after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

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16. How to Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:

Hospitality Finance Network
Email: privacy@hospitalityfinancenetwork.com

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