Privacy Policy

Who we are

Lokem is a WhatsApp-based staffing assistant operated in Western Australia (“Lokem”, “we”, “us”). It helps employers fill shifts and helps workers find them, entirely through WhatsApp conversations. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

What we collect

• Contact details — your phone number (your WhatsApp identity) and the name you provide.
• Professional details you tell us — for example whether you hold a current professional registration or licence, your experience level, and answers to shift screening questions. These are self-reported and recorded as such.
• Messages — the content of your WhatsApp conversations with the Lokem number, so the assistant can respond and keep a record of applications, offers, and confirmations.
• Job and booking data — shifts posted, applications made, offers, confirmations, cancellations, and completion outcomes.

We collect this information directly from you through your messages. We do not buy data about you or collect it from social media.

How we use it

• Operating the service: structuring job posts, screening and matching applicants, and sending service notifications (offers, confirmations, reminders) via WhatsApp.
• Keeping a reliable record of who applied, who was confirmed, and whether shifts went ahead — this record is a core part of the service for both sides.
• Service quality, safety, and preventing misuse (for example detecting fake postings).
• Aggregated, de-identified statistics about how the service performs.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use your data for third-party advertising.

What other users see

Employers reviewing applicants see a shortened form of your name (for example “Sarah M.”) and your screening answers — not your phone number. If you are confirmed for a shift, your full name and phone number are shared with that employer so you can coordinate, and the employer’s details are shared with you. In peer communities, the shift poster and the member who takes the shift are introduced to each other the same way.

Service providers

We use a small number of processors to run the service:

• Meta (WhatsApp Business Platform) — message delivery. Your use of WhatsApp itself is also governed by WhatsApp’s own privacy policy.
• Supabase — our database hosting.
• Vercel — application hosting.
• OpenAI — job descriptions are processed by an AI model to structure them into shift details. This content is processed via API and is not used to train OpenAI’s models.

Some of these providers store or process data outside Australia (primarily in the United States). We take reasonable steps to ensure they handle it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Retention and deletion

• Message content is retained for up to 180 days, then deleted automatically.
• Records of jobs, applications, and bookings are kept while your account is active, as they form the working history the service provides.
• Workers can delete their data at any time by messaging DELETE MY DATA to the Lokem number. This anonymises your profile and removes your message content. You can also contact us using the details below.

Access and correction

Message PROFILE to the Lokem number at any time to see and update what we hold about you, or contact us for a copy of your information. If something is wrong, we will correct it.

Security

Data is encrypted in transit, stored with access controls, and accessible only to those who need it to operate the service. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, and unauthorised access.

Age

Lokem is a workforce tool and is not intended for anyone under 18.

Contact and complaints

Questions, requests, or complaints: email privacy@lokem.com.au. We will respond within a reasonable time. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).

Changes

We may update this policy as the service evolves. The latest version will always be at this address, with the date above.