Privacy Policy for “Loccal”

BITDEGREE ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application, Loccal (the "Platform"). Please read this policy carefully. By using the Platform, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

2. Collection of Your Information

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect on the Platform includes:

a. Personal Data

Personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register with the Platform, such as your:

Name
Email address
Phone number
Physical address (for service delivery)

b. Financial Data

Customers: We do not collect or store any Customer payment card details. All payment information is provided by you directly to our third-party payment processor, Paddle.

Experts: For the purpose of processing payouts, we may ask you to provide bank account and identity verification information. This information is not stored by us, but is transmitted directly and securely to our payment processor, Paddle, for the sole purpose of creating your payout account. We only store a safe, non-sensitive reference token provided by Paddle.

We are not responsible for the safety of your financial information. We strongly recommend you review Paddle's privacy policy and contact them directly for responses to your questions.

c. Data from Your Device & Usage

Information our application and its partners automatically collect when you access the Platform, such as:

Device Information: Your mobile device’s unique device ID, model, operating system, and IP address.
Push Notification Token: A unique token (Firebase Cloud Messaging Token) used solely for the purpose of sending you push notifications related to your account and bookings.
Geo-Location Information: With your permission, we may request and track location-based information from your mobile device. This is used to assist you in entering service addresses and to help us determine service availability. You may change our access to this information in your device’s settings at any time.
Application Analytics: We collect anonymized data about your interactions with the Platform, such as the features you use, the pages you view, and the dates and times of your visits. This helps us understand usage patterns and improve the app.

d. Information Provided by Other Users

Reviews: If you are an Expert, Customers may write reviews about you and the service you provided. This content is collected and may be displayed publicly on your profile.

3. Use of Your Information

Having accurate information about you permits us to provide you with a smooth, efficient, and customized experience. Specifically, we may use information collected about you via the Platform to:

Create and manage your account.
Facilitate Bookings by connecting Customers with Experts.
Process payments and payouts via our third-party payment processor.
Display an Expert's public profile to potential Customers.
Email you regarding your account or bookings.
Send you push notifications regarding activity on your account, such as booking status changes.
Monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve your experience with the Platform.
Resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations. Your information may be disclosed as follows:

a. By Law or to Protect Rights:

We may share your information as permitted or required by any applicable law, rule, or regulation, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others.

b. Third-Party Service Providers:

We share your information with third parties that perform services for us or on our behalf. These include:

Payment Processors (Paddle): To securely process payments and payouts.
Backend & Cloud Services (Google Firebase): For database hosting, authentication, and cloud functions.

c. To Other Users on the Platform:

For Customers: To facilitate a Booking, we will share your first name and the service address you provide with the Expert you have selected.

For Experts: Your public profile information, including your name, average rating, and number of completed jobs, is visible to all users of the Platform. When a Booking is made, we will share your contact information with the Customer.

5. Security of Your Information

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information. While we have taken reasonable steps to secure the personal information you provide to us, please be aware that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse.

6. Policy for Children

We do not knowingly solicit information from or market to children under the age of 13. If you become aware of any data we have collected from children under age 13, please contact us using the contact information provided below.

7. Your Privacy Rights

You may at any time review or change the information in your account or terminate your account by logging into your account settings and updating your account or by contacting us using the contact information provided below.

Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, some information may be retained in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our Terms of Service and/or comply with legal requirements.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons.

9. Your Canadian Privacy Rights

Our practices are designed to comply with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). If you are a resident of Canada, you have certain rights regarding your personal information. These rights include the Right to Access the personal information we hold about you and the Right to Correction for any inaccurate information. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

10. International Data Transfers

Our company is based in India and our primary technology partner (Google Firebase) may store and process your data in various locations around the world. As such, your information may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of your state, province, or country where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the Platform, you consent to this transfer.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

BITDEGREE
Gujarat,
India
support@bitdegree.cloud