Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Rent As Buddy is operated by ARR RENTASBUDDY NOVA PRIVATE LIMITED, registered in Samastipur, Bihar, India ("we", "us"). We act as a Data Fiduciary under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act). This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, how we share it, and your rights. By using the Platform you consent to this policy.

2. Information We Collect

• Account: username, email, date of birth (to confirm you are 18+).
• Profile: name, bio, city/location, gender, interests, activities offered, photos, availability.
• Verification (Buddies): government ID details processed for KYC via our verification partner (Surepass). We store the verification status/result — not your OTP.
• Payments: processed by our payment gateway (Razorpay). We do not store full card/bank credentials; we keep transaction references and amounts.
• Payout (Buddies): bank account / UPI details you provide to receive earnings.
• Usage & safety: bookings, in-app messages, reports/blocks, emergency contact, and basic technical logs (e.g. IP, device/browser type).

We do not collect appearance- or ethnicity-based attributes — Rent As Buddy is a platonic companionship service, not a dating service.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Operate the service: discovery, bookings, chat, payments and payouts.
• Verify identity and enforce our platonic, public-place safety rules.
• Prevent fraud and abuse, respond to reports, and keep the platform safe.
• Send service and account communications; marketing emails only with the ability to opt out.
• Comply with legal obligations and resolve disputes.

4. Sharing & Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We share limited data with trusted processors strictly to run the service — Razorpay (payments), Surepass (KYC), Railway (hosting), and an email provider — under appropriate safeguards. Your public profile (name, city, photo, reviews) is visible to other users so bookings can happen. We may disclose data where required by law or to protect users' safety, and in a merger/acquisition under equivalent protections.

5. Cookies & Analytics

We use essential cookies for login/session security and may use privacy-respecting analytics to understand and improve usage. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling some may affect functionality.

6. Where Your Data Is Processed

Our hosting provider currently operates in the United States, so your data may be processed and stored outside India. Where personal data is transferred across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards as permitted under the DPDP Act. (If we relocate hosting to an India region, we will update this section.)

7. Security, Breach & Retention

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures (encryption in transit, access controls) to protect your data, and limit access to staff who need it. No internet service is perfectly secure. If a personal-data breach is likely to cause significant harm, we will notify the affected users and the Data Protection Board as required, and aim to act within 72 hours of becoming aware. We retain data only as long as needed for the purposes above or as required by law, then delete or anonymise it.

8. Your Rights & Choices

Subject to the DPDP Act, you may:

• access and obtain a copy of your personal data;
• correct or update inaccurate data (much of it editable in your profile);
• request erasure of your data when no longer needed;
• withdraw consent and nominate a representative;
• opt out of marketing emails at any time.

To exercise any of these, email support@rentasbuddy.com (or our Grievance Officer below). We may verify your identity before acting.

9. Children

The Service is for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn we have, we will delete it.

10. Grievance Officer & Contact

As required by India's IT Rules, 2021 and the DPDP Act:
Grievance / Data Protection Officer: [Insert officer's name]
Email: grievance@rentasbuddy.com
General support: support@rentasbuddy.com
Entity: ARR RENTASBUDDY NOVA PRIVATE LIMITED, Samastipur, Bihar, India.