Privacy Policy

About this policy

By creating an account or using the HelpBridge app, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the application.

This policy applies to the HelpBridge mobile application available for Android. It is governed by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) of India.

Information we collect

Information you provide directly:

• Account information: Your name, mobile phone number, email address (optional), and profile photo (optional).
• Location information: The city and area you set for your profile and when posting tasks. We do not continuously track your GPS location.
• Posts and requests: The title, description, category, budget, and urgency level of tasks you post on the platform.
• Messages: Chat messages you exchange with other community members through the in-app messaging system.
• Ratings and reviews: Feedback you provide about other users after completing an interaction.

Information collected automatically:

• Device information: Device type, operating system version, and app version for diagnostics and compatibility.
• Usage data: Actions within the app (e.g. screens viewed, features used) to improve the product. This data is aggregated and not linked to your identity.
• Push notification token: A device token generated by Firebase Cloud Messaging to send you notifications. This is never shared with third parties.

We do not collect payment information. Any pricing or budget amounts entered are informational only and no payment processing occurs within the app.

How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your HelpBridge account.
• Display your posts to other users in your selected city or area.
• Enable communication between users through in-app chat.
• Send push notifications about responses to your posts and messages.
• Maintain ratings and reputation data to build community trust.
• Improve app features, fix bugs, and optimise performance.
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our community guidelines.
• Comply with applicable laws and legal obligations.

We do not use your data for advertising, sell it to marketers, or build advertising profiles.

Information sharing and disclosure

HelpBridge does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share information only in the following circumstances:

• With other users: Your display name, city, and any posts you create are visible to other users in your area. Your phone number and email address are never displayed publicly.
• With service providers: We use Google Firebase (Firestore, Authentication, Cloud Messaging) to operate the platform. These services process data on our behalf under their own privacy policies.
• Legal compliance: If required by law, court order, or government authority, we may disclose your information to the extent required.
• Safety: If we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person's safety, we may share relevant information with appropriate authorities.

Third-party services

HelpBridge uses the following third-party services that may process your personal data:

• Google Firebase Authentication: Handles phone number verification via OTP and email/password sign-in. Your phone number is processed by Google to send a one-time passcode.
  Firebase Privacy Policy →
• Google Firestore: Our database, hosted on Google Cloud in the asia-south1 (Mumbai) region. All user data, posts, and messages are stored here.
  Google Cloud Privacy Notice →
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM): Used to send push notifications to your device. FCM does not read the content of your notifications.

All Firebase services are operated by Google LLC and are subject to Google's standard data processing terms, including the EU Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

Data storage and security

Your data is stored on Google Firebase Firestore in the asia-south1 (Mumbai, India) region, keeping data within India as far as technically possible.

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• Firebase Security Rules to restrict data access to authorised users only.
• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit.
• Phone number OTP verification to prevent unauthorised account access.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. Specifically:

• Account data (name, phone, city) is retained until you delete your account.
• Posts and requests are retained until you delete them or your account is closed.
• Chat messages are retained to maintain conversation continuity. You may delete conversations from the app.
• Ratings and reviews may be retained in anonymised form for community trust metrics even after account deletion.

To request deletion of your account and all associated data, contact us at anupdaskgp4@gmail.com. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.

Your rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) of India, you have the following rights as a data principal:

• Right to access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data and account.
• Right to grievance redressal: Raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see Section 12).
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for data processing at any time. Note that withdrawal may affect your ability to use the app.
• Right to nominate: Nominate a person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at anupdaskgp4@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Push notifications and location

Push notifications: HelpBridge requests permission to send push notifications to alert you of responses, messages, and activity on your posts. You can disable notifications at any time through your device's settings. Disabling notifications will not affect your ability to use the app.

Location: HelpBridge may request access to your device location to automatically detect your city and area. This is used only to set your profile location and display relevant nearby posts. We do not continuously track or record your GPS coordinates. You can set your location manually without granting location permission.

Children's privacy

HelpBridge is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18 years. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we become aware that a minor has created an account, we will promptly delete the account and associated data.

If you believe a minor has registered on our platform, please contact us immediately at anupdaskgp4@gmail.com.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy.
• Send an in-app notification or push notification to active users.

Continued use of the application after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Grievance officer

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the details of our Grievance Officer are provided below:

You may also escalate unresolved complaints to the Data Protection Board of India once it is constituted under the DPDP Act, 2023.

Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal data, please reach out to us:

• Email: anupdaskgp4@gmail.com
• App: HelpBridge for Android

We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly and transparently.