PALATELOCAL

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Our Privacy Philosophy

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how Palatelocal, a venture of Palatelocal Technologies Private Limited (“we”, “us”, or “our”), collects, processes, discloses, and retains your information via our online platform, website [www.palatelocal.com], and app (collectively, the “Platform”). The Platform facilitates home-cooked meal experiences between hosts and guests. This Policy is issued in compliance with applicable Indian laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Please read this Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices. By accessing or using our Platform, you agree to accept all the terms contained in this Policy and acknowledge and agree with the practices described herein. If you do not agree with the terms of this Policy, please do not access and use our Platform.

Information We Collect:

We believe in privacy by design and hence only collect necessary data/information you for the stated purposes as set forth herein. We collect information to provide you with our services, improve it from time to time, to communicate with you and for other matters connected therewith. The information we collect from you can be broadly categorized as follows:

1. Information You Provide to Us:

a. Account Information:
When you sign up for a Palatelocal account, we require certain personal information, such as your first name, last name, email address, mobile number, emergency contact number, address, copy of identity document, date of birth, and other identifying information.

b. Profile and Listing Information:
To use certain features of the Platform (like hosting or booking), we may ask you to provide additional information, which would include your:

  • Address, places you propose to visit, profile picture.

  • For Hosts: details about your meal offering (meal type, dietary categorization, number of guests, etc.), price range.

  • For Guests: dietary preferences, allergies, price range, details about your family/others who will be visiting with you

  • Other information to enable us to curate our services to you.

c. Identity Verification Information:
To help create and maintain a trusted environment, we may collect identity verification information (such as images of your government-issued ID, passport, national ID card, or driving license, as permitted by applicable laws) or other authentication information to ensure user identity for security and trust purposes.

d. Payment Information:
We collect your payment information (like bank account or credit card details) when you use the payment services to process payments and payouts. We use third-party payment processors and do not store your full credit card or bank account details. However, such information may be stored by the payment gateway service providers that we have engaged to process payments on our behalf.

e. Communications with Palatelocal and other Users:
When you communicate with Palatelocal or use the Platform to communicate with other users (hosts or guests), we collect information about your communication and any information you choose to provide. Any information you share on the Platform, including reviews, photos attached to reviews, etc. will be publicly available. Palatelocal reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to review, remove, delete, or hide any content that it determines to be offensive, inappropriate, profane, or otherwise in violation of applicable laws or Platform policies. Users may contact the Platform to report such content, and the final determination regarding the nature of the content shall rest exclusively with Palatelocal.

f. User-Generated Content:
We collect information that you submit when you write reviews, upload photos of experiences, provide ratings, or post other content on the Platform. This information will be publicly visible, Palatelocal may, at its sole discretion, review, remove, delete, or hide any content it considers offensive, inappropriate, profane, or in violation of applicable laws or Platform policies. Users may report such content to the Platform, and Palatelocal’s decision shall be final.

g. How We Automatically Collect Information:

  • Geo-location Information: When you use certain features of our Platform, we may collect information about your precise or approximate location as determined through data such as your IP address or your mobile device’s GPS to offer you an improved user experience.

  • Usage Information: We collect information about your interactions with the Platform, such as the pages or content you view, your searches for listings, bookings you have made, and other actions on the Platform.

  • Device and Log Data: We automatically collect log data and device information when you access and use the Platform. That information includes, among other things, details about how you’ve used the Platform, IP address, access dates and times, hardware and software information, device information, and unique device identifiers.

h. Cookies and Similar Technologies:
We use cookies and other similar technologies. Cookies are anonymous, unique alphanumeric identifiers sent from our website and stored in your web browser and/ or local device while you are browsing. With the use of these cookies, we collect information such as your browser type and version, operating system, and the content you viewed or searched on the Platform and other related information.

i. Information We Collect from Third Parties:

  • Background Information: To the extent permitted by applicable laws, we may obtain reports related to the users from public records of criminal/ civil convictions, and to verify identity or address. We may use your information, including your full name and date of birth, to obtain such reports. By using the Platform and providing your personal data, you expressly consent to Palatelocal conducting such background verification checks, as and when required.

  • Third-Party Services: If you link, connect, or log in to your Palatelocal account with a third-party service (e.g., Google, Facebook), the third-party service may send us information such as your registration, friends list, and profile information from that service.

2. How We Use the Information We Collect:

We use, store, and process information about you primarily to provide the services through the Platform, improve your user experience, and to comply with our legal obligations.

a. Provide, Improve, and Develop the Platform:
We use your information to enable you to access and use the Platform, facilitate communication between hosts and guests, process payments, and provide the services. We also use certain information to enhance service features, improve the functionality of the Platform, and personalize your experience.

b. Create and Maintain a Trusted and Safer Environment:
The information we collect is critical for ensuring the safety and security of our community. We use it to:

  • Detect and prevent fraud, spam, abuse, security incidents, and other harmful activities.
  • Conduct security investigations and risk assessments.
  • Verify or authenticate information provided by you.
  • Conduct checks against databases and other information sources, including background or police checks.
  • Comply with legal obligations.
  • Resolve any disputes with any of our users/hosts/guests and enforce our agreements with third parties.
  • Enforce our Terms of Service and other policies.

c. Communication and Marketing:
We use your personal information to send you service-related communication, such as booking confirmations, remainders, and notifications regarding our services and your account and bookings. We may also contact you with the promotional messages, marketing, advertising, and other information that may be of interest to you based on your preferences. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in our marketing communications. The preferred mode of communication is through an email.

3. Disclosure of your Information:

We do not sell, trade, rent, or otherwise transfer your personal information to others, except as described in this Policy.

a. Sharing between hosts and guests:
To provide our services, we will share your information with other users. For example, when a booking is confirmed, we will share the guest’s name and other details with the host, and we will share the host’s address and contact information with the guests.

b. Service Providers:
We share information with third-party vendors, consultants, and other service providers who perform services on our behalf, including payment processing (as further described in Clause 4 below), data analytics, identity verification, background checks, and hosting services. These providers have access to your personal information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

c. Aggregated Data:
We may also share aggregated information (information about our users that we combine so that it no longer identifies or references an individual user) and other anonymized information for industry and market analysis, demographic profiling, marketing and advertising, and other business purposes.

d. Legal and Regulatory Compliance:
We reserve the right to disclose your personal information (i) to comply with applicable law, regulatory requirements, any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory requests, (ii) to enforce or apply our Terms of Service and other agreements, (iii) if we believe it is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Palatelocal, our users, or others, and (iv) for the purposes of fraud protection, credit risk reduction, prevention of crime and other similar purposes.

e. Business Transfers:
If Palatelocal undertakes or is involved in any merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or insolvency event, then we may sell, transfer, or share some of or all your information in connection with such transaction, including prior to completing the transaction, (e.g., due diligence).

f. International Data Transfers:
To facilitate global operations, we may transfer, store, and process your information to entities based outside of your home country. When we transfer your information outside of your country, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data.

4. Third-Party Service Providers:

a. Without prejudice to Clause 3(b), the Platform uses the services of payment gateway service providers for the provision of payment related services, which are provided by independent third parties, unaffiliated to us. The terms of their service are specified by them, and we have no responsibility or liability in relation to their services. When you make payments or receive payouts through our Platform, we collect certain payment information such as your name, billing address, and transaction details. All payments are processed securely by established third-party payment processors (such as Razorpay or Stripe). We do not store or have access to your full credit card or bank account details; these are handled directly by the payment providers in accordance with their own privacy policies.

b. The Platform may include links to third-party websites or services. You acknowledge that these sites and services are operated by third parties which are not controlled by, affiliated with, or associated with us unless explicitly stated. We do not endorse or make any representations regarding the privacy practices, policies, or terms of use of these third-party entities. Any information you provide to these third-party sites will be governed by their respective privacy policies.

5. Security Procedures:

a. We are committed to protecting your privacy and continuously implement and update administrative, technical, and physical security measures to safeguard your information against unauthorized access, loss, destruction, or alteration. The personal information of each user is stored on servers that are behind a firewall and housed within secure data centers. We also collaborate with established service providers who adhere to industry-standard security practices to ensure the ongoing protection of your data.

b. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot ensure and do not warrant the absolute security of any information you transmit to us. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on our Platform. While we have taken reasonable steps to prevent internet fraud and ensure any data collected from you is stored securely and safely in accordance with applicable law, we cannot rule out nor be held liable in the unlikely event of a breach resulting in hacking or other malicious forms of data access/theft etc.

c. Any data breaches and/or security lapses you may identify on the usage of the Platform, may be reported by email to the Grievance Officer as provided below. In the event of a data breach likely to cause harm, we will notify affected users and the relevant authorities within a reasonable time, in accordance with applicable law.

6. Rights of the User:

a. Data Retention:
We generally retain your personal information for as long as is necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us and to comply with our legal obligations. If you no longer want us to use your information to provide the Platform to you, you can request that we erase your personal information and close your Palatelocal account. Please note that if you request erasure of your personal information, we may retain some of your information for a period of 3 (Three) years from the last date of your transaction on the Platform, or longer, as necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as fraud detection and prevention and enhancing safety, and to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., for tax, legal reporting, and auditing obligations).

b. Consent Withdrawal:
You can withdraw your consent for storing and/or processing of your information at any time by changing your account settings or by sending a communication to us specifying the consent you are withdrawing. Upon such a withdrawal, in some cases, and depending on the extent to which you have withdrawn your consent, you may no longer be able to access or avail services offered through the Platform.

c. Access or Deletion of Information:
In accordance with applicable law, you have the right to access your information or request the deletion of your information from our systems.

d. Rectification of Information:
You have the right to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information concerning you (and which you cannot update yourself within your Palatelocal account).

e. Grievance Redressal Mechanism:
You have the right to a grievance redressal provided by us in respect of any act or omission by us regarding the performance of our obligations in relation to your information.

To exercise any of the above-mentioned rights or seek further details on the process, you are encouraged to contact us using the details provided below.

7. Children’s Privacy:

The Platform is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information.

8. Modification:

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes to our Policy will be posted on this page so that you are always aware of our policies. If we make material changes, we will notify you either by posting the changed Policy on the Platform or by sending an email to you. Your continued use of the Platform constitutes your consent to such modifications.

9. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution:

This Policy shall be governed by and constructed in accordance with the laws of India. The courts in Bengaluru shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any disputes arising in relation to, or under this Policy.

10. Contact:

Please contact the below for all matters relating to this Privacy Policy:

Name: Hari Dutharulu
Designation: Director
Email: admin@palatelocal.com