SHVANA PRIVACY POLICY
1. Introduction
At Shvana Services ("Shvana", "we", "us", or "our"), we understand the importance of your privacy and the trust you place in us. We are committed to protecting your personal information and ensuring its responsible use in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (DPDPA).
This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you access and interact with our website (https://shvana.in/) or mobile application (collectively, "Shvana Platform" or "Shvana App"). This Policy applies to all users of the Shvana Platform and our services ("Shvana Services").
We believe transparency is crucial in building trust. This Policy is designed to provide you with clear and concise information about our data practices. We encourage you to read this Policy carefully so you understand how we handle your personal information.
1.1 Our Commitment to the DPDPA
The DPDPA is a comprehensive law designed to safeguard the privacy of individuals in India. We are committed to complying with all relevant provisions of the DPDPA and ensuring your personal information is processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
1.2 Your Rights Under the DPDPA
The DPDPA grants you several important rights regarding your personal information. These rights include:
- Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of your personal information that we hold.
- Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccuracies in your personal information.
- Right to Erasure: Under certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we erase your personal information.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information.
- Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
2. Definitions
To ensure clarity and transparency, this Policy defines some key terms:
- Personal Information (PI): Any data that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. This can include a wide range of information, such as your name, address, email address, phone number, pet information, IP address, and usage data collected through cookies. In addition, we may collect your location data.
- Data Processing: Any operation or set of operations performed on personal information, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.
- Data Controller: The natural or legal person that determines the purposes and means of processing personal information. In the context of this Policy, Shvana is the Data Controller.
- DPDPA: The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022.
By understanding these definitions, you can better comprehend how we handle your personal information throughout your interactions with the Shvana Platform and Services.
3. Personal Information We Collect
The information we collect depends on your interactions with us. Here are some examples:
Contact Information:
- Name (First and Last)
- Billing Address (Street address, city, state, postal code)
- Shipping Address (if different from billing address) (Street address, city, state, postal code)
- Email Address (primary)
- Phone Number (primary)
- Secondary Phone Number (optional)
Login Credentials:
- Username: Create a unique username for logging in to your account.
- Password
Pet Information:
- Pet Name
- Species
- Breed
- Microchip Number (optional)
- Date of Birth (optional)
- Sex (optional)
- Neutered/Spayed Status (optional)
Financial Information:
To use certain features of our Services, you may be required to provide financial information, such as:
- Payment methods: We accept various payment methods to facilitate transactions on our platform. This may include credit cards, debit cards, and alternative payment options depending on your location and service availability.
- Billing Information: When you make a purchase, we may collect your billing address and other relevant information to process the transaction.
We understand the sensitivity of your financial data. We use industry-standard security measures to protect this information. Here's how we safeguard your financial information:
- Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Encryption: We encrypt your financial information during transmission using SSL technology. This helps prevent unauthorized access during the transfer of data.
- Compliance with PCI Standards: We adhere to PCI (Payment Card Industry) Data Security Standards to ensure the secure handling of cardholder information.
- Third-Party Payment Processors: For certain transactions, we may utilize reputable third-party payment processors. These processors are required to maintain your financial information according to strict security standards.
We do not store your full credit card details, passwords, or CVV numbers on our servers.
Direct Marketing Communications:
We strive to keep you informed about Shvana's services, special offers, and relevant pet-related updates. With your consent, we may use your contact information to send you:
- Promotional emails: These emails might contain information about new features, upcoming events, special offers, or valuable pet care tips.
- Marketing updates: We may send occasional updates about Shvana's growth, partnerships, or service improvements.
- Newsletters: Our newsletters could feature curated pet care articles, industry insights, or exclusive Shvana content.
We prioritize respecting your preferences. You can choose whether to receive these communications at any time. Here's how to manage your marketing communication preferences:
- Subscription options: During account creation and within your profile settings, you'll find options to opt-in or opt-out of receiving marketing communications.
- Unsubscribe links: Every marketing email we send will include a clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe link. Clicking this link will automatically remove you from the mailing list for that specific communication type.
Web Analytics, Metrics, and Beacons:
We utilize web analytics tools to understand how users interact with our platform and services. This information helps us improve the overall user experience and optimize the functionality of Shvana.
Here's a breakdown of how we collect and use this data:
- Information Collected: When you visit our platform, we may collect data such as:
- IP Address: This helps us identify your general location and understand user demographics.
- Access Time and Referring URL: This provides insights into user behavior and traffic sources.
- User Activity: We track actions taken on the platform, such as pages visited, features used, and search terms entered.
- Technical Information: We collect details about your browser and operating system for compatibility purposes.
- Purpose of Collection: This data is crucial for:
- Performance Evaluation: We analyze user interactions to assess the effectiveness of the platform and identify areas for improvement.
- Usage Trends: Understanding user behavior helps us tailor features and content to user needs.
- Platform Optimization: We use this information to improve navigation, accessibility, and overall user experience.
- Data Anonymization: We prioritize user privacy. The data we collect is anonymized and used in aggregate, meaning it cannot be linked to any individual user.
- Web Analytics Tools: We may utilize web analytics services like Google Analytics to gather and analyze user behavior data. We adhere to the data privacy practices and terms of service of these third-party providers.
- Web Beacons: Our platform pages may include web beacons (small, invisible images). These work with cookies to track user activity on the platform and generate anonymized usage statistics.
- Email Tracking: In some emails, we may use web beacons to determine if the email has been opened and if links have been clicked. This helps us gauge the effectiveness of our email marketing efforts.
5. Lawfulness, Transparency, Fairness, Integrity, and Confidentiality
At Shvana, we are committed to processing your personal information in a way that is lawful, transparent, fair, protects its integrity and confidentiality, and upholds your privacy rights. Here’s how we achieve these principles:
- Lawfulness: We only collect and process your personal information for legitimate purposes as outlined in this Privacy Policy and with your consent, where applicable. We comply with all relevant data privacy regulations, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (DPDPA).
- Transparency: We are transparent about what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it. This Privacy Policy provides clear and concise information about our data practices. We will not use your personal information for any purpose that is not disclosed in this Policy.
- Fairness: We strive to be fair in our data collection and processing practices. We only collect personal information that is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes outlined in this Policy. We will not discriminate against you based on your personal information.
- Integrity and Confidentiality: We take robust security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We maintain the accuracy and completeness of your data through appropriate safeguards. We ensure that your information is processed in a way that maintains its integrity and confidentiality.
6. Purpose Limitation
Shvana collects and uses your personal information only for the specific purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy and with your consent where required. We are committed to the principle of purpose limitation, which means we will only process your data for the reasons we collected it and disclosed to you. Here’s a breakdown of this principle:
- Transparency in Data Collection: We will always be clear about the purpose(s) for which we collect your personal information at the point of collection. This could be through our registration forms, service pages, or within the Shvana application.
- Limited Data Collection: We strive to collect only the personal information that is necessary to fulfill the specific purposes outlined in this Policy. We will not collect excessive or irrelevant data.
- Data Use Restrictions: Your personal information will be used only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless you provide explicit consent for an additional purpose.
- Data Retention Limits: We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes outlined in this Policy or to comply with legal requirements. Once the purpose is fulfilled or the retention period expires, we will take steps to securely delete or anonymize your data.
Here are some examples of how we use your personal information for specific purposes:
- Account Management: To create and manage your Shvana account, process payments, and provide customer support.
- Pet Care Services: To facilitate pet-related services you book through our platform, such as appointments, medication reminders, and pet insurance claims.
- Personalized Experience: To tailor features, content, and recommendations to your interests and pet needs.
- Marketing Communications: To send you promotional emails and updates with your consent (you can opt-out at any time).
7. Data Minimization
At Shvana, we prioritize the principle of data minimization. This means we collect and process only the personal information that is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. We avoid collecting excessive or irrelevant data about you.
Implementation of Data Minimization
- Need-based Collection: We carefully assess what information is truly necessary to deliver our services and functionalities. We won't ask for data that doesn't serve a specific purpose.
- Default Settings: We configure our platform and services to collect minimal data by default. You can choose to provide additional information, but we won't require it unless it's essential for a particular feature.
- Regular Review: We regularly review the data we collect to ensure it remains relevant and limited to our stated purposes. We will remove any data that is no longer necessary.
Examples of Data Minimization in Practice
- Optional Profile Information: In your account profile, certain details like date of birth or location are optional. You can choose to provide them for a more personalized experience, but they are not mandatory.
- Pet Information: We allow you to specify which details about your pet you want to share. Adding a microchip number is optional, while basic information like name and breed is necessary for pet care services.
By minimizing the data we collect, we reduce the risk of privacy breaches and ensure your personal information is not used for purposes beyond what you expect.
Data Restriction
Shvana respects your right to restrict the processing of your personal information. This clause outlines your options for limiting how we use your data:
Right to Restriction
Under the DPDPA, you have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information. This means we can store your data but not use it further for the purposes it was originally collected.
Scenarios for Data Restriction
- Accuracy Concerns: If you believe the information we hold about you is inaccurate, you can request restriction while we verify and correct the data.
- Unlawful Processing: If you believe our processing of your information is unlawful, you can request restriction instead of erasure.
- No Longer Needed: If you believe we no longer need your personal information for the purposes outlined in this Policy, you can request restriction instead of erasure.
How to Request Data Restriction
If you wish to restrict the processing of your personal information, you can contact us using the details provided below in the "Contact Us" section. We will review your request and respond in a timely manner.
Important Note: Restricting the processing of your personal information may limit your ability to use certain features of our platform or services. We will inform you of any potential limitations before processing your request.
8. Frequency of Data Transfer
Shvana understands that you may be concerned about how often your personal information is transferred. This clause explains our approach to data transfers:
Data Transfers for Service Delivery
- We may transfer your personal information to third-party service providers who assist us in delivering Shvana services. These providers may be located in different jurisdictions.
- We will only transfer your data to providers who offer adequate safeguards for your personal information and comply with applicable data privacy regulations.
- We outline these third-party providers and the purposes for data transfer in our contracts with them.
Frequency of Transfers
- The frequency of data transfers depends on the specific service being provided.
- In some cases, data may be transferred in real-time to facilitate features like appointment scheduling or online consultations.
- For other purposes, such as data analysis or marketing campaigns, transfers may occur periodically or at set intervals.
Security Measures for Data Transfers
We take security measures to protect your personal information during transfers. These measures include:
- Using secure data transfer protocols like HTTPS.
- Encrypting your personal information before transfer.
- Implementing strict contractual obligations with third-party service providers to ensure they protect your data.
International Data Transfers
- In some instances, your personal information may be transferred to countries with data protection laws that differ from your own.
- When transferring data internationally, we comply with applicable legal requirements, such as standard contractual clauses approved by regulators.
- We will only transfer your data to countries where we are confident that adequate safeguards are in place to protect your privacy rights.
Your Right to Information
You have the right to be informed about any international transfers of your personal information. You can contact us for more information about the safeguards we implement for international data transfers (details provided below in the "Contact Us" section).
9. Data Retention
Shvana is committed to retaining your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy and comply with legal requirements. We follow the principle of data minimization, meaning we won't retain your data for longer than it's needed.
How we determine data retention periods:
- Purpose-based Retention: We retain your information for as long as it's necessary to achieve the specific purpose for which it was collected. For example, we may retain your account information while your Shvana account is active.
- Legal Requirements: In some cases, we may be required by law to retain your information for a specific period. This could include financial records or data related to legal disputes.
- Business Needs: We may also retain some limited personal information to fulfill essential business needs, such as fraud prevention or maintaining backups. However, this data will be anonymized or pseudonymized whenever possible.
Your Right to Erasure
Under the DPDPA, you have the right to request that we erase your personal information. We will comply with your request within a reasonable timeframe, unless there's a legal obligation to retain the data.
10. Data Breach Notification
Shvana is committed to protecting your personal information. We implement appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of your data. However, in the unfortunate event of a data breach, we will take swift action to protect your privacy and comply with all applicable legal requirements, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (DPDPA).
Actions in case of a data breach:
- Identify and Contain the Breach: We will promptly investigate any suspected data breaches and take steps to contain the issue and prevent further damage.
- Assess the Risk: We will evaluate the nature and scope of the breach to determine the potential impact on affected individuals.
- Notify Affected Individuals: We will notify you without undue delay, and where feasible, not later than 42 hours after we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms (such as discrimination, identity theft, financial loss, or damage to your reputation). Our notification will:
- Describe the nature of the data breach.
- Explain the types of personal information affected.
- Outline the steps we are taking to address the breach.
- Provide recommendations on how to protect yourself (if applicable).
Transparency and Communication
We understand that data breaches can be concerning. We are committed to communicating openly and transparently with you in the event of a breach. We will provide you with clear and concise information about the incident and the steps we are taking to address it.
Continuous Improvement
We are constantly reviewing and improving our security practices to minimize the risk of data breaches.
11. Public Authority Access Request
Shvana respects your privacy and is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (DPDPA). This clause outlines our approach to handling requests from public authorities for your personal information:
Legal Requirements
- We may be required to disclose your personal information to public authorities, such as law enforcement agencies, upon receipt of a lawful request. This could occur in situations where the information is necessary for:
- Preventing or investigating a crime
- Enforcing a law or regulation
- Protecting national security
Authorized Requests
- We will only disclose your personal information to public authorities if the request is:
- Made in writing
- Issued by a competent authority with lawful justification
- Specific and limited in scope
User Notification
- Whenever possible, we will strive to notify you about a request from a public authority for your personal information, unless doing so would:
- Hinder the investigation
- Endanger the safety of an individual
- Violate the law
Legal Challenges
We may challenge overly broad or illegitimate requests from public authorities to protect your privacy rights.
12. Organisational and Technical Measures, Anonymity, and Pseudonyms
Shvana is committed to protecting your personal information through a combination of organizational and technical security measures. Here's how we safeguard your data:
Organizational Measures
- Data Governance: We have established clear data governance policies and procedures to ensure data privacy is prioritized throughout our organization.
- Employee Training: Our employees are regularly trained on data privacy best practices to handle your information responsibly.
- Vendor Management: We carefully select and monitor third-party service providers who process your data to ensure they maintain adequate security standards.
Technical Measures
- Encryption: We use industry-standard encryption methods to protect your personal information both in transit and at rest.
- Access Controls: We implement access controls to restrict access to your information to authorized personnel only.
- Security Monitoring: We continuously monitor our systems for security threats and vulnerabilities.
- Incident Response: We have a comprehensive incident response plan in place to address any data security breaches promptly.
13. Security Measures and Limitations
Shvana is committed to protecting your personal information. We implement industry-standard security measures to safeguard your data throughout its lifecycle, from collection to storage and transmission. Here's an overview of our approach:
- Secure Storage: We store your data on secure servers that are protected by firewalls and other access control measures.
- Regular Security Assessments: We conduct regular security assessments to identify and address potential vulnerabilities in our systems.
Transmission Limitations:
The internet is not inherently secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of any information transmitted electronically. While we strive to protect your data, it's important to acknowledge these limitations:
- Open Network Risks: Data transmitted over open networks like the internet may be subject to interception by unauthorized third parties.
- Potential for Data Loss: There is always a possibility of data loss during transmission due to technical issues beyond our control.
Your Role in Security:
We encourage you to practice safe online habits to protect your personal information. This includes using strong passwords and being cautious about the information you share online.
Transparency and Accountability:
We are transparent about the limitations of online security and take our data security responsibilities seriously. The DPDPA grants you the right to hold us accountable for the security of your personal information. In the event of a data breach, we will take prompt action to mitigate the risks and notify you as required by law.
If You Have Concerns:
If you have any questions or concerns about our security practices, please don't hesitate to contact us using the details provided below in the "Contact Us" section.
Anonymity and Pseudonyms:
We acknowledge your right to anonymity or pseudonymity in certain situations. As outlined in the DPDPA, you have the option of not identifying yourself or using a pseudonym when dealing with us in relation to privacy matters unless:
- We are required by law or a court order to verify your identity.
- It is impractical for us to address your privacy request if you remain anonymous (e.g., responding to a request to rectify inaccurate personal information).
14. External Site Links
Our platform may contain links to websites or resources operated by third parties ("External Sites"). These External Sites may offer products, services, or information that is independent of Shvana.
Important Note:
- This Privacy Policy only applies to the Shvana platform and does not extend to any External Sites.
- When you click on a link to an External Site, you are leaving our platform and entering a website governed by a separate privacy policy and terms of service. We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of service of any External Site you visit.
Disclaimer:
- Shvana is not responsible for the content, information, or activities of any External Sites linked to our platform.
- We do not endorse or sponsor any External Site, nor do we guarantee the accuracy, relevance, completeness, suitability, or appropriateness of the information on those sites.
- To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any damages or losses arising from your use of any External Site.
Protecting Your Privacy: We understand the importance of protecting your privacy. By clearly outlining our limitations regarding External Sites, we ensure you are aware that different privacy practices may apply once you navigate away from the Shvana platform.
15. Data Deletion and Data Deletion Requests
Shvana respects your right to control your personal information. This clause outlines how you can request the deletion of your data and how we handle such requests:
Right to Erasure:
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (DPDPA), you have the right to request that we erase your personal information. We will comply with your request within a reasonable timeframe, unless there's a legal obligation to retain the data. Here are some examples where we may need to retain your information:
- Fulfill legal requirements: We may be required by law to retain certain data for a specific period, such as financial records or data related to legal disputes.
- Resolve unresolved issues: If your request is linked to an unresolved customer service issue or dispute, we may need to retain your information until the issue is addressed.
- Maintain security backups: We may retain anonymized or pseudonymized data in secure backups for disaster recovery purposes and to enforce our terms of service.
Submitting a Data Deletion Request:
To request the deletion of your personal information, you can contact us using the details provided below in the "Contact Us" section. Your request should clearly state your desire for data erasure and ideally include specific details about the information you wish to be deleted.
Processing Your Request:
- Verify your identity: We may take steps to verify your identity before processing your request to ensure data security.
- Assess the request: We will review your request and determine if there are any legal or contractual grounds to retain your information.
- Communicate our decision: We will inform you of our decision within a reasonable time frame, typically within one month of receiving your request.
- Execute the deletion: If your request is approved, we will take steps to securely delete your personal information from our systems and those of our third-party service providers.
16. Children's Privacy
Shvana is committed to protecting the privacy of children. We understand the importance of safeguarding the personal information of young users, and we comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 (DPDPA) regarding children's data.
- We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under 18. Our platform and services are designed for users who are at least 18 years old.
- If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us. We will take steps to investigate and delete the information from our systems if necessary.
Additional Points to Consider:
- Parental Consent: For users under the age of 18 (or the relevant age of consent in your jurisdiction), we will require verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing any personal information.
- Limited Data Collection: If we do inadvertently collect personal information from a child, we will only collect the minimum amount of information necessary to fulfill a specific purpose and with verifiable parental consent.
- Transparency and Parental Access: We will provide clear and concise information about our data practices in a way that is understandable to children and parents. Parents have the right to access, rectify, erase, or restrict the processing of their child's personal information.
- Stronger Security Measures: We will implement additional security measures to protect the personal information of children.
17. Cookie Policy
Shvana uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience on our platform and deliver our services effectively. This policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and your options for managing your cookie preferences.
What are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device (computer, phone, tablet) when you visit a website. They store information about your visit and activity, allowing the website to recognize you and personalize your experience.
Types of Cookies We Use
Shvana utilizes various cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and deliver our services effectively. Here's a breakdown of the specific types of cookies we use and their purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies:
- Session Cookies: These temporary cookies are created when you visit our platform and expire when you close your browser.
- Authentication Cookies: These cookies allow us to verify your identity and securely maintain your logged-in status.
Performance Cookies:
- Website Traffic Analytics: Cookies from third-party analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) help us understand user behavior and optimize our platform.
- A/B Testing Cookies: We may use cookies to conduct A/B testing of different website features or content variations.
Functionality Cookies:
- User Preferences Cookies: These cookies store your preferred settings to personalize your experience.
- Site Personalization Cookies: Based on your browsing activity, these cookies may personalize the content you see on our platform.
Targeting or Advertising Cookies:
- Interest-Based Advertising Cookies: Third-party cookies track your browsing activity across websites to deliver targeted advertising.
- Social Media Cookies: Cookies from social media features may track interactions and link to your social media profile.
Third-Party Cookies:
We may allow third-party advertisers and analytics providers to place cookies on our platform. These cookies collect data for their own purposes, and we do not control them.
Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have control over how cookies are used on your device. Most web browsers allow you to:
- Block cookies
- Delete cookies
- Manage cookie preferences
Please Note: This list is not exhaustive, and we may use additional cookies or tracking technologies in the future. We strive to update this policy accordingly.
18. Changes to This Privacy Policy
Shvana reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable laws, or features of our platform. We will notify you of any material changes to this Privacy Policy by posting the revised Policy on our platform and, where appropriate, sending you an email notification.
Handling Changes:
- Posting of Revised Policy: We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.
- Email Notification: For significant changes impacting your privacy rights, we will strive to notify you by email.
- Your Consent: By continuing to use our platform after the revised Privacy Policy is posted, you agree to the updated terms.
We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed about our data practices.
Your Right to Know:
We are committed to transparency and will keep you informed of any changes to our Privacy Policy. This clause outlines the process for notification and your right to review the updated policy.
What does this Privacy Policy cover?
Except as provided herein, this Privacy Policy covers only our data practices for information that we gather from your access or your use of the Services. With the exception of the specific practices noted in the Supplemental Privacy Notice to Indian Residents (found at the end of this Privacy Policy), it does not apply to the practices of other companies or people that we do not own or control.
19. Will Shvana ever change this Privacy Policy?
We are constantly improving our services and must also comply with changing laws and regulations, so we may need to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will alert you if there are any material changes by placing a notice on the shvana.com site, by sending you an email, via the Services, and/or by other means. Please note that if you’ve opted not to receive legal notice emails from us (or you haven't provided us with your email address), those legal notices will still govern your use of the Services, and you are still responsible for reading and understanding them. By using or otherwise accessing the Services after any changes to the Privacy Policy have been posted, you are effectively agreeing to all of the changes.
20. What Information does Shvana Collect?
We obtain information from you through the means discussed below when we provide the Services to you and when you use the Services. Please note that we need certain types of information to provide the Services to you. If you do not provide us with the required information, or if you ask us to delete that information, you may no longer be able to access or use certain Services.
21. Additional Information You Provide to Us:
We may collect information that you provide directly to us through the following methods:
- When you use our Services, e.g., when you register for an account, request a service from a Service Provider, or communicate with a Service Seeker looking for services from a Service Provider;
- When you participate in surveys or fill out forms;
- When you register for promotions;
- When you request customer support and/or technical assistance; and
- When you otherwise communicate with us or other users, including Service Providers or Service Seekers, through the Services.
The information you provide directly to us may concern you or others and may include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Identifiers and Contact Information: We may collect identifiers and other contact information from you, such as your name, email address, phone number, and address. With your consent, you may also grant us access to your mobile device’s address book, through which we would collect and store on our servers all of your contacts and their contact information. We use your contact information to help you find friends and other contacts who are Shvana users, and to facilitate you inviting friends and other contacts to use Shvana.
- Service Information: For example, we may collect information regarding the services you are seeking or providing, such as descriptions, availability, and qualifications.
- Financial Information: In your use of the Services, you may provide us or our service providers with financial information such as financial account or credit card account information.
- Location Information: We may collect general location information (e.g., inferred from your IP address) or specific location information (i.e., geolocation with your consent). For example, we may request geolocation information of Service Providers when they are providing services for Service Seekers.
- Communications: We may collect communications you make through the Services, such as when you communicate with us or other users. For example, Service Seekers may communicate with Service Providers through tools offered on the Services, or you may communicate with our customer success team or other members of the Shvana team through email, text message, or telephone. If you send text messages with a Service Seeker or Service Provider using the telephone number for that user available on the Services, we may use a third-party service provider to track these text messages. We track these text messages for fraud prevention, to enforce our Terms, and for quality and training purposes. As part of this process, Shvana and its service provider will receive in real time and store data about your text message, including the date and time of the text message, your phone number, and the content of the text message.
22. Information From Affiliates, Business Partners, and Other Non-Affiliated Third Parties
We may collect information about you or others through our affiliates, business partners, or through other non-affiliated third parties. For example, to the extent permitted by law, we may, in our sole discretion, ask for and collect supplemental information about you from third parties. Examples of this include information to verify your identity for fraud prevention, for safety protection purposes, or information that enhances our ability to market products or services that may be of interest to you. We may also work with business partners to integrate our services into their services (and/or vice versa). Where you choose to use such integrated services, we may receive information about you as part of that integration. We may combine information that we collect from you through the Services with information that we obtain from such third parties and information derived from other products or services we provide.
You may be able to access the Services through a social networking account, such as Facebook. If you access the Services through your Facebook account, you may allow us to access certain information within your Facebook account including, but not limited to, your name, profile picture, gender, networks, user IDs, list of friends, location, date of birth, email address, photos, videos, people you follow and/or who follow you, and/or your posts or "likes."
Social networking sites, such as Facebook, have their own policies for handling your information. For a description of how these sites may use and disclose your information, including any information you allow the public to access on their platforms, please consult each site’s privacy policies. We have no control over how any third-party site uses or discloses the personal information it collects about you.
23. Information Collected Automatically
Device and Usage Information: Whenever you interact with our Services, we and our third-party service providers, which include ad networks and analytics companies such as Google Analytics, may use cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies to collect information about the computers or devices (including mobile devices) you use to access the Services. The information collected includes, without limitation, your IP address, device identifier, “cookie” information, the type of browser and/or device you use to access our Services, and the page or feature you requested.
Cookies and Other Electronic Technologies: We and our third-party service providers may use cookies, clear GIFs, pixel tags, and other technologies that help us better understand user behavior, personalize preferences, perform research and analytics, and improve the Services. These technologies, for example, may allow us to tailor the Services to your needs, save your password in password-protected areas, track the pages you visit, help us manage content, and compile statistics about usage of our Services. We or our third-party service providers also may use certain of these technologies in emails to our customers to help us track email response rates, identify when our emails are viewed, and track whether our emails are forwarded.
We may also use local shared objects (also known as "Flash cookies") to assist in delivering special content, such as video clips or animation. Flash cookies are stored on your device, but they are not managed through your web browser. To learn more about how to manage Flash cookies, you can visit the Adobe website and make changes at the Global Privacy Settings Panel.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but your browser may allow you to modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you disable cookies, you may be prevented from taking full advantage of the Services, because they may not function properly. Flash cookies operate differently than browser cookies, and cookie management tools available in a web browser may not affect Flash cookies. As we continue to update our current products and develop new technologies, we may also gather additional information through other methods.
24. How Does Shvana Use Your Information?
We use your information for Business and Commercial purposes only, such as:
- To provide you with the Services, including to register you for an account and process transactions;
- To respond to your questions or inquiries, including to provide customer support and troubleshooting assistance;
- To communicate with you, including to send you emails about products and services that may interest you;
- To facilitate matching you with other users based on your requests for specific services;
- To manage and remember your preferences and personalize the Services;
- To analyze and improve the Services or any other products and services we provide;
- To suggest products and services that may interest you;
- To administer surveys, sweepstakes, promotions, or contests;
- To verify your identity;
- To comply with our legal obligations or as permitted by law;
- To protect the safety and/or integrity of our users, employees, third parties, members of the public, and/or our Services;
- To prevent fraud and enforce our legal terms; and
- To administer and troubleshoot the Services.
We may combine information that we collect from you through the Services with information that we obtain from user.
25. Contact Us
Shvana is committed to providing exceptional customer service and addressing any questions or concerns you may have about your privacy or our data practices. We encourage you to contact us if you need any assistance.
We appreciate your feedback! Your questions and concerns help us improve our privacy practices and better serve our users.