Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Ride Helper ("we", "us", "our") is a sole proprietorship based in Thiruvarur District, Tamil Nadu, India, and is the data fiduciary for the personal information described in this policy. We respect your privacy and are committed to handling your personal data in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under them, as well as other applicable Indian law.

This policy applies to the Ride Helper Android application and to this website, ridehelper.shop. By using either, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the application or this website.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you give us

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Licence and activation data: your licence key, the date it was issued and activated, the plan purchased, and a device identifier used solely to prevent one key being shared across many devices.
• Technical and diagnostic data: app version, Android version, device model, language preference, crash reports and error logs. This helps us fix bugs and confirm that a feature works on your handset.
• Transaction data: the payment reference/ID, the amount, the plan, the date and the status returned by our payment processor. We receive this from Razorpay — we never see your raw payment credentials.
• Basic website data: standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages requested, date and time) recorded automatically by our web host for security and reliability.

2.3 Information you store in the app

The earnings, trip, fuel, expense and incentive figures you type into Ride Helper are your own business records. They are stored locally on your device and are not uploaded to our servers. We cannot see them and we do not collect, aggregate, analyse or monetise them.

3. Information We Do NOT Collect

To be completely clear, Ride Helper does not collect, request or store:

• your card number, CVV, expiry date, UPI PIN, netbanking username or password, or any other payment credential;
• your live GPS location, location history or trip routes;
• your contacts, SMS, call log, photo gallery or camera images;
• Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, bank account or any KYC document (we do not perform KYC — that is done by our payment processor if required by law);
• data from any ride-hailing platform's driver app, since Ride Helper does not connect to any such platform;
• information for the purpose of selling it, renting it, or serving you third-party advertising.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data only for the following specific purposes:

1. Fulfilment: to process your payment, issue and activate your licence key, and deliver your receipt or invoice.
2. Support: to respond to your enquiries, complaints, technical issues and refund requests.
3. Service operation: to verify a licence, prevent key sharing and fraud, diagnose crashes and maintain app stability.
4. Product improvement: to understand, in aggregate and non-identifiable form, which features are used so we can improve the app.
5. Legal and regulatory compliance: to maintain transaction records as required by Indian tax and accounting law, and to respond to lawful requests from competent authorities.
6. Service communication: to inform you about renewal dates, material changes to these terms, or security issues affecting your account.

We will not use your email address or phone number for marketing unless you have separately and clearly opted in, and every such message will contain an unsubscribe option that we honour immediately.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following grounds:

• Consent — given when you submit an enquiry or opt in to updates. You may withdraw consent at any time by emailing us.
• Performance of a contract — necessary to deliver the licence you purchased and provide paid support.
• Legitimate interest — preventing fraud and licence abuse, maintaining service security, and improving product quality, always balanced against your rights.
• Legal obligation — retaining transaction records for the period required under Indian law.

6. How We Share Information

We do not sell, trade, rent or lease your personal information to anyone. We share it only with the following limited categories of recipients, and only to the extent necessary:

• Payment processor — Razorpay Software Private Limited. To complete your payment. Razorpay processes card, UPI, netbanking and wallet data under its own privacy policy and PCI-DSS obligations. We receive only the payment status and reference.
• Website and email hosting providers. To keep this website online and to deliver transactional emails. These providers act as our data processors under confidentiality obligations.
• Professional advisers. Our chartered accountant or auditor, for statutory accounting and tax purposes.
• Law enforcement and regulators. Only where we are legally compelled by a valid order under Indian law.
• Business transfer. If the business is sold or merged, customer records may transfer to the successor, who will remain bound by this policy.

We do not share your data with advertisers, data brokers or marketing companies.

7. Payment Data and Security

All payment operations are handled by Razorpay, an RBI-authorised payment aggregator, over an encrypted TLS connection. Card, UPI and netbanking credentials are entered directly into Razorpay's secure checkout and are never routed through, visible to, or stored on our servers or this website. We are not PCI-DSS scope for cardholder data because we do not handle it.

Razorpay may perform its own KYC/risk checks as required under RBI directions. Those checks are governed by Razorpay's privacy policy, available on its website.

8. Data Storage and Retention

• Your app records: stored only on your device, retained until you delete them or uninstall the app. We hold no copy.
• Purchase and licence records: retained for a minimum of 8 years from the end of the relevant financial year, as required for accounting and tax records in India.
• Support correspondence: retained for 3 years after the last message, so we can assist with later disputes or warranty questions.
• Website server logs: retained for up to 90 days, then automatically deleted.
• Failed or abandoned checkouts: not retained by us beyond the reference passed to the payment processor.

When a retention period ends, data is deleted or irreversibly anonymised. You may request earlier deletion as described in section 11.

9. Security Measures

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

• TLS/HTTPS encryption for this website and all data in transit;
• access restricted to the proprietor and named support staff, on a need-to-know basis;
• strong authentication on all administrative and email accounts;
• no storage of payment credentials at any point;
• regular review of the app's dependencies and our hosting configuration for known vulnerabilities;
• local, on-device storage of your records, which reduces exposure to any network breach.

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to affect you, we will notify the Data Protection Board of India and the affected users without undue delay, as required by applicable law.

10. App Permissions

Ride Helper requests the minimum permissions needed for it to function:

Ride Helper does not request location, contacts, SMS, call log, camera, microphone or accessibility permissions. Any permission can be revoked at any time in your Android settings; revoking an optional permission may disable the related feature but will not stop the app working.

11. Your Rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
• Erasure — have your data deleted, subject to records we must retain by law (see section 8).
• Withdraw consent — at any time, with the same ease as it was given.
• Grievance redressal — complain to our Grievance Officer (section 16), and if unresolved, to the Data Protection Board of India.
• Nominate — nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity.

To exercise any right, email support@ridehelper.shop with the subject line "Privacy Request" and include the email address used for your purchase so we can verify your identity. We will acknowledge within 48 working hours and respond substantively within 30 days. There is no charge for these requests unless they are manifestly unfounded or excessive.

12. Children

Our service is intended for adults aged 18 and above who are working drivers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children, and we do not perform behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising directed at children. If you believe a child has provided us personal data, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

13. Website Tracking and Cookies

This website is a static site. It does not use advertising cookies, third-party ad networks, cross-site tracking pixels or behavioural profiling. Only strictly necessary technical storage may be used (for example, remembering whether you opened the mobile menu), and no personal profile is built from it.

Our web host may record standard server logs (IP address, user agent, page requested, timestamp) for security and abuse prevention. These are retained for up to 90 days and are not used to identify individual visitors.

When you proceed to checkout, you leave our website and enter Razorpay's secure environment; Razorpay's own cookie and privacy practices then apply.

14. Cross-Border Data Transfer

Your personal data is stored and processed in India. Where a service provider (such as a hosting or email platform) processes data outside India, we ensure the transfer is to a jurisdiction permitted under applicable Indian law and is subject to appropriate contractual safeguards. Your statutory rights under Indian law are unaffected.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. Any update will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. For material changes we will also notify registered users by email at least 7 days in advance. Your continued use of the application or website after the effective date means you accept the updated policy.

16. Grievance Officer and Contact

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, our Grievance Officer is:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Data Protection Board of India, or pursue any other remedy available to you under Indian law.