Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how EcoBite India Pvt. Ltd. ("EcoBite," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you use our website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the "Services"). By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us, as well as information generated through your use of our Services:

• Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and delivery address.
• Order Information: Details of meals you order, delivery preferences, dietary restrictions, and transaction history.
• Payment Information: Payment method details processed securely through our third-party payment partners (Razorpay, Stripe). We do not store full credit/debit card numbers.
• Location Data: With your consent, we collect your device's location to show nearby deals and optimize delivery routes.
• Usage Data: Browsing patterns, search queries, pages visited, device information, IP address, and interaction timestamps.
• Communication Data: Messages sent through our customer support chat, feedback forms, and email correspondence.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Processing and fulfilling your food rescue orders, including delivery coordination
• Personalizing your experience by showing relevant deals based on your location, preferences, and order history
• Communicating with you about orders, promotions, and platform updates
• Improving our Services through analytics, machine learning models for surplus prediction, and user research
• Ensuring platform safety, preventing fraud, and enforcing our terms of service
• Measuring and reporting our environmental impact (aggregated, anonymized data only)
• Complying with legal obligations under applicable Indian law

3. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Partner Hotels: We share your order details and delivery information with the hotel preparing your meal, limited to what's necessary to fulfill your order.
• Delivery Partners: Delivery personnel receive your name, phone number, and delivery address solely for order fulfillment.
• Payment Processors: Transaction details are shared with our PCI-DSS compliant payment partners for secure payment processing.
• Service Providers: We work with trusted third parties for cloud hosting (AWS), analytics (Mixpanel), email communications (SendGrid), and customer support (Freshdesk).
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect the rights and safety of EcoBite, our users, or the public.

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience:

• Essential Cookies: Required for core functionality — authentication, session management, and security.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our platform, enabling improvements to user experience.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings, such as preferred city, dietary filters, and language.
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness. You can opt out of these at any time.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may limit some features of our Services.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

• AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit
• Regular security audits and penetration testing by certified third-party firms
• Strict access controls with role-based permissions for our team
• PCI-DSS compliant payment processing through certified partners
• Automated monitoring for suspicious activity and unauthorized access attempts

While we take extensive measures to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication on your account.

6. Your Rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and applicable regulations, you have the following rights:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for data processing at any time, though this may affect your ability to use certain features.
• Right to Grievance Redressal: File a complaint with our Data Protection Officer or the Data Protection Board of India.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@ecobite.in. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our Services. Specifically:

• Account data is retained until you request account deletion
• Order history is retained for 3 years for compliance and dispute resolution
• Payment records are retained for 7 years as required by Indian tax regulations
• Usage analytics are retained in anonymized form indefinitely for research purposes

8. Changes to This Policy

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

• A prominent notice on our website and mobile application
• An email notification to the address associated with your account
• An in-app notification upon your next login

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our Services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Data Protection Officer: privacy@ecobite.in
• General Support: support@ecobite.in
• Phone: +91 1800-ECO-BITE
• Address: EcoBite India Pvt. Ltd., 4th Floor, Green Tower, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001, India