Privacy Policy
Effective date: November 2, 2026
DesiDots (“we”, “us”) runs the DesiDots app and website at www.desidots.com (the “Service”). This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. It applies to customers and to visitors of our website. Sellers (Vendors) are also covered by their own agreement. Questions or requests: privacy@desidots.com.
1. What we collect
Information you give us
| Category | Examples | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account identifiers | Name, email address and profile photo from your Google account (we never see your Google password) | To create and secure your account |
| Contact details | Phone number | To deliver orders and contact you about them |
| Profile details you choose to add | Gender, date of birth, community | To personalise events and offers. You can leave these out |
| Delivery addresses | Name, phone, street, city, state, ZIP code, delivery notes | To deliver your orders and show stores and events near you |
| Orders and tickets | What you bought, from which store, amounts, status, shipping and tracking details, cancellations and refunds | To run your orders and keep records |
| Parcel details from the seller | The carrier, tracking number, photos of the packed parcel and a note the seller adds when they ship your order | To show you where your order is and to keep proof that it was packed and shipped |
| Reviews and problem reports | Ratings and comments; reports about a problem with an order (which order, what went wrong) and the photos or screenshots you add | To show reviews, solve problems with orders and fix bugs. Reports and their photos are seen by DesiDots only |
| Contact form and emails | Your name, email address, optional order number and message | To answer you. The website form sends your message to our support mailbox |
| Business and professional listings | Business or professional name, phone, email, website, social handle, area served, photos and description of providers listed in our directories (for example photographers, wedding vendors, lawyers and tax professionals) | To show the directory. We list a provider only with their agreement or from details they or their business made public, and we show it only so that you can contact them. See section 6A |
| Seller information (Vendors only) | Business details, tax and identity details needed for payouts (for example EIN, PAN, GSTIN, import-export code) and bank details | To verify and pay sellers. Full bank account numbers are stored separately with extra protection |
Collected automatically: if you send a bug report and keep “include device info” on, your app version, phone model, operating system, screen size and language (never passwords or login tokens); notification messages we create for your orders and payments (and whether you read them); if you allow push notifications, a private address for your phone (a push token) so we can send them; and technical information needed to keep you signed in and keep the Service secure (such as a session token). You can turn notifications off in the app or in your phone’s settings.
What we do not collect: your card number (Stripe collects it on its own secure page); your phone’s GPS location (the app uses only the addresses you enter); advertising identifiers; and we use no third-party advertising or analytics trackers. The website sets no cookies.
2. How we use it
- To create your account, show stores and events, and take, deliver, cancel and refund your orders.
- To process payments, refunds and seller payouts.
- To send you messages about your orders, payments, refunds and, if you allow, new events in your city.
- To prevent fraud, enforce our Terms and keep the Service secure.
- To meet legal, tax and accounting duties, and to answer support requests.
- To improve the Service, using information in a way that does not identify you where we can.
3. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
| Who | What and why |
|---|---|
| The Vendor you order from | The items ordered and your delivery name, address, phone number and delivery notes, so they can ship your order. Not your email or payment details. Vendors may use it only to fulfil your order and to deal with problems with it. |
| Carriers and customs | The Vendor gives your delivery name, address and phone number to the carrier that delivers your parcel. For parcels from India these details, and a description of the contents, may also be given to customs authorities to clear the parcel. |
| Stripe (payments) | Payment details you enter on Stripe’s page, your email and the order amount, to take payments and make refunds. Stripe’s own privacy policy applies. |
| Supabase (hosting and database) | Stores the data described in this policy for us. |
| Zoho (email) | Handles the email sent to and from our support and privacy mailboxes, including messages from the website contact form. |
| Vercel (website hosting) | Hosts www.desidots.com and runs the contact form. |
| Meta (WhatsApp) | For sellers who choose it: the seller’s WhatsApp number and the order number and store name in the alert we send about a new order. |
| Sign-in. | |
| Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging) | Delivers push notifications to your phone. It receives your phone’s push token and the notification text. |
| Geoapify | The address text you type, to suggest and check addresses. |
| Carriers and tracking pages | When you open a tracking link you go to the carrier’s (or 17TRACK’s) website. They have their own policies. |
| Our advisers | Accountants and lawyers, under confidentiality. |
| Authorities and others, where required | If the law requires it, to respond to legal process, to protect rights, safety and property, or in a sale or reorganisation of the business (the buyer must honour this policy). |
We may share de-identified information that cannot reasonably be linked to you.
4. How long we keep it
- Account information: until you delete your account (section 7).
- Orders, payments and refunds: 7 years after the order, as tax, accounting and dispute rules require. When you delete your account these records are kept without your name, phone number or street address (only the city and state remain) and are no longer linked to you.
- Reviews: deleted with your account.
- Support screenshots, problem reports and profile photos: deleted with your account. The order itself is kept as described above.
- Parcel photos and tracking details added by sellers are kept with the order record.
- Seller records: while the seller account is active and for as long as tax and legal rules require afterwards.
- Backups may keep deleted data for a short time before it is overwritten.
5. Security
Data travels over encrypted connections. Access is limited by account and role: customers can see only their own data, and Vendors only the orders placed with them (never your email address, payment details or other orders). Sensitive seller bank details are stored apart from other data, and every time an administrator views a full account number it is logged. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects you, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.
6. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live (for example California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas and other states), you may have the right to:
- know what personal information we collect, use and disclose, and access a copy;
- correct inaccurate information;
- delete your information (with the exceptions in section 4);
- opt out of sale or sharing for advertising: we do neither, so there is nothing to opt out of;
- not be discriminated against for using your rights.
How to use them. Change your profile and addresses yourself in the app (Profile). To use any other right, email privacy@desidots.com from your account email, or use the in-app deletion option. We may ask for details to confirm it is you. We reply within 45 days; if we need more time we will tell you. If we refuse a request you may appeal by replying to our email within 60 days, and we will answer in writing. You may use an authorised agent with your written permission. We do not charge for requests unless they are clearly excessive.
Notifications. You can turn notifications off in Profile. We will still send messages needed for your orders and account.
California. In the last 12 months we have collected the categories listed in section 1 (identifiers, contact and address details, commercial records of purchases, profile details you add, and content you send us) for the purposes in section 2, and disclosed them to the recipients in section 3. We have not sold or shared personal information for advertising. We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information beyond your account login and, if you enter it, a date of birth and gender; we use it only to personalise events and offers. We do not respond to “Do Not Track” signals because we do not track you across sites.
6A. Directory listings (providers and professionals)
Our directories show details of independent businesses and people. We do not sell this information and we do not add listed providers to marketing lists. If you are listed and want your details corrected or removed, email privacy@desidots.com from the address or phone number shown in the listing and we will change or remove it within 30 days. Listing does not mean we have checked a provider’s registration, licence or insurance; see the Terms, section 1.
7. Deleting your account
In the app: Profile, then “Delete my account”. Your account locks immediately and you are signed out everywhere. It is deleted for good after 30 days, and you can keep it by signing in again before then. You cannot delete while an order is on its way or a refund is still being paid. Details: Delete your account. You can also email privacy@desidots.com.
8. Children
The Service is for people 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you think a child has given us information, email privacy@desidots.com and we will delete it.
9. Where data is processed
Our service providers may process data in the United States and other countries. For orders from India, your delivery name, address and phone number are shared with the seller in India so they can ship to you.
10. Other sites
The Service links to carrier pages and other websites we do not control. Their privacy practices are their own.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The effective date at the top shows the latest version. For important changes we will tell you in the app or by email before they take effect.
12. Contact
Email: privacy@desidots.com.
Customer support: https://www.desidots.com/contact/.