1. Information We Collect
Uferlook collects personal data to provide local discovery, merchant tools, live walk-in queues, and online appointment scheduling. We collect information in the following categories:
- Account Information: Name, email address, password hash, and optional profile avatar provided during user or merchant registration.
- Appointments & Live Queue Data: When you schedule an appointment or join a walk-in queue, we collect your name, phone number, requested service items, assigned staff preference, appointment time slot, and special notes. This information is required to reserve your slot and verify your arrival.
- Merchant & Storefront Details: Business name, mobile phone number, operating hours, physical storefront address, city, state, postal code, pricing cards, and photos submitted when creating or claiming a listing.
- Merchant Claim Verification Data: When an owner claims an existing listing, we collect identity verification details (such as official business registration, utility bills, or direct phone verification) to authenticate legitimate ownership.
- Device Location: Device IP geolocation or precise GPS coordinates (only when you explicitly grant browser permission) to display nearest listings and calculate walking or driving distances.
- Device & Network Telemetry: IP address, operating system, browser type, referring URLs, device identifiers, and network diagnostics collected automatically for platform security and rate-limiting.
- User Reviews & Content: Ratings, feedback comments, uploaded store photos, and bookmarks you publish to the community.
Payment Information: Any online deposits or service fees are processed entirely by our PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment partner (such as Razorpay). Uferlook does not collect, process, or store raw credit card numbers, debit card numbers, or CVVs on its servers.
2. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect to operate, protect, and enhance the Uferlook platform:
- Fulfilling Bookings & Queues: Connecting consumers directly with chosen merchants, coordinating appointment schedules, managing live walk-in waiting lines, and confirming table or chair availability.
- Transactional Communications: Sending phone OTP verification codes, booking confirmations, queue wait-time notifications, arrival alerts, and cancellation receipts via SMS and WhatsApp. We never use your phone number for unsolicited third-party marketing calls or promotional telemarketing.
- Hyper-Local Discovery: Calculating accurate distances, sorting neighborhood search results, and displaying interactive maps.
- Merchant Management: Providing business owners with analytics summaries, calendar synchronization, staff scheduling, and review management tools.
- Trust, Security & Fraud Prevention: Authenticating ownership claims, monitoring platform abuse, enforcing rate limits, and preventing fraudulent reviews.
- Legal Compliance: Meeting statutory accounting obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our Terms of Service.
3. Location Data & Geocoding
To provide high-fidelity local searches, Uferlook uses client-side geolocation and geocoding APIs. We access device coordinates when you search "Near me" or filter by neighborhood:
- Coordinates are held temporarily in browser memory (
localStorage and temporary session state) to prevent redundant server queries. - We do not record permanent historical movement logs or track user devices in the background.
- You can revoke location access at any time via your browser or device permissions. Revoking permission disables distance-based sorting but does not affect general browsing.
4. Cookies & Analytics
Uferlook uses cookies and browser storage technologies to maintain secure sessions and improve usability:
- Essential Cookies: Required for secure login authentication, CSRF protection, and session persistence.
- Functional Cookies: Remember your selected city, locality, and search filter preferences.
- Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics): Collect aggregated, non-personally identifiable traffic metrics, session duration, and user flows to help us optimize site performance.
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser preferences. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across the web, visit the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on.
5. Third-Party Integrations & Sub-processors
To deliver specialized features, Uferlook integrates with trusted third-party technology providers under strict data-protection agreements:
- Payment Gateways (Razorpay): Processes deposits and payments via tokenized, PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure.
- Google Calendar API Integration:Business owners may optionally connect their Google Calendar to prevent scheduling conflicts. Uferlook's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy:
- We strictly access calendar free/busy availability blocks to prevent double-booking.
- We do not read, store, sell, or disclose private event titles, descriptions, attendee lists, or personal calendar contents.
- Messaging Services (WhatsApp Cloud API / SMS Gateways): Transmit transactional booking alerts, queue updates, and OTP codes.
- Cloud Infrastructure (AWS S3 & Hosting): Encrypted object storage for merchant photos and platform assets.
- Monitoring & Telemetry (Sentry): Diagnoses application crashes and performance bugs with scrubbed, anonymized telemetry.
6. Information Sharing
Uferlook does not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third-party advertisers. We share information only in the following contexts:
- With Merchants: When you book an appointment or enter a queue, your name, contact phone number, and service selection are shared with the merchant to fulfill the service. Merchants act as independent data controllers for in-store service delivery.
- Public Contributions: Your published reviews, star ratings, and uploaded public store photos are visible to community searchers.
- Service Providers: Encrypted data is shared with our hosting, mapping, and payment partners strictly to deliver platform features.
- Legal Requirements: We will disclose information if mandated by a valid court order, government request, or applicable law in India to safeguard platform integrity or public safety.
- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset transfer, user data may be transferred subject to continuity of this privacy commitment.
7. Data Safety & Security
We implement robust technical and organizational security controls to protect your data:
- Full SSL/TLS cryptographic encryption for all data in transit.
- One-way salted password hashing (bcrypt) — plain text passwords are never stored.
- Database-level row security, masked identifiers, and encrypted secrets storage.
- Automated rate-limiting and IP throttling to prevent unauthorized brute-force attempts.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to serve the purpose for which it was collected:
- Account profile data is retained while your account remains active.
- Appointment and booking records are retained for historical audit, reconciliation, and merchant dispute resolution for up to 3 years.
- Technical logs and rate-limiting counters are rotated and purged within 30 to 90 days.
9. Your Rights & Choices
In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA 2023) and global data standards, you retain full rights over your data:
- Right to Access & Summary: Request an overview of personal information we process about you.
- Right to Correction: Update or correct outdated contact details, phone numbers, or listing hours.
- Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request the permanent deletion of your account and personal details.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke browser location permissions or opt out of non-essential communications at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@uferlook.com or submit a request via our Contact Page.
10. Children's Privacy
Uferlook is intended for general audiences and is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has registered an account or provided personal details without guardian consent, contact us immediately to facilitate prompt deletion.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may periodically update this Privacy Policy to reflect platform enhancements, new service features, or regulatory updates. When significant changes occur, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of Uferlook following policy updates signifies your acknowledgment of the revised terms.
12. Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023. Any disputes arising hereunder shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in India.
13. Grievance Officer & Contact Information
In compliance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the details of our designated Grievance Officer are provided below:
- Designation: Grievance Redressal Officer
- Entity: Uferlook Technologies
- Grievance Email: grievance@uferlook.com (or support@uferlook.com with subject line "Attn: Grievance Officer")
- Response Timeframe: We acknowledge data grievances within 48 hours and strive to resolve all complaints within 30 days from the date of receipt.
- General Inquiries: uferlook.com/contact
