Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 June 2025

This policy describes how Vechilo handles personal information when you create a business page, use our dashboard, browse Explore, or submit a WhatsApp inquiry on a published page.

Contact: contact@vechilo.in

Overview

Vechilo is a platform that lets local businesses create a mobile-friendly page with products, posts, business hours, and WhatsApp inquiries, and optionally appear in our public Explore directory. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share personal information when you use our platform and related services (the "Service").

We operate the Service for business owners ("Account holders") who create pages, and for visitors who browse public pages or submit inquiries. Some visitor information is also shared with the business that receives the inquiry.

Who is responsible for your data

Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (where it applies), Vechilo generally acts as a Data Fiduciary for platform account data, inquiry records stored in our systems, and analytics described in this policy.

When a visitor submits an inquiry on a business page, the business owner also receives and may process that visitor's name and phone number to respond on WhatsApp. The business owner is responsible for how they use, retain, and protect that information after it is shared with them.

Information we collect from account holders

When you register and use Vechilo, we may collect:

  • Account details: name, email address, and password (stored as a secure hash, not plain text).
  • Profile settings such as your preferred default WhatsApp message language.
  • Business profile data you enter: business name, page link (slug), category, WhatsApp number, description, address, opening hours, theme choices, products, posts, and logo or product images you upload.
  • Authentication data if you sign in with Google (name, email, profile image, and OAuth tokens stored to maintain your session).
  • Usage data related to your dashboard, such as page view counts and WhatsApp click analytics for your business pages.

Information we collect from visitors

When someone browses or interacts with a published business page, we may process:

Before submitting an inquiry, visitors are shown a notice and must confirm consent that their name and mobile number may be stored by Vechilo and shared with the business to handle the inquiry.

  • Inquiry details: visitor name and Indian mobile number when they use the inquiry flow before opening WhatsApp.
  • Browser data: user-agent string submitted with inquiries and some WhatsApp click events.
  • Local storage on the visitor's device: name and phone may be saved in the browser (localStorage) so returning visitors can inquire faster. Visitors can clear this in browser settings.
  • Page view counts: we increment aggregate view counters for business pages. Our page-view endpoint does not store visitor IP addresses in the application database.
  • WhatsApp click analytics: event type, business page, optional product or post reference, and optional visitor name or phone if already known.

How we use information

We use personal information to:

  • Create and manage your account and business pages.
  • Display published business information on public pages and in Explore.
  • Route inquiries to the correct business and open WhatsApp with a pre-filled message.
  • Show business owners inquiry and WhatsApp click history in their dashboard.
  • Operate, secure, and improve the Service, including rate-limiting abuse.
  • Comply with law and enforce our Terms of Service.

How we share information

We do not sell personal information. We share data only as needed to run the Service:

  • With business owners: visitor inquiry details are visible in the business dashboard.
  • With WhatsApp / Meta: when a user taps to message a business, they leave Vechilo and communicate through WhatsApp under WhatsApp's own terms and privacy policy.
  • With Google: if you choose Google sign-in, Google processes your login according to Google's policies.
  • With cloud providers: uploaded images are stored in Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3. Objects are stored under paths that include your user ID and upload folder.
  • With infrastructure providers that host our application and database (for example MongoDB Atlas and our hosting provider).
  • When required by law, regulation, legal process, or to protect rights, safety, and security.

Public business information

When you publish your business page, information you choose to include (such as business name, logo, description, category, address, hours, products, and posts) may be visible to anyone with your page link or through Explore search and category browsing.

Your WhatsApp number is used so customers can contact you. Consider what you publish carefully.

Data retention

We retain account and business data while your account is active and as needed to provide the Service.

Inquiry records (name, phone, product inquired about, and related metadata) are retained while the receiving business account remains active, so the business owner can view customer activity in their dashboard.

WhatsApp click analytics are retained for the same period unless deleted earlier upon request.

When an account is closed or upon a verified deletion request, we will delete or anonymize personal data within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law.

You may delete or update much of your business content from the dashboard at any time. Account holders and visitors may request deletion using the contact email below.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, including password hashing and access controls on authenticated APIs.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. Please use a strong password and keep your login credentials confidential.

Your choices and rights

Account holders can update profile and business information in the dashboard, change password in account settings, and unpublish pages to remove them from public discovery.

Depending on applicable law (including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 where it applies), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or withdraw consent for certain processing.

Visitors who submitted an inquiry may request access to or deletion of their inquiry data by emailing us with the business name, approximate date of inquiry, and the mobile number used. We may need to verify the request before acting.

Visitors can avoid saving details in localStorage by using private browsing or clearing site data, and can choose not to submit inquiries.

Children

The Service is intended for businesses and adults. It is not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will revise the "Last updated" date and, where required, ask account holders to accept updated terms before continuing to use the Service.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, email us at the address shown on this page. Please include enough detail for us to verify your account or request.

See also Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.