Privacy policy
This policy explains how [Company legal name] (OPC) Private Limited (“ChargeSaathi”, “we”, “us”) handles your personal data when you use the ChargeSaathi mobile app and website. We are the Data Fiduciary for this data under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”).
In short: we collect what we need to connect drivers with home chargers. We do not sell your data and we do not show ads. Your contact details are shared only with the person on the other side of a booking, and only after the host accepts it. In-app calls never reveal your number. You can delete your account at any time from the app.
Data we collect
| Data | Where it comes from | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email address, account ID | Google Sign-In or Sign in with Apple, when you sign in | To create and secure your account |
| Mobile number (optional) | You, in your profile | So the other person on a booking can call you. |
| In-app call records | The app, when you make or receive a call | To connect calls between the two people on a booking. We keep who called whom, when, and how long it lasted. Call audio goes directly between the two phones, encrypted, and is never recorded or stored. The network addresses used to connect a call are deleted when it ends. |
| Profile photo (optional) | You, if you add one from your camera or gallery | So the hosts and drivers you book with can recognise you. We only open your camera or photos when you choose to add a picture. |
| Vehicle type and model | You, in your profile | To show chargers that fit your vehicle |
| Microphone | Your phone, with your permission | Only during an in-app call you make or answer. Nothing is recorded. |
| Your device's location | Your phone, with your permission | To find chargers near you. It is used for the search on your phone and is not stored on our servers. The one exception is Stranded Mode: when you ask for help, your location at that moment is sent to our server once to find hosts you can reach, then deleted straight away. Hosts only see how far away you are, never where you are. |
| Battery level and vehicle range | You, in Stranded Mode and your profile | To work out which chargers you can reach. Your battery percentage is shown to the hosts we alert. |
| Notification token | Your phone, if you allow notifications | To send you booking updates, call alerts and Stranded Mode alerts. Removed when you sign out. |
| Charger listing: name, address, map location, connectors, power, price, hours, parking instructions | Hosts, when they list a charger | To show the listing to drivers. This is visible to all signed-in users. |
| UPI ID | Hosts | So drivers can pay the host. Shown only to drivers whose booking the host accepted. |
| Bookings: times, duration, status, amount, notes, ratings | Created as you use the app | To run the booking, bill the session and keep a record for both sides |
| Technical data: IP address, device and app version, sign-in logs | Automatically, through our cloud provider | To keep the service secure and prevent abuse |
We do not collect or see your bank account, card or UPI PIN. Payments happen in your own UPI app, directly between driver and host.
Identity verification (DigiLocker)
Verifying your identity is optional. If you choose to, you sign in to DigiLocker (Government of India) and consent to share your Aadhaar and, if you have one, your driving licence with us. This runs through our verification partner, Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd. We never see your Aadhaar number in full or your DigiLocker password.
- What we keep: your name as on Aadhaar, your year of birth, the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar, and, for a driving licence, a masked licence number, its vehicle classes, its expiry date and whether it is valid.
- What we don't keep: your full Aadhaar number, Aadhaar photo, address, or the document files.
- To prevent fake or duplicate accounts, we keep a one-way fingerprint (a hash) of your Aadhaar name, date of birth and last 4 digits. It cannot be turned back into your details.
- Who sees it: other users see only a "Verified" badge. Your verified details are visible to you alone.
- Deletion: your verification and fingerprint are deleted when you delete your account.
How we use your data
- To provide the service: show nearby chargers, send booking requests, track sessions and calculate the amount due.
- To let a driver and a host contact each other about an accepted booking.
- To keep the platform safe: prevent fraud and misuse, enforce our Terms, and resolve disputes.
- To answer your support requests and grievances.
- To meet legal obligations, such as responding to lawful requests from authorities.
We process your data on the basis of your consent, given when you create an account. Where the DPDP Act allows it, we also process data for legitimate uses, such as complying with the law. You can withdraw consent by deleting your account (see Your rights).
Who we share it with
- The other person on your booking. After a host accepts a request, the driver and host can see each other's name, profile photo (if added), mobile number (if added) and email. The driver also sees the host's UPI ID. If the booking is declined or cancelled, this access ends.
- Stranded Mode. When you ask for help, up to 20 hosts whose chargers you can reach are alerted with your name, battery percentage and distance. The host who accepts first gets a booking with you, and you both see each other's contact details as with any accepted booking.
- Ratings. After a paid booking, the driver rates the host and the host rates the driver. A host's average rating appears on their listing. A driver's average rating (not individual reviews) is shown to hosts when the driver sends a request.
- In-app calls. The other person on a booking can call you through the app: before the host accepts only if the host allows calls on that listing, and afterwards while the booking is active. They see your name, never your number.
- Other users. Charger listings, host first names and ratings are visible to signed-in users.
- Service providers (Data Processors) that run the app for us, under contracts that protect your data:
- Google Firebase / Google Cloud for sign-in, database, photo storage and hosting. Our database and photo storage are in the Mumbai (asia-south1) region.
- Google Maps Platform for maps.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) and Apple Push Notification service, to deliver notifications to your phone.
- Apple, if you choose Sign in with Apple.
- Authorities, when Indian law requires it.
We do not sell or rent your personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.
How long we keep it
- Account and profile data, including your photo: until you remove it or delete your account.
- Charger listings and UPI ID: until the host removes the listing or deletes their account.
- Booking records (times, amount, the names on the booking): kept as transaction history after account deletion. We keep them for up to 8 years, to resolve disputes and meet tax and accounting laws, then delete them.
- Security logs: kept for a limited period by our cloud provider.
Your rights
Under the DPDP Act you have the right to:
- Access a summary of your personal data and how we process it.
- Correct or update it. You can edit your profile in the app at any time.
- Erase it. Go to Profile → Delete account in the app, or see how to delete your account.
- Withdraw consent. Deleting your account withdraws it.
- Nominate someone to exercise these rights if you die or become incapacitated.
- Raise a grievance with our Grievance Officer (below). If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
To use any of these rights, email grievance@chargesaathi.in from the email address on your account.
How we protect it
Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest by our cloud provider. Database security rules make sure each person can read only what they need: your profile is visible only to you, and contact details only to the other party of an accepted booking. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal data, we will inform you and the Data Protection Board as the law requires.
Children
ChargeSaathi is for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we make significant changes to this policy, we will tell you in the app or by email before they take effect. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.
Grievance Officer and contact
As required by the DPDP Act and the Information Technology Rules, 2021:
Grievance Officer: [Grievance Officer name]
Email: grievance@chargesaathi.in
Address: [Company legal name] (OPC) Private Limited, [Registered office address], Chennai, Tamil Nadu – [PIN]
We acknowledge grievances within 24 hours and aim to resolve them within 15 days. For general help, write to support@chargesaathi.in.