Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Phirly ("we", "our", or "the platform") is committed to handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use Phirly, why we collect it, how we use and store it, and what rights you have over your data.

By using the platform, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use Phirly.

2. Information we collect

Account information — When you sign up, we collect your phone number or email address used for OTP verification, and the name you optionally provide for your profile.

Listing content — When you post a listing, we collect the listing details you provide: title, description, photos, price, location, and any contact information you choose to share (such as a phone number or WhatsApp preference).

Usage and activity data — We log actions such as listing views, saves, likes, shares, and support ticket submissions. This helps us understand how the platform is used and detect abuse.

Device and browser information — When you submit a support ticket, we capture basic browser and device details (user agent string, screen resolution) to help debug issues.

Location information — When you post a listing, you may provide a location. If you select a location from the autocomplete suggestions, structured address fields including approximate latitude and longitude are saved for map features. We do not track your device's GPS location.

Messages and communications — If you contact us through a support ticket, we store the message content and any attachments you provide.

3. Cookies and local storage

Phirly does not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies. We use browser local storage to store your authentication token ("phirlyAccessToken") and a minimal user cache so your session persists between page visits without repeated logins. These are functional and essential; there is no ad-targeting or behavioural profiling involved.

You can clear local storage through your browser settings at any time, which will log you out.

4. Why we collect data

• Authentication — To verify your identity via OTP and keep your account secure.
• Marketplace operations — To display listings, enable buyer-seller contact, and track transaction status.
• Fraud prevention and moderation — To detect spam, fake listings, scam attempts, and abusive accounts.
• Support — To respond to your help tickets and resolve issues.
• Platform improvement — To understand which features are used and where errors occur, so we can fix and improve the platform.

5. Third-party services

Phirly uses the following third-party services that may process some of your data:

• Vercel — Hosts the web frontend. Vercel may log basic request metadata (IP, user agent, path) for CDN and security purposes.
• Render — Hosts the API backend. Render may log server-level request data.
• Neon (PostgreSQL) — Our primary database. Your account information, listings, transactions, and support tickets are stored here.
• Cloudinary — Stores listing photos you upload. Images are stored on Cloudinary's servers and served via their CDN.
• Resend — Sends support ticket confirmation emails to addresses you provide. Only your email address and the ticket content are shared.
• Google Maps — Provides location autocomplete when you type a pickup address. Your typed query is sent to Google via our API so your IP is not directly exposed to Google.

We do not sell your data to any third party. We do not use your data for advertising purposes.

6. Data retention

We retain your account data and listings for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data from our systems within a reasonable period, except where we are required by law to retain certain records. Anonymised or aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for analytics purposes.

7. Your rights

Subject to applicable Indian data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you by contacting support.
• Correct inaccurate data through your profile settings or by submitting a ticket.
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal data.
• Withdraw consent for optional data uses (such as support email confirmations) by contacting us.

To exercise any of these rights, submit a request through our Help & Support portal.

8. Data security

We take reasonable precautions to protect your data, including storing authentication tokens securely, serving the platform over HTTPS, and applying access controls on our database. However, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data and are not liable for unauthorised access that results from events outside our reasonable control.

We do not store payment card information because Phirly does not process payments. Transactions are settled directly between buyers and sellers.

9. Children's privacy

Phirly is not intended for users under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us and we will remove it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after an update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

For questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us through our Help & Support portal. You can also manage your in-app privacy preferences at Privacy Settings.