Privacy Policy for PlateShare

Effective Date: July 22, 2026

Privacy Policy

PlateShare ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how PlateShare collects, uses, stores, and shares your information when you use our mobile application.

By using PlateShare, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Phone number

• Display name

• User role (Customer or Cook)

• Community information

• Profile information you choose to provide

Phone numbers are used solely for account authentication and account management.

Profile Photos and Meal Images

If you upload:

• Cook profile photos

• Meal photos

These images are securely hosted using ImgBB, a third-party image hosting service.

Location Information

PlateShare may request access to your device's location to:

• Detect or verify your community

• Display meals available nearby

• Improve location-based features

Location data is used only for providing app functionality and is not sold.

Order and Community Information

We collect information related to:

• Meal listings

• Orders

• Reviews and ratings

• Community membership

• Invitations and referrals

• Favorite meals and saved items

This information is stored securely in Firebase Cloud Firestore.

Device Information

We may collect limited technical information such as:

• Device type

• Operating system version

• App version

• Crash reports (if enabled)

This information helps improve the stability and performance of PlateShare.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account

• Authenticate users using phone verification

• Connect customers with cooks

• Process meal orders

• Display meal listings

• Enable reviews and ratings

• Send important notifications

• Improve app performance

• Prevent fraud and abuse

• Maintain community safety

3. Third-Party Services

PlateShare uses trusted third-party services.

Google Firebase

Firebase provides:

• Phone Authentication

• Cloud Firestore

• Cloud Messaging

• App infrastructure

Firebase processes data in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy.

ImgBB

Cook profile images and meal photos are stored using ImgBB.

Images uploaded by users are transmitted securely to ImgBB for hosting and delivery.

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information.

Some information is visible to other users within the app, including:

• Display name

• Cook profile

• Meal listings

• Meal photos

• Reviews and ratings

Your phone number is not publicly displayed to other users unless you explicitly choose to share it.

We may disclose information when required by law or to protect our legal rights.

5. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information.

Although no online service can guarantee absolute security, we strive to use industry-standard safeguards to protect your data.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information while your account remains active.

If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information where reasonably possible, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access your information

• Correct inaccurate information

• Delete your account

• Request deletion of personal data

• Withdraw permissions such as location access

You may also uninstall the application at any time.

8. Children's Privacy

PlateShare is not intended for children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we become aware that such information has been collected, we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

Changes become effective immediately after the revised policy is published within the application or on our website.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact:

PlateShare

Email: dolamola201@gmail.com