Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Hitch Hosts ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, postal address, and payment information when you create an account or make a purchase.
• Account Information: Username, password, and account details.
• Identity Verification: Government-issued ID information for verification purposes (processed securely through Stripe Identity).
• Host Information: If you become a host, we collect home details, location information, experience offerings, pricing, and payment account details (Stripe Connect).
• Payment Information: Payment card details and transaction information (processed securely through Stripe).
• Usage Data: Information about how you interact with our website, including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on pages.
• Communication Data: Records of your communications with us and other users through our platform.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain our services
• To process booking payments and transactions
• To facilitate bookings between travelers and hosts
• To verify user identity for safety and security
• To process commission payments to hosts
• To communicate with you about your account, bookings, and our services
• To send you marketing communications (with your consent)
• To improve our website and services
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues or fraudulent activity
• To comply with legal obligations

4. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Hosts: When you book a stay, we share necessary information with the host to facilitate your reservation.
• With Service Providers: We work with third-party service providers for payment processing (Stripe), email services (Resend), and hosting (Firebase/Vercel).
• For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your information to comply with legal obligations, protect our rights, or respond to lawful requests from authorities.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the new entity.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and obtain a copy of your personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Object to or restrict certain processing of your information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Data portability

To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@hitchhosts.com.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our website and store certain information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our service.

8. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• Email: support@hitchhosts.com
• Website: https://hitchhosts.com