Privacy Policy

Aioby ("we", "us", "our") operates the Aioby platform at aioby.com, aioby.in, and aioby.app — The Local Network for India and the UAE, connecting people with people, buyers with sellers, customers with businesses, and job seekers with employers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you use our platform and services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws, including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDPA), the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL, Federal Decree-Law No. 45/2021), and where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Account data: Name, email address, phone number, password (hashed and never readable by us), username, profile photo, and optional bio, city, website, interests, and work details (for example profession or employer) when you register or edit your profile. We also record how you arrived and which page you were on when you signed up (source, campaign, referrer), your consent choices, and your notification settings.

Business data: Business name, description, address and map location, phone, WhatsApp number, email, website, operating hours, social links, business category, policies, and optional details such as a GST/VAT number, payment details you choose to publish (for example bank details on your website), and proof documents you upload to claim or verify a business (visible only to the review team).

Listing data: Photos, prices, descriptions, and other content you add to your listings.

Transaction data: Order and booking details — the name, phone number, email and delivery address you give at checkout, order notes, and invoices. Aioby does not normally process payments for orders: you pay the seller directly (cash on delivery, bank transfer or another way the seller accepts), so those payment details stay between you and the seller. For the few sellers approved for online payment, Razorpay processes the payment at checkout and we keep the payment reference. Payments you make to Aioby for its own services (plans, Boosts, ads, wallet, AI credits) go through Razorpay; we keep payment references, never card details. If you order from a business's own website or storefront built on Aioby, your details go to that business and are stored by Aioby on its behalf.

Content data: Posts, reviews, comments, messages, and any content you share on the platform, including content imported from social media platforms at your request.

Location data: City or area you select for local discovery. If you use GPS-based features, your approximate location is used only for that session and not stored.

Usage data: Pages visited, searches performed, listings clicked, and time spent on the platform — used to improve our service and personalise your experience.

Device data: Browser type, IP address, and device identifiers for security, fraud prevention, and analytics.

Enquiries and requests: The name, email, phone number, message, photos, budget and location you give when you send an enquiry, a quote request, a booking request or a contact-form message.

Notifications: If you turn on push notifications, your browser or device push token and basic device details so we can send them.

Personalisation: What you follow, like, save, search and open, used to rank your feed and suggestions. Visitors who are not signed in get an anonymous identifier (a cookie) so the feed does not repeat the same posts.

• To provide, operate, and improve the Aioby platform
• To process transactions, bookings, and payment references
• To send transactional emails (booking confirmations, order updates, password resets)
• To email you about new messages and important notifications when you are away — you can switch this off in Settings → Notifications, and every such email has an unsubscribe link
• To create an account for you, automatically, when you contact a business or Aioby, check out as a guest, or claim a listing without signing up first. We use the name, email and phone number you give us. The account is created with a random password you never see, so you can take it over any time with “Forgot password”; your email address only counts as verified once you open a link we email you. We also record which page you were on and what you were doing (for example, a WhatsApp contact) when the account was created, so we can show you your activity and prevent abuse
• To take payment for optional plans, Boosts, ads and wallet top-ups, and to keep records of those purchases
• To personalise your experience and show locally relevant content
• To power AI features including search, translations, listing suggestions, and review replies
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, spam, and security threats
• To comply with legal obligations including tax reporting
• To send marketing communications — only with your explicit consent, and you may opt out at any time

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only as strictly necessary to operate the platform:

• Supabase: Database, authentication, and file storage infrastructure. Data is hosted in the Mumbai (India) region.
• Vercel: Website hosting and global edge network (US-based with EU/Asia edge nodes).
• Razorpay: Payment processing for what you buy from Aioby itself — plans, Boosts, ads, wallet top-ups and AI credits (INR). Razorpay is also used at checkout for the few sellers Aioby has approved for online payment. Subject to Razorpay's privacy policy.
• Stripe: Used only for Aioby subscription billing. Aioby does not use Stripe for payments for orders; in the UAE Aioby does not process or facilitate payment for orders at all. Subject to Stripe's privacy policy.
• Google (Gemini API): AI features — content you submit for translation, listing generation, or search is processed by Google's Gemini API. Images you upload to listings, posts, profiles and Business Pages are also checked by Gemini Vision for content that is not allowed. Google may use API inputs to improve their models per their API terms unless enterprise data processing terms apply.
• Google Analytics (GA4): Website usage analytics. Anonymised usage data is sent to Google's servers in the US. You may opt out via your browser's cookie settings.
• Mapbox: Map and location search features. Your location queries are processed by Mapbox servers (US-based). Subject to Mapbox's privacy policy.
• Sentry: Error monitoring and crash reporting. Error logs (which may include technical metadata) are sent to Sentry's servers. We configure Sentry to minimise personal data in error reports.
• Cloudflare (Turnstile) and Upstash: Spam and abuse protection on sign-up, sign-in, contact and similar forms, and rate limiting. These services receive technical data such as your IP address for that purpose.
• Resend / Zoho Mail: Transactional email delivery (account confirmations, password resets, order notifications).
• Google Sign-In: If you choose “Continue with Google”, Google shares your name, email address and profile photo with Aioby to create or open your account. Subject to Google's privacy policy.
• Push notification services: If you enable notifications, your browser's push service (for example Google, Apple or Mozilla) or Expo, for the Aioby app, delivers them; we send them the notification text and your push token.
• WhatsApp (Meta): Only when you choose to contact a business or Aioby on WhatsApp — the chat then takes place on WhatsApp, under its own terms and privacy policy.
• Legal authorities: When required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of our users or the public.

Aioby includes AI-powered features including listing description generation, review reply suggestions, price suggestions, translation, and semantic search and the Ask Aioby assistant — all powered by Google Gemini. Content you submit for AI processing (listing details, review text, search queries, questions to Ask Aioby) is sent to Google's Gemini API for processing. Images you upload are also scanned by Gemini Vision for disallowed content before they are published.

AI-generated content is provided as suggestions only. You are responsible for reviewing, editing, and approving any AI-generated content before publishing. Aioby does not guarantee the accuracy of AI outputs.

Aioby offers a feature allowing store owners to import their own posts from social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X) into their store feed. By using this feature, you confirm that you own or have the rights to the content you are importing. Imported content metadata may be stored in our database to display the preview card on your store page.

When you use the WhatsApp, Call, Email or Website button on a Business Page or listing, you contact that business directly: WhatsApp opens a chat with the business's own number, and Call and Email use the details the business has published. Aioby does not relay or read those messages. Anything you send to a business is received by that business.

If you are not signed in, we first ask for your name, email address and phone number and create an account for you (see section 3), so your details and activity are kept in your own Aioby account. The floating “contact Aioby” button opens a WhatsApp chat with Aioby's own number, and works the same way. Once a chat opens in WhatsApp, it is handled by WhatsApp (Meta) under its own terms and privacy policy.

Messages on Aioby: Chats between members, and between customers and businesses, are visible only to the people in the conversation. Aioby staff do not browse private messages. Aioby messages are not end-to-end encrypted. They are protected in transit (HTTPS), and the text of each message is also encrypted in our database with a key that Aioby holds, so a copy or backup of the database alone does not reveal it; our servers decrypt messages in order to deliver them to you. Staff can see message text only when a participant reports a conversation (we keep a copy of its most recent messages as evidence) or where the law requires it. Automated checks look for spam and scam patterns, such as requests for one-time passwords or advance payments, and show a warning to the person receiving the message. Private messages are not used for advertising and are not sent to AI services to train them. Messages from people you do not know arrive as requests that you can accept, decline or block, and you can report any conversation from its menu. If a report shows a breach of our rules we may warn the other person, restrict their messaging or stop them signing in, and we keep a record of those actions.

• Account data: Retained while your account is active. Deleted when you delete your account (backups clear within 30 days).
• Transaction data: Order and invoice records are retained for 7 years for tax and financial compliance. When you delete your account, the name, phone number, email and delivery address on your orders are removed; invoices keep only the details tax law requires.
• Usage and device data: Retained for up to 12 months for analytics and security purposes.
• Marketing consent records: Retained for 3 years after consent or withdrawal.

You can delete your account and all associated personal data at any time via Settings → Account → Delete Account. If an account was created for you automatically and you never set a password, use “Forgot password” on the sign-in page to open it and delete it from there, or email support@aioby.com and we will delete it for you. See our Return Policy for transaction-related data obligations.

Depending on your location, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten") — available directly via account settings
• Portability: Where the law gives you this right (for example under the GDPR), receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to or restrict processing of your data for marketing purposes
• Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw marketing consent at any time via your notification settings or by emailing us

EU/EEA residents have additional rights under the GDPR, including the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Grievance Officer at privacy@aioby.com.

In accordance with the Information Technology Act 2000, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, we have appointed a Grievance Officer for India:

Grievance Officer: Noorulameen K T
Email: privacy@aioby.com
Response time: We will acknowledge your grievance within 24 hours and resolve it within 15 days.

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the platform and remember your preferences (country, city and location; your theme and language are kept in your browser storage, not in cookies). Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) are only set if you accept them via the consent banner shown on your first visit — you can change this choice at any time. See our Cookie Policy for full details, including how to manage your preferences.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (TLS/HTTPS), row-level security in our database, hashed passwords, and regular security reviews. However, no system is 100% secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please report any security concerns to privacy@aioby.com.

Aioby is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has provided data to us, contact us immediately at privacy@aioby.com and we will delete it promptly.

Your data may be processed in countries outside your own, including the United States (Vercel, Google, Mapbox, Sentry). Your main database and file storage are hosted in Mumbai, India (Supabase). We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, consistent with applicable data protection laws. By using Aioby, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in these countries.

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes by email or via a prominent notice on the platform. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised. Continued use of Aioby after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For privacy-related questions, to exercise your rights, or to reach our Grievance Officer:

• Email: privacy@aioby.com
• General enquiries: Contact page