Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 2026  ·  Version 1.0

1. Who We Are

PetHour ("PetHour", "we", "our", or "us") operates the marketplace platform at pethour.app that connects pet owners with independent pet care providers. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create a PetHour account we collect your name, email address, and password hash. After signup you may optionally add a profile photo, phone number, and service area.

2.2 Pet Profiles

If you add pets to your account we collect the name, species, breed, age, weight, behavioural traits, known medical conditions, medication details, vaccination records, and emergency contacts you choose to provide. This information is shared with sitters you book.

2.3 Booking & Payment Data

We record booking requests, confirmations, cancellations, and completion events. Payment is processed by Stripe — we do not store full card numbers. We retain transaction amounts, timestamps, and Stripe payment identifiers for billing and dispute resolution.

2.4 GPS & Location Data

For GPS-tracked walk services, the sitter's device transmits location data during the active walk. This data is stored on our servers, associated with the booking, and made available to the booking owner as a route summary. We do not sell or share GPS data with third parties.

2.5 Visit Media

Photos, videos, and voice notes captured by sitters during a visit are uploaded to our file storage (Azure Blob or AWS S3). These are accessible to the booking owner and used to generate AI visit reports.

2.6 Identity & Background Check Data

If you purchase optional identity verification or a background check, the verification is performed by our third-party partner (Checkr). We receive only the outcome (pass/fail) and the badge status — we do not store your government ID documents.

2.7 Usage Data

We collect standard server logs including IP addresses, browser type, pages visited, and referring URLs. We use this data to maintain platform security and improve the service.

3. How We Use Your Data

  • To operate the marketplace — matching owners with sitters, processing bookings and payments
  • To generate AI visit reports and monthly pet memory highlights from visit media and GPS data
  • To calculate and display reliability scores based on verified platform activity
  • To send transactional emails and push notifications related to your bookings
  • To detect fraud and enforce our anti-manipulation rules
  • To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests
  • To improve the platform through aggregated, anonymised analytics

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

4. Data Sharing

We share personal data only as necessary to operate the platform:

  • Sitters you book: your name, pet profiles, address (for drop-in/house sitting), and booking details
  • Owners who book you: your profile, service descriptions, and reliability score
  • Stripe: billing information to process payments
  • Checkr: identity and background check verification (if purchased)
  • SendGrid: email delivery
  • Anthropic Claude API: visit media content to generate AI summaries — no data is retained by Anthropic for training
  • Firebase Cloud Messaging: push notification delivery token (mobile, Phase 2)

All third-party providers are contractually bound to process your data only for the purposes we specify.

5. Data Retention

  • Account data is retained while your account is active
  • Booking records are retained for 7 years for financial and legal compliance
  • GPS route data and visit media are retained for 12 months after the booking date, then deleted unless you export them first
  • Deleted accounts: personal identifiers are removed within 30 days; anonymised transaction records may be retained for compliance

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Correction — update inaccurate information via your account settings or by contacting us
  • Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated data, subject to our retention obligations
  • Export — download your GPS routes, visit media, and pet profiles at any time from your account
  • Objection — opt out of non-essential communications at any time via account settings

To exercise any right, email us at privacy@pethour.app. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies

We use only essential session cookies required to operate a Blazor Server application. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels.

8. Security

All data is transmitted over HTTPS. Passwords are stored as hashed values using ASP.NET Core Identity. Payment data is handled exclusively by Stripe and never touches our servers in raw form. Access to production data is restricted to authorised personnel only.

9. Children

PetHour is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us at privacy@pethour.app and we will delete the account promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the platform evolves. Material changes will be communicated by email and displayed prominently on the platform at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of PetHour after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy: support@pethour.app