Privacy
Policy
Last updated: March 20, 2026 · Effective: March 20, 2026
Homvika is built for Indian homemakers. We collect only what we need to run the app, never sell your data, and give you full control to delete your account and data at any time.
1. Who We Are
Homvika ("we", "us", "our") is a mobile application built and operated in India. Our platform rewards homemakers for completing household tasks by allowing them to redeem points at local vendor shops.
Contact: support@homvika.com
Website: https://homvika.com
2. Information We Collect
Information you provide directly:
- Phone number (used for OTP-based signup and login via Firebase)
- Full name and profile photo (optional, for your profile)
- City and pincode (to show relevant local vendors)
- Task submission photos (before and after photos as proof of task completion)
- Community tips, posts, and comments you write
- Food marketplace listings you create
Information collected automatically:
- GPS location — captured at the moment you take each task photo. Used only for fraud detection (comparing before/after photo locations). We do not track your location continuously.
- Device token — for sending push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging
- App usage data — which screens you visit, when you complete tasks
- Image hashes — a 64-bit numerical fingerprint of your task photos used to detect duplicate submissions. The original photos are stored securely on AWS S3.
3. How We Use Your Information
- To verify your identity via OTP phone authentication
- To process and review your task submissions
- To detect and prevent fraudulent task submissions (GPS analysis, photo hashing)
- To credit points to your account on task approval
- To show you relevant local vendor offers
- To send you push notifications about task approvals, rewards, and community activity
- To display your profile and activity on the community feed (only what you choose to share)
- To operate the food marketplace
- To improve the app and fix bugs
4. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal data to anyone. We share data only with the following trusted services required to operate the app:
- Firebase (Google) — phone number OTP authentication and push notifications. Privacy policy: firebase.google.com/support/privacy
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) — secure cloud storage for task photos (S3) and app hosting (EC2). Privacy policy: aws.amazon.com/privacy
- Neon.tech — serverless PostgreSQL database hosting. Privacy policy: neon.tech/privacy
Your task photos are visible to Homvika admin reviewers only — not to other users unless you share them to the community feed.
Your phone number is never shown publicly. Only your name and profile photo are visible to other users in the community feed.
5. Data Storage and Security
- All data is stored on secure servers hosted on AWS (us-east-1 region)
- All connections are encrypted via HTTPS/TLS (Let's Encrypt SSL)
- Passwords are hashed using BCrypt — we never store plain-text passwords
- Authentication uses JWT tokens with short expiry and refresh token rotation
- Task photos are stored in private AWS S3 buckets — not publicly accessible by URL
6. Data Retention
- Your account data is retained while your account is active
- Task photos are retained for 90 days after submission, then deleted
- Points ledger records are retained permanently for audit purposes
- If you delete your account, all personal data is deleted within 30 days
7. Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of all data we hold about you
- Correction — update your name, city, or profile photo at any time in the app
- Deletion — delete your account and all associated data from your Profile screen or by emailing us
- Opt out of notifications — disable push notifications from your device settings at any time
- Location — deny GPS permission. Note: GPS denial means task submissions will be marked for manual photo-only review by admin
8. Children's Privacy
Homvika is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@homvika.com and we will delete it promptly.
9. Push Notifications
We send push notifications for:
- Task approval or rejection
- Points credited to your account
- Community activity (followers completing tasks, leaderboard updates)
- New vendor offers near you
You can disable push notifications at any time from your device's notification settings. This does not affect your ability to use the app.
10. Location Data
Homvika requests location permission only at the moment you take a task photo. We capture a single GPS coordinate per photo to verify that before and after photos were taken at the same location (fraud prevention). We do not track your location in the background, continuously, or when the app is closed.
11. Community Content
When you post to the community feed, your name, profile photo, task photos, and post content are visible to all Homvika users. Community tips are reviewed by admin before publishing. You can delete your own posts at any time. Deleted posts are removed from the feed immediately.
12. Vendor Information
If you register as a vendor, we collect your business name, owner name, phone number, email, shop address, city, and shop location (GPS coordinates). This information is used to display your shop to users and enable store navigation. Your shop location is visible to users when they redeem your offers.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and notify users via push notification for material changes. Continued use of the app after changes means you accept the updated policy.
14. Governing Law
This privacy policy is governed by the laws of India. Any disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of courts in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.