RydeMates Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

• Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.
• Application refers to RydeMates, the software program provided by the Company.
• Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to RydeMates.
• Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
• Service refers to the Application.
• Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.
• Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
• You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

1. Information We Collect

When You create an Account or use RydeMates, We may collect the following information:

• Personal Data: Email address, name, and profile picture.
• User Content: Messages, group chat posts, or other content You share within the app.
• Usage Data: Information about how You use the app, including rides shared, number of messages sent, and interaction activity.
• Technical Data: Device tokens for push notifications, app usage data, and error logs.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information We collect to:

• Create and manage Your RydeMates Account.
• Enable group chats and rideshare coordination.
• Send push notifications for messages and group updates.
• Store and sync Your data securely using Firebase services.
• Personalize Your app experience.
• Monitor, maintain, and improve the app's performance.
• Enforce Our Terms & Conditions and protect against abuse.
• Comply with legal obligations.

3. How We Share Information

We may share Your information only in these situations:

• With other users: Your name and profile picture may be visible in chats or groups You join.
• With Service Providers: We use Google Firebase as Our third-party Service Provider for authentication, database storage (Firestore), cloud messaging (push notifications), and file storage. Firebase processes Your data according to Google's privacy policy.
• For legal reasons: If required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, and security.
• In business transfers: If We undergo a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

4. Third-Party Services

RydeMates uses Google Firebase services to provide Our app functionality:

• Firebase Authentication: Handles user login and account management
• Cloud Firestore: Stores Your messages, group data, and user profiles
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: Sends push notifications to Your device
• Firebase Storage: Stores Your profile pictures and other files

Firebase processes Your data according to Google's Privacy Policy. You can learn more about how Google handles data at policies.google.com/privacy.

5. Data Retention

• We retain Your Account information for as long as You maintain a RydeMates account.
• You may request deletion of Your Account at any time by contacting Us at rydemates@gmail.com.
• We may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

6. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

Categories of Personal Information We Collect:

• Identifiers: Email address, name, profile picture
• Internet or Electronic Network Activity: Usage data, app interactions

Business Purposes for Collection:

• To provide and maintain Our Service
• To enable communication between users
• To send push notifications
• To improve Our Service

To exercise these rights, contact Us at rydemates@gmail.com. We may need to verify Your identity before processing requests.

7. Security

We use reasonable security measures to protect Your Personal Data. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent's consent before We collect and use that information.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If We make material changes, We will update the "Effective Date" and notify You as required by law. Continued use of RydeMates after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

10. Non-Affiliation Disclaimer

RydeMates operates independently and is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by UCLA or any other educational institution.