Privacy policy

Welcome to Searcho (“we”, “our”, “us”). This Privacy Policy explains how Searcho collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application, website and related services (collectively, the “Platform”). The website and the mobile apps share one account and one backend. By using Searcho, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information we collect

We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Platform, and information from third parties.

1.1 Information you provide

• Account details — your phone number (used to sign in), full name, and anything else you choose to add such as an email address, date of birth, gender, photo or bio.
• Identity & KYC — for agents, government-issued ID (PAN card, Aadhaar card) to verify identity and process payments.
• Financial information — bank account details or UPI ID when you request a withdrawal (agents only). We do not store full card numbers.
• Listings and content — photos, descriptions, prices, showcases, comments, reviews and reports you upload.
• Messages — chat messages exchanged with other users on the Platform.
• Location — your city, state and address, entered manually or via GPS when you choose to share it, used to show relevant local content.
• Referral information — if you refer other users or are referred, we record the relationship to calculate commissions.

1.2 Information collected automatically

• Device information — device model, operating system, unique device identifiers, browser type and app version.
• Usage data — pages visited, searches performed, features used, time and duration of visits, and crash reports.
• IP address and network — your IP address and internet service provider.
• Push notification token — to send you relevant notifications. You may disable this in your device settings.

1.3 Information from third parties

• Payment verification data from our payment partner when you subscribe or top up.
• Location data from the maps provider when you use the location picker.

2. How we use your information

• To create and manage your account.
• To enable buying, selling and trading on the Platform.
• To show relevant local listings, ads, showrooms and help requests near you.
• To process subscriptions, wallet top-ups and agent transactions.
• To send service notifications, security alerts and — with your consent — promotional messages.
• To verify the identity of agents (KYC compliance).
• To calculate and process agent commissions.
• To prevent fraud, abuse and illegal activity.
• To improve, personalise and develop new features.
• To comply with applicable laws and legal obligations.

3. How location is used

Your coordinates are used to compute distance and to rank listings, showrooms and help requests by proximity. Other users never see your exact position — listings show an area and the map shows an approximate point. You can decline location access; the Platform still works, but results will not be sorted by distance. You can turn location sharing off entirely in Settings, which hides you from every map layer.

4. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal data. We share information only in these limited circumstances:

• With other users — your public profile (name, photo), listing details and messages are shared with users you interact with.
• With your agent — if you registered through an agent, that agent can see your name, phone number and recharge history to calculate their commission.
• Service providers — trusted vendors (cloud hosting, payment processing, email, analytics) who process data on our behalf under confidentiality agreements.
• Legal requirements — when required by law, court order or a governmental authority.
• Business transfers — in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets. We will notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5. What we never do

• We do not sell your personal data.
• We do not show your phone number publicly unless you choose to.
• We do not read your private messages for advertising.

6. Data retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. You may delete your account at any time; on deletion we remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law — for example financial records kept for 7 years for tax purposes.

7. Your rights and choices

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data, or edit your profile at any time.
• Delete your listings, showcases and reports whenever you like.
• Request deletion of your data and your account (“right to be forgotten”).
• Turn off location sharing and blood-donation visibility in Settings.
• Withdraw consent for data processing at any time.
• Object to direct marketing.

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@searcho.app.

8. Data security

We use industry-standard measures including HTTPS encryption, secure cloud infrastructure, access controls and regular security reviews. No system is completely secure — please keep your account credentials safe.

9. Children’s privacy

Searcho is not intended for users under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us data, contact us immediately at privacy@searcho.app.

10. Third-party links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and encourage you to read their policies.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically and will notify you of material changes via the app or by email. Continued use of the Platform after a change constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact us

For privacy-related concerns, contact our Data Protection Officer:

Searcho
Email: privacy@searcho.app