Last updated: April 2025
1. Introduction
At Wherevi ("we," "us," or "our"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal data is handled safely, transparently, and responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you access or use our website, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Platform").
By using Wherevi, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of the Platform.
This Privacy Policy applies to all users of Wherevi, including visitors who browse without creating an account, registered members, and place owners who manage listings on the Platform.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Personal Information You Provide
When you create an account, submit content, or interact with our services, you may provide us with the following types of personal information:
- Account information: Name, email address, username, password, and profile photo.
- Profile details: Bio, location, social media links, and other information you choose to add to your public profile.
- Content you create: Reviews, ratings, photos, posts, comments, saved places, and lists.
- Communications: Messages you send through our contact form, email correspondence, support requests, and feedback.
- Place owner information: If you claim or submit a business listing, we may collect business name, address, phone number, website, and other business-related details.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use the Platform, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information:
- Device information: Browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and unique device identifiers.
- Usage data: Pages visited, search queries, features used, time spent on pages, click patterns, and navigation paths.
- Location data: Approximate geographic location based on your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS location without your explicit consent.
- Referral data: The website or source that referred you to Wherevi.
- Log data: Server logs that record your IP address, access times, and pages requested.
2.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies, pixels, and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing activity. For detailed information about our cookie practices, please see Section 5 of this policy.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
3.1 Providing and Improving Our Services
- To create, maintain, and secure your account.
- To display the content you share (reviews, photos, posts) on the Platform.
- To provide search results, recommendations, and personalized content based on your preferences and activity.
- To process place submissions and owner claims.
- To analyze usage patterns and improve Platform features, performance, and user experience.
3.2 Communication
- To respond to your inquiries, feedback, and support requests.
- To send service-related notifications, such as account verification, security alerts, and policy updates.
- To send newsletters, travel tips, and community updates if you have opted in to receive them. You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time.
3.3 Safety and Security
- To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, spam, and security threats.
- To enforce our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
- To verify the authenticity of reviews and other user-generated content.
3.4 Legal Compliance
- To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
- To respond to lawful requests from government authorities.
4. Information Sharing
Wherevi does not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not rent, trade, or otherwise commercialize your data. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
4.1 Public Content
Content you post on Wherevi, including reviews, ratings, photos, comments, and your public profile, is visible to other users and may be indexed by search engines. Please be mindful of what you share publicly.
4.2 Service Providers
We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, including:
- Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers.
- Analytics services (such as Google Analytics) that help us understand how users interact with the Platform.
- Email delivery services for transactional and marketing communications.
- Content delivery networks for fast and reliable page loading.
These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only to perform services on our behalf and are prohibited from using it for their own purposes.
4.3 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to:
- Comply with a legal obligation, court order, or governmental request.
- Protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of Wherevi, our users, or the public.
- Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Platform.
4.4 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
5.1 What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the site remember your preferences, understand how you use the site, and improve your overall experience.
5.2 How We Use Cookies
Wherevi uses the following types of cookies:
- Essential cookies: Required for the Platform to function properly. These enable core features like user authentication, session management, and security. You cannot opt out of essential cookies.
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Platform, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate between pages. We use Google Analytics for this purpose.
- Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences, such as language, region, and display options, so you don't have to re-enter them each time you visit.
- Marketing cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. These cookies may track your activity across websites.
5.3 Managing Cookies
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
- View and delete existing cookies.
- Block all cookies or only third-party cookies.
- Set preferences for specific websites.
Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform. Some features may not work correctly without essential cookies enabled.
6. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it, including:
- Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS protocols.
- Secure storage: Personal data is stored on secure servers with restricted access, protected by firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
- Access controls: Only authorized personnel with a legitimate business need have access to personal information, and they are bound by confidentiality obligations.
- Regular audits: We conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability testing to identify and address potential risks.
- Incident response: We maintain procedures to detect, report, and respond to data breaches promptly. In the event of a breach that may affect your personal information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by law.
While we implement robust safeguards, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your data to the highest practical standard.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable privacy laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to correction: You can request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Right to deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions (e.g., data we are required to retain for legal compliance).
- Right to restrict processing: You can request that we limit how we use your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability: You can request your personal information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Right to opt out: You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in our emails or updating your account notification settings.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where we process your data based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing performed before the withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@wherevi.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.
8. Children's Privacy
Wherevi is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect, use, or store personal information from children under 13 years of age. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our systems.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to Wherevi, please contact us at contact@wherevi.com and we will promptly remove the information.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
- Post the revised policy on the Platform.
- For significant changes, notify you by email or through a prominent notice on the Platform.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of Wherevi after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
We take all privacy inquiries seriously and will respond to your message within 30 days.
Thank you for trusting Wherevi with your information. Your privacy matters to us, and we are committed to protecting it.
