Privacy Policy
1. Who We Are
Wofo operates the platform at wofoworld.com — a marketplace where customers can discover and directly contact local service providers (maids, cooks, drivers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, gardeners, and watchmen) across India.
For privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at [email protected].
2. What Data We Collect
Service Providers:
- Phone number — used for login via OTP only
- Full name, service category, years of experience
- Service areas and hourly rate
- Availability preference
- Profile photo (stored on Cloudinary)
- Post content — titles and descriptions of services or wanted posts you publish on the platform
- Points balance and transaction history (earned/redeemed on platform)
- Referral code (auto-generated at signup)
- Ad status and plan type (payment processing is handled by Razorpay — we do not store card or bank details)
Customers:
- Phone number — used for login via OTP only
- Name
- Location or area (optional, used to filter search results)
Automatically collected (all users):
- Device type and browser (for performance monitoring)
- Pages visited and in-app actions (via Google Analytics)
- IP address (standard web server logs)
3. How We Use Your Data
- Phone number — Authentication only via Firebase OTP. Never shared with other users or third parties for marketing.
- Provider profile details (name, category, areas, rate, photo) — Displayed publicly on the platform so customers can find and contact you. This is the core function of Wofo.
- Service provider's Phone number — Used internally to identify your account. It is not displayed anywhere on the Wofo website. When a logged-in customer taps "Call Now," your number is passed directly to their device's native phone app — it is never shown on our pages or stored in browser history on our end.
- Post content — Titles and descriptions of posts you publish are reviewed by an automated AI system (Google Gemini) to check for policy violations such as phone numbers in descriptions, scam patterns, or prohibited content. This review happens automatically after you submit a post. Content is sent to Gemini's API for this purpose and is subject to Google's data handling practices.
- Usage data — Google Analytics tracks page visits and general usage patterns to help us understand how the platform is being used and improve it. This data is aggregated and not tied to your identity by us.
- Location data — Used only to return relevant search results to customers. Not tracked in real-time, not stored beyond what you enter in your profile.
- Points and subscription data — Used to manage your active plan, free trial period, and points balance.
4. Service Provider's Phone Number Visibility — Clarification
Your phone number is not displayed visually anywhere on wofoworld.com — it does not appear on profile cards, search results, or any readable part of our interface. However, it is present in the underlying page source (HTML) of your profile sheet, accessible to anyone who inspects the page using browser developer tools.
When a customer clicks "Call Now," their device initiates a standard phone call using your number. The number also appears in the browser's status bar when hovering over the button. This is a technical characteristic of how web-based calling works.
By listing on Wofo, you acknowledge that your phone number, while not prominently displayed, is technically accessible to anyone viewing your profile page. Only register with a phone number you are comfortable associating with a public-facing professional listing.
5. AI Content Moderation
Wofo uses Google's Gemini API for automated content moderation in three situations:
- Post moderation — When you publish a service listing or wanted post, the title and description are sent to Gemini to check for policy violations such as phone numbers in descriptions, scam language, guaranteed income claims, and prohibited content. Posts that pass are published normally. Posts that fail are hidden and you are shown the reason.
- Report review — When a user is reported by another user, the reported content is sent to Gemini to assist in evaluating whether the report is valid.
- Review moderation — Reviews left about workers may be checked by Gemini to detect abusive, fake, or policy-violating content before or after publication.
Content sent to Gemini is subject to Google's Gemini API terms. We do not use your content to train AI models — content is sent for classification only.
6. Third-Party Services We Use
- Firebase (Google) — Phone number OTP authentication. Firebase Privacy Policy
- Google Gemini API — AI-based content moderation of post titles and descriptions. Gemini API Terms
- Google Analytics — Aggregated usage analytics (page visits, device type, general behaviour). Google Privacy Policy
- Google Search Console — Search performance monitoring. No individual user data is collected via this tool.
- Cloudinary — Profile photo storage and delivery. Cloudinary Privacy Policy
- MongoDB Atlas — Database storage (Mumbai region, India). MongoDB Privacy Policy
- Render — Cloud hosting for our backend and frontend services.
- Razorpay — Will be used for Ad payments in a future update. When activated, all billing transactions will be handled directly by Razorpay. We will not store card or bank details. Subject to Razorpay's Privacy Policy.
7. Cookies and Tracking
We use minimal cookies required for authentication (Firebase session tokens). Google Analytics may set cookies to track aggregated usage patterns. We do not currently run advertising cookies or personalised ad tracking.
You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect login functionality.
8. Data Sharing
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to any third party.
Provider profile information (name, category, service areas, rate, availability, photo) is publicly visible to all visitors of wofoworld.com — logged in or not. This is the core purpose of the platform. By creating a provider profile, you consent to this information being publicly displayed.
We are not responsible for how publicly visible profile data is accessed, saved, or used by independent visitors once it is displayed on the platform. Only publish information you are comfortable sharing with the general public.
We may disclose data if required by applicable law, a court order, or a lawful request from a government authority.
9. Data Retention
We retain your account data for as long as your account remains active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data from our systems within 30 days of the request. Some data may be retained in backup systems for up to 60 days before being permanently purged.
To delete your account, email [email protected] from the phone number associated with your account.
10. Data Security
We implement standard security practices including HTTPS encryption on all connections, rate limiting on API endpoints, input validation and sanitisation, and restricted database access (our database only accepts connections from our backend servers). Profile photos are served via Cloudinary's secure CDN.
No system is completely immune to security risks. We encourage you to use a phone number you are comfortable associating with a public-facing profile.
In the event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify affected users and, where required, the Data Protection Board of India, in accordance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
11. Children's Privacy
Wofo is not directed at individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us at [email protected] and we will delete the account promptly.
12. Your Rights Under India's DPDP Act, 2023
As a user of Wofo, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to access — Request a summary of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to correction — Update inaccurate information directly via your profile, or contact us.
- Right to erasure — Request deletion of your account and all associated personal data.
- Right to grievance redressal — Raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see Section 14).
- Right to nominate — Nominate another individual to exercise your data rights in the event of your death or incapacity. To register a nominee, email [email protected].
To exercise any of the above rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as the platform grows or as legal requirements change. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. Continued use of Wofo after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
For significant changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify active users.
14. Grievance Officer
In accordance with India's Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the DPDP Act, 2023, we have designated a Grievance Officer to handle privacy-related complaints:
Grievance Officer: Wofo
Email: [email protected]
Platform: wofoworld.com
Jurisdiction: India
Complaints will be acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 15 days of receipt.