Privacy Policy
Effective Date: May 30, 2025
Introduction
Welcome to Vulppy! This Privacy Policy explains how Vulppy ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data when you use our mobile applications: Vulppy (for customers) and Vulppy Business (for business owners) (collectively, the "Services"). Our Services provide an AI Customer Support platform for local businesses, acting as a centralized directory of local services. Customers can find businesses, make chat inquiries, receive AI-powered responses, make appointments, and provide feedback. Business owners can manage appointments, view customer history, and customize their AI assistant.
This Privacy Policy applies to both the Vulppy and Vulppy Business applications. By downloading, accessing, or using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy and our Terms of Service. We are committed to protecting your privacy in compliance with the Republic Act No. 10173, also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA), and its implementing rules and regulations.
Our Details:
Legal Company Name: Vulppy
Registered Address: H2X6+QVV, PUP Main Entrance Rd, Manila City, Metro Manila 1016 Philippines
Contact Email for Privacy Concerns: vulppyservice@gmail.com
Information We Collect
We collect different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our Services to you. This information can be broadly categorized as follows:
A. Information You Provide Directly to Us:
This is information you knowingly and actively provide when you use or participate in any of our Services and promotions.
For Vulppy (Customer App) Users:
Account Registration: When you create an account on the Vulppy app, we collect personal data such as your Name, Email Address, Phone Number, and Birthdate. You will also create a Password (which is stored securely using hashing and is not visible to us in plain text). Providing a Profile Picture is optional.
When using Google Sign-In: If you choose to sign up or log in to the Vulppy app using your Google account, we collect your Name and Email Address as provided by Google. We do not receive your Google account password.
For Vulppy Business (Business App) Users:
Account Registration: When you create an account on the Vulppy Business app, we collect information such as the Business Name, a Business Description, the Owner's Name, the Owner's Phone Number, the Business Address, the approximate Number of Employees, and the Business Category. You will also create a Password.
When using Google Sign-In: If you choose to sign up or log in to the Vulppy Business app using your Google account, we collect your Name and Email Address as provided by Google. We do not receive your Google account password.
Information Collected Through Your Use of the Services (for both Customer and Business Users, as applicable):
Chat and AI Interaction Data: This includes the content of your inquiries, messages exchanged with our AI assistant or directly between customers and businesses through our platform, details related to appointments discussed or scheduled via chat (such as date, time, service requested, and price), and any feedback you provide through the chat interface. (This data is processed by our third-party AI providers, OpenAI and Gemini, to generate responses, as detailed in Section 4).
Appointment Data: Details of appointments made via the Services, including date, time, service type, status (e.g., confirmed, cancelled, completed), and associated customer information (name, email, phone number) which is visible to the respective business owner to facilitate the appointment.
Usage Data/Analytics (Collected by Vulppy): We collect information on how you interact with our Services. This includes features like map areas you view (based on your explicit searches or navigation within the map feature), business profiles you visit, counts of chat interactions, and daily activity counts within the apps. We do not use third-party analytics tools for this specific type of usage data collection.
B. Information Collected Automatically:
When you access our Services, our servers may automatically log standard data provided by your device and our application.
Cookies: We use cookies primarily for session management to help you stay logged in and to ensure our Services function effectively. A cookie is a small data file placed on your device when you access our Services.
Basic Connection and Technical Information: When you use our Services, our servers may automatically log standard connection information such as your IP address. This information is essential for the operation of the service, to maintain the quality of the service, for security purposes (like fraud prevention and protecting our systems), and to provide general aggregated statistics regarding the use of our Services. We do not collect specific device identifiers (like Device ID, IMEI, or MAC address) or detailed device hardware/software information (like OS version or device model) beyond what is necessary for basic network communication and security.
C. Location Information (User-Initiated or Business-Provided):
We do not collect your device's precise GPS location automatically or in the background.
Location-related features in our app, such as finding businesses "near you" or on a map, rely on:
The location or address you explicitly enter or search for within the app (e.g., "restaurants in Makati City").
The business address information provided by Business Owners when they register their services on Vulppy Business.
General region information that might be broadly inferred from your IP address for service delivery (e.g., to ensure you connect to the nearest server), but this is not used for precise tracking or user profiling based on location.
D. Information from Third Parties:
Google Sign-In: As detailed in section 2.A, if you choose to register or log in to our Services using your Google account, we receive your Name and Email Address from Google. Google's handling of your information is governed by its own privacy policy.
How We Use Your Information
We use the collected data for various purposes:
To Provide and Maintain Our Services:
To create and manage your user accounts.
To operate the Vulppy and Vulppy Business apps, including the AI chat functionality, inquiry management, and appointment scheduling.
To facilitate communication and transactions between Customers and Businesses.
To Improve Our Services:
To understand how users interact with our Services for analytics and service improvement.
To improve application features and develop new ones.
Note on AI Model Training: Your chat data is not used to train or improve the underlying general AI models of our third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Gemini). It is processed by these providers solely to generate responses to your specific queries within our app. Business owners can customize their AI assistant using their own business details and service information.
To Personalize Your Experience: To tailor content and features based on your preferences or usage.
For Customer Support: To respond to your inquiries, requests, and provide assistance.
For Security and Fraud Prevention: To monitor for and prevent fraudulent or unauthorized activity and to ensure the security of our Services.
To Enforce Our Terms: To enforce our Terms of Service and other policies.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: As described in Section 4 (Data Sharing and Disclosure).
How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your Personal Data. We may share your information in the following circumstances:
Between Customers and Businesses:
Customer inquiries, chat interactions, and appointment requests (including your name, contact details provided for the appointment, and service details) are shared with the Business Owner you interact with.
Appointment confirmations and status updates are shared with both the Customer and the relevant Business Owner.
Feedback provided by a Customer may be shared with the relevant Business.
With Third-Party Service Providers: We engage third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our Services, provide the Services on our behalf, perform Service-related services, or assist us in analyzing how our Services are used. These third parties have access to your Personal Data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. Our key providers include:
Cloud Hosting & Database: Digital Ocean (Singapore) for backend hosting and MongoDB (Singapore) for database hosting.
AI Processing: OpenAI and/or Google (Gemini) to process your chat inquiries and generate AI responses. The content of your chat interactions is sent to these providers for this purpose. Their use of data is governed by their respective privacy policies and terms.
Vector Database (for AI customization): Pinecone, to help businesses customize their AI assistant by storing and retrieving relevant business information.
App Distribution: Apple App Store and Google Play Store for distributing our mobile applications. Their data collection is subject to their own privacy policies.
Domain Name Services: Namecheap for domain name registration and management related to our service infrastructure.
For Legal Requirements and Law Enforcement: We may disclose your Personal Data if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to:
Comply with a legal obligation, lawful request, subpoena, court order, or other legal process from government authorities or law enforcement agencies in the Philippines or other jurisdictions where we operate or where the data may be processed.
Protect and defend the rights or property of Vulppy.
Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Services.
Protect the personal safety of users of the Services or the public.
Protect against legal liability.
Business Transfers: In the event that Vulppy, or substantially all of its assets, are acquired, or in the unlikely event that Vulppy goes out of business or enters bankruptcy, user information, including Personal Data, would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy, provided we are legally permitted to do so.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for session management to ensure you remain logged in and to help our Services function effectively. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.
Data Security
The security of your data is important to us. We implement reasonable and appropriate organizational, physical, and technical security measures designed to protect your Personal Data from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. These measures include:
Encryption of data in transit (using SSL/TLS).
Encryption of data at rest.
Access controls to limit access to Personal Data.
Firewalls.
Obfuscation of mobile application code.
API security measures.
While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Data Retention
We will retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, or as long as your account is active. Upon your request for account deletion, or if an account remains inactive for a prolonged period as determined by us, we will retain your data fora period of 30 days to allow for account reactivation. After this period, if the account is not reactivated, your Personal Data will be permanently deleted from our active systems, subject to any legal or regulatory requirements to retain data for longer periods (e.g., for audit or legal compliance). Anonymized data may be retained for analytical purposes.
Your Rights as a Data Subject (under the DPA)
As a data subject in the Philippines, you have the following rights regarding your Personal Data:
The Right to be Informed: You have the right to be informed whether your personal data shall be, are being, or have been processed.
The Right to Access: You have the right to request access to your Personal Data that we hold.
The Right to Rectification (Correction): You have the right to request the correction of any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data.
The Right to Erasure or Blocking (Deletion): You have the right to suspend, withdraw, or order the blocking, removal, or destruction of your Personal Data from our filing system under certain circumstances. You can request deletion of your account and associated data.
The Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your Personal Data, including processing for direct marketing, automated processing, or profiling.
The Right to Data Portability: You have the right to obtain a copy of your Personal Data in an electronic or structured format that is commonly used and allows for further use by you, where technically feasible.
The Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) if you believe your data privacy rights have been violated.
The Right to Damages: You may be indemnified for any damages sustained due to inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, false, unlawfully obtained, or unauthorized use of personal data.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at vulppyservice@gmail.com. We will respond to your request in accordance with the DPA and other applicable laws. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
International Data Transfers
Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers and servers located outside of the Philippines, where the data protection laws may differ.
Specifically:
Our backend infrastructure and database are hosted on Digital Ocean and MongoDB servers located in Singapore.
Our AI processing partners, OpenAI and Google (Gemini), may process data in various global locations, including the United States.
By using our Services and providing us with your Personal Data, you acknowledge and consent to such transfer, storage, and processing of your data outside of the Philippines.
Vulppy will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws, including the Philippine Data Privacy Act. This includes implementing appropriate safeguards, such as entering into contractual agreements (e.g., Data Processing Agreements incorporating standard contractual clauses) with our third-party service providers to ensure an adequate level of data protection.
Children's Privacy
Our Services are not directed to anyone under the age of 18 ('Children'). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children. 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 children without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy within our applications and/or by sending you an email to the primary email address specified in your account.
You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page or otherwise made available through the Services. Your continued use of the Services after any modification to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such modification.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or have any concerns regarding your privacy, please contact us:
By email: vulppyservice@gmail.com
By mail: Vulppy, H2X6+QVV, PUP Main Entrance Rd, Manila City, Metro Manila 1016 Philippines