Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Buddy Care LLC (“Buddy,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates an online marketplace platform at buddycareapp.com (the “Platform”) that connects families seeking companionship and non-medical care for elderly individuals with independent companions. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you use the Platform, and describes the rights available to you with respect to that information.

By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with its terms, please do not use the Platform.

This Policy applies to all users of the Platform, including families seeking companions (“Families”), individuals registered to provide companion services (“Companions”), and visitors to our website.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways: information you provide to us directly, information generated by your use of the Platform, and information received from third parties.

2.1 Information You Provide

When you create an account, book services, or communicate through the Platform, you may provide:

• Account registration information, including your full legal name, email address, phone number, and password
• Profile information, including profile photos, service location, experience, certifications, and personal statements
• Payment information processed through our payment processor, Stripe, Inc. Buddy Care does not store credit card numbers or payment account credentials
• Communications you send through the Platform's messaging system, which may include health-adjacent information about a client's condition, preferences, routines, or care needs
• Background check consent and supporting documentation, processed through Checkr, Inc.
• Transportation documentation for Verified Driver enrollment, including driver's license information and insurance declarations pages
• Any other information you choose to share when contacting us for support

2.2 Information Generated by Platform Use

When you use the Platform, we automatically collect:

• Log data, including IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages visited, and time stamps
• Location information, at the level of the service location you provide in your profile or booking
• Usage data, including search queries, booking history, and platform interactions
• Communications metadata, including message timestamps and read receipts

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We receive information from the following third-party sources:

• Checkr, Inc.: background screening results, including criminal history records where applicable, used to evaluate Companion eligibility
• Stripe, Inc.: payment processing confirmations, payout status, and fraud signals
• Analytics providers: aggregated usage and performance data to help us improve the Platform

3. Health-Adjacent Information

The Platform is designed to facilitate non-medical companionship and care. However, we recognize that information shared through Platform communications may relate to a client's health status, medical history, physical or cognitive limitations, medication schedules, or care needs (“health-adjacent information”). This information is not collected for medical purposes and Buddy Care is not a healthcare provider, covered entity, or business associate under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Health-adjacent information shared through the Platform's messaging system is used solely to facilitate the specific care arrangement for which it was shared. We do not use health-adjacent information for advertising or marketing purposes, sell it to third parties, or disclose it except as described in Section 5 of this Policy.

Companions are required under the Companion Code of Conduct to treat all client health-adjacent information as strictly confidential. That obligation survives termination of a Companion's account.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To create and maintain your account and verify your identity
• To facilitate connections between Families and Companions and process bookings
• To process payments and issue payouts through Stripe
• To conduct background screening through Checkr as a condition of Companion platform access
• To review and approve Verified Driver enrollment documentation
• To operate the Platform's messaging system
• To send transactional communications, including booking confirmations, payment receipts, and account notifications
• To respond to support requests and resolve disputes
• To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, policy violations, and safety incidents
• To comply with legal obligations, including mandatory reporting obligations under applicable adult protective services statutes
• To improve the Platform through analysis of aggregated, de-identified usage data
• To enforce our Terms of Service and Companion Code of Conduct

5. How We Disclose Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We disclose personal information only in the following circumstances:

5.1 Between Platform Users

Profile information, including name, photo, service location, listed experience, and ratings, is displayed publicly on the Platform to facilitate connections between Families and Companions. Families and Companions can communicate directly through the Platform's messaging system once a booking connection is established.

5.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who perform functions on our behalf, subject to confidentiality obligations. Our primary processors are:

• Stripe, Inc.: payment processing and Companion payouts. Stripe's privacy practices are governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy at stripe.com/privacy
• Checkr, Inc.: background screening for Companion eligibility. Checkr's privacy practices are governed by Checkr's Privacy Policy at checkr.com/privacy-policy
• Supabase: database hosting and infrastructure. Data is stored on Supabase's infrastructure subject to its data processing terms
• Analytics and performance monitoring providers, who receive aggregated or de-identified data only

5.3 Legal and Safety Disclosures

We may disclose personal information when we have a good-faith belief that disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with applicable law, regulation, or legal process, including mandatory reporting obligations to adult protective services authorities where required by state law
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of Buddy Care, our users, or the public
• Detect, prevent, or respond to suspected fraud, abuse, or safety incidents
• Respond to a court order, subpoena, or governmental request

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify affected users by email or platform notification if their personal information becomes subject to a materially different privacy policy as a result.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide Platform services, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, and enforce our agreements. Specific retention periods include:

• Account information: retained for the duration of your account and for three years following account closure
• Background check results: retained in accordance with applicable law and Checkr's data retention practices
• Payment records: retained for seven years in accordance with standard financial recordkeeping requirements
• Platform communications: retained for two years following the date of the communication
• Safety and incident records: retained for the longer of five years or the applicable statute of limitations

Health-adjacent information shared through Platform messaging is retained as part of the communication record subject to the messaging retention period above. You may request deletion of specific communications subject to the limitations described in Section 8.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include encrypted transmission of data over the Platform, access controls limiting internal access to personal information on a need-to-know basis, and security monitoring of our infrastructure.

No security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted to or through the Platform, and any transmission is at your own risk. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately at support@buddycareapp.com.

7.1 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a security breach involving your personal information, we will notify affected users and applicable regulatory authorities in accordance with applicable state law. For breaches involving health-adjacent information or other sensitive personal data, we target notification within 72 hours of discovering the breach, subject to the operational requirements of any concurrent law enforcement investigation. Notification will be provided by email to the address associated with your account, or by substitute notice if email contact is unavailable.

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 Account Information

You may review and update the information associated with your account by logging into your account settings. If you need assistance correcting inaccurate information, please contact us at support@buddycareapp.com.

8.2 California Residents: CCPA Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), provides you with specific rights with respect to your personal information. These rights include:

• Right to Know: You have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which it was collected, the business or commercial purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it
• Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions, including information we are required to retain to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, comply with legal obligations, or for other purposes permitted by the CCPA
• Right to Correct: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you
• Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined under the CCPA. No opt-out is required
• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: To the extent any information we collect qualifies as “sensitive personal information” under the CCPA, we use it only to the extent necessary to provide the Platform services and for other purposes permitted by applicable law
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights

To submit a CCPA rights request, please contact us at support@buddycareapp.comwith the subject line “California Privacy Request.” We will respond within 45 days of receiving a verifiable request, with one 45-day extension if reasonably necessary. We may require verification of your identity before processing your request.

California residents may also designate an authorized agent to submit requests on their behalf. Authorized agent requests must include written authorization from you and will be subject to identity verification.

8.3 Communications Preferences

You may opt out of non-transactional marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in any marketing email or by contacting us at support@buddycareapp.com. Transactional communications related to your account, bookings, and safety are not subject to opt-out.

8.4 Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account by contacting us at support@buddycareapp.com. Following account deletion, we will delete or de-identify your personal information subject to our retention obligations described in Section 6. Some information may be retained in anonymized or aggregated form that cannot reasonably be used to identify you.

9. Children

The Platform is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a minor, we will take steps to delete it promptly. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us at support@buddycareapp.com.

The elderly individuals who are the subject of care arrangements facilitated through the Platform are not users of the Platform and their personal information is handled only to the extent shared by Families or Companions through Platform communications, as described in Sections 2 and 3 of this Policy.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or integrate with third-party services. This Privacy Policy applies only to the Buddy Care Platform. Third-party websites and services operate under their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third party.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or Platform features. Material changes will be communicated by email to the address associated with your account or by notice on the Platform at least 30 days before taking effect. Your continued use of the Platform following notice of a material change constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy. Non-material changes take effect immediately upon posting.

The “Last Updated” date at the top of this Policy reflects when it was most recently revised. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

12. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or need to report a privacy concern, please contact us at:

Buddy Care LLC
Website: buddycareapp.com
Email: support@buddycareapp.com