Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 25, 2025

Gaidly, Inc. ("Gaidly," "we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you access or use our AI-powered travel planning website, mobile application, or other services (collectively, the "Services").

By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide to Us

Account and Profile Information:

  • Name, email address, phone number, and contact information
  • Account credentials and authentication information
  • Profile photos and personal preferences
  • Emergency contact information for travel safety

Travel-Specific Information:

  • Travel preferences, interests, and accessibility needs
  • Destination wishlists and travel bucket lists
  • Travel dates, budget ranges, and group size preferences
  • Accommodation and transportation preferences
  • Dietary restrictions and cultural preferences
  • Travel history and past trip experiences
  • Custom travel plans and itineraries created through our Services
  • Reviews, ratings, and recommendations you provide

Content and Communications:

  • Any content you submit, including feedback, reviews, photos, and travel stories
  • Messages sent through our platform to other users or our support team
  • Community contributions to shared travel guides and plans

Travel Documents:

  • Passport information, visa details, and travel document copies when voluntarily provided for trip planning assistance

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

Device and Usage Information:

  • IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
  • Usage information, activity logs, and feature interactions
  • App performance data and crash reports
  • Time spent on different features and pages

Location Information:

  • Precise Location: GPS coordinates when location services are enabled for real-time recommendations and safety features
  • Approximate Location: General location derived from IP address for regional content
  • Travel Location History: Places you've visited when using our Services
  • Planned Destinations: Locations you're researching or planning to visit

AI and Personalization Data:

  • Your interactions with our AI assistant "G" including queries and preferences
  • Response patterns to travel recommendations
  • Click-through rates on suggested activities and destinations
  • Personalization algorithm inputs and outputs (anonymized)

1.3 Information from Third Parties

Social and Authentication Providers:

  • Profile information from social login providers (Google, Apple, Facebook, etc.)
  • Contacts you choose to share with us for trip planning coordination

Travel Service Partners:

  • Booking confirmations and travel arrangements from integrated booking platforms (Booking.com, TripAdvisor)
  • Flight status, hotel reservations, and transportation bookings when you connect external accounts (Booking.com)
  • Reviews and ratings from travel service providers (TripAdvisor, Booking.com)

External Data Sources:

  • Weather information for destination planning
  • Event listings and local attraction information
  • Real-time transportation and traffic data
  • Currency exchange rates and local pricing information
  • Public safety and travel advisory information

Analytics and Advertising:

  • Analytics data from third-party platforms
  • Advertising interaction data (we do not engage in behavioral advertising but may use data for service improvement)

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 Core Service Functionality

  • Personalized Recommendations: Using AI algorithms to suggest destinations, activities, and travel plans tailored to your preferences
  • Trip Planning: Creating custom itineraries and travel guides based on your inputs
  • Real-Time Assistance: Providing location-based recommendations and support during your travels
  • Community Features: Enabling sharing of travel plans and recommendations with other users (with your consent)

2.2 AI and Machine Learning

  • Algorithm Training: Improving our AI recommendation engine ("G") using aggregated, anonymized user interaction data
  • Preference Learning: Understanding your travel style to provide better future recommendations
  • Trend Analysis: Identifying popular destinations and travel patterns to improve our service

2.3 Safety and Support

  • Travel Safety: Monitoring for travel advisories and safety alerts for your planned destinations
  • Customer Support: Resolving issues and providing assistance with your travel plans

2.4 Communication and Updates

  • Service Communications: Sending trip reminders, itinerary updates, and important service notifications
  • Marketing Communications: Sharing travel inspiration and service updates (with your consent)
  • Community Notifications: Alerting you to relevant travel tips and community activity

2.5 Legal and Business Operations

  • Compliance: Meeting legal obligations and regulatory requirements
  • Fraud Prevention: Protecting against misuse of our Services
  • Business Analytics: Understanding service usage to improve and develop new features

3. Legal Basis for Processing (for EU/UK Users)

We collect and use personal information only where we have legal bases under the GDPR:

  • Consent (e.g., for marketing emails, precise location data, community features)
  • Contractual necessity (e.g., to provide personalized travel recommendations and core Services)
  • Legal obligation (e.g., to comply with travel safety regulations and tax laws)
  • Legitimate interests (e.g., to improve our AI algorithms, prevent fraud, ensure service security)

For AI processing and personalization, we rely on legitimate interests balanced against your privacy rights, with opt-out options available.

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 With Your Consent

  • Community Sharing: Travel plans, reviews, and recommendations shared with other users when you choose to make them public
  • Social Features: Content shared through social media integrations when you explicitly choose to share

4.2 Service Providers and Partners

  • Technology Partners: Cloud hosting, analytics, and AI processing partners who help us operate our Services
  • Travel Service Providers: Airlines, hotels, and booking platforms when you make reservations through our platform
  • Payment Processors: For processing subscription fees and travel booking payments
  • Customer Support: Third-party support platforms to provide customer assistance

4.3 Legal Requirements

  • Legal Compliance: When required by law, court order, or government request
  • Safety Situations: To protect the safety of our users or others in emergency situations
  • Business Transfers: In connection with mergers, acquisitions, or asset sales (with user notification)

4.4 Aggregated and Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized data about travel trends and platform usage with partners and the public, which cannot be used to identify you personally.

5. Your Privacy Rights

5.1 Global Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal requirements)
  • Restriction: Limit how we process your data
  • Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
  • Objection: Object to certain types of processing
  • Consent Withdrawal: Withdraw consent for processing based on consent

To exercise your rights: Contact us at [email protected] or use the privacy settings in your account.

5.2 AI and Personalization Controls

  • Recommendation Opt-Out: Disable personalized AI recommendations (may limit service functionality)
  • Algorithmic Transparency: Request information about how our recommendation algorithm affects you

5.3 Location Data Controls

  • Precise Location: Enable/disable GPS-based location tracking through device settings
  • Location History: View and delete your location history in your account settings
  • Real-Time Features: Control which location-based features are active

5.4 California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

  • Know what categories of personal data we collect and why
  • Request deletion of personal data
  • Opt out of the sale of personal data (we do not sell your personal information)
  • Not be discriminated against for exercising your rights
  • Sensitive Personal Information: Limit use of sensitive personal information (location, biometric data)

5.5 EU/UK Residents (GDPR)

You have the right to:

  • Be informed about how your data is used (this policy)
  • Access your data and request corrections
  • Request erasure of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Restrict or object to data processing
  • Data portability for your travel plans and preferences
  • Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country
  • Automated Decision-Making: Request human review of AI-driven travel recommendations that significantly affect you

6. International Data Transfers

Cross-Border Processing: As a travel platform, your data may be processed in multiple countries to provide destination-specific recommendations and comply with local travel regulations.

Safeguards: We use appropriate safeguards including:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
  • Adequacy decisions for transfers to approved countries
  • Additional technical and organizational measures

Travel-Specific Transfers: When you travel internationally, we may process your data in your destination country to provide local recommendations and comply with local requirements.

7. Data Security

Security Measures: We implement comprehensive security measures including:

  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
  • Multi-factor authentication for account access
  • Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
  • Secure data centers with physical access controls
  • Employee training on data protection and security

Travel-Specific Security:

  • Secure handling of location data during travel
  • Encrypted storage of travel documents
  • Secure transmission of real-time location for safety features

Incident Response: We have procedures to detect, respond to, and notify users of security incidents as required by law.

8. Data Retention

General Retention: We retain your data as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, including legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Specific Retention Periods:

  • Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for 3 months after account deletion
  • Travel Plans: Retained for 6 months to enable trip history and recommendations
  • Location Data: Real-time location data retained for 30 days; location history until you delete it
  • AI Training Data: Anonymized interaction data may be retained indefinitely for algorithm improvement
  • Legal Requirements: Some data may be retained longer due to legal obligations

Deletion: You can request deletion of your data at any time, subject to legal requirements and legitimate business needs.

10. Children's Privacy

Age Restriction: Our Services are not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13.

Parental Consent: Users between 13-18 must have parental consent to use our Services.

Discovery and Deletion: If we become aware of personal data from children under 13, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Updates: We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements.

Notification: We will notify you of material changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy on our website
  • Sending email notifications for significant changes
  • Providing in-app notifications

Continued Use: Your continued use of our Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at:

Gaidly, Inc.

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Address: 2261 Market Street STE 86613 San Francisco, CA, 94114 US

Response Time: We will respond to your privacy requests within 7 business days.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on March 25, 2025 and is version 2.0 of our privacy practices.