Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") is designed to help you, the user ("User", "Member", "you"), understand how Hawlt ("Hawlt", "we", "us", or "our") collects, stores, uses, and discloses your personal and non-personal information — classified as mandatory or voluntary — when you access the Hawlt website, applications, and associated services (collectively, the "Platform"). "Personal Information" means information that alone or in combination with other information can be used to readily identify, contact, or locate you.

You agree to use the Platform in the manner in which it is intended. If you do not agree to this Policy, please stop using our services. Accessing, transacting, or otherwise using the Platform indicates your agreement to this Policy and to our Terms & Conditions.

We store, process, and collect your information only where it is necessary and relevant to our dealings with you. Information you share with us is retained for as long as we are required by law or as long as it is relevant to the purpose for which it was collected. We will not share your information with any third party without your consent unless we are legally compelled to do so.

1. Collection of Information

We, our officers, employees, and appointed agents may collect certain information (which may include sensitive personal information) from you to provide the Platform. During your use of the Platform you may provide Hawlt and its affiliates, agents, vendors, or partners information that constitutes "sensitive personal information" as defined under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. You consent to our use of such information as described in this Policy.

If you are unable to provide the information we need, we may not be able to provide the service you have requested. The categories we collect include:

1.1 User-provided information

Account details: first name, last name, email address, phone number, password (stored as a salted hash), delivery country.
Profile and address details: shipping address, locker/suite number, government ID documents where customs require them.
Order and shipment data: product names, product URLs, payment type (prepaid or cash on delivery), order status, tracking numbers, courier, weights, dimensions, and photographs of parcels.
Communications: messages you send to support and notification preferences.

1.2 Information received from third parties

If you sign in with Google or another OAuth provider, we receive basic profile information (name, email, avatar) from that provider. We may also receive information from payment processors, shipping carriers, and marketing partners who help us operate the Platform.

1.3 Non-personal identification information

We collect non-personal information whenever you interact with the Platform, such as browser name, device type, operating system, and internet service provider.

1.4 Log file information

Our servers automatically record log information including your web request, IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages and URLs, domain names, landing pages, pages viewed, and interaction events.

1.5 Location information

We may derive approximate location from your IP address to route parcels, present pricing in your currency, and comply with export rules. We do not collect precise device GPS location.

1.6 Payment information

Payments are handled by third-party payment processors. We store transaction identifiers and status only; we do not store full card numbers, CVVs, or bank credentials on our systems.

2. Use of Collected Information

We use the Personal Information you submit to operate, maintain, and improve the Platform. Specifically, we use your information to:

Provide the service: issue your virtual Indian address, place orders on your behalf, receive and consolidate parcels, and ship them internationally.
Improve customer service: respond to your support requests efficiently.
Personalise your experience: analyse how the Platform is used, diagnose technical problems, maintain security, and personalise content.
Manage your account: authenticate you and manage your registration and subscriptions.
Communications: respond to your inquiries and send you transactional notifications (order placed, received, packed, shipped, delivered, locker reset). We may also send product updates and offers; you can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time. You cannot opt out of service-related emails required by law.
Payments: process prepaid orders, refunds, and any duties or taxes we advance on your behalf.
Audit and record-keeping: retain profile and shipment data for backup, archival, tax, customs, and audit purposes.
Other purposes: preventing, detecting, and fighting fraud or unauthorised activity; processing claims; meeting contractual obligations; resolving disputes; and ensuring legal compliance.

3. Sharing of Collected Information

We may use third-party service providers to help us operate the Platform (for example, sending emails, analytics, or hosting). We share your information with them only for those limited purposes.
We pass your name, address, and shipment details to shipping carriers and customs brokers to deliver the services you have requested.
We may share data with our affiliates, vendors, or partner payment institutions to provide services to you. You authorise them to use this information for that purpose.
We may transfer information in the course of corporate divestitures, mergers, or dissolution, under equivalent protections.
Except as described in this Policy, we will not disclose Personal Information to any third party unless required by law or with your prior permission, or where necessary to (a) comply with legal process, (b) enforce our Terms & Conditions, (c) assist government enforcement or protect the Platform, or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Hawlt, our Users, or others.
We do not sell your Personal Information.

4. Browser Usage and Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, deliver content specific to your interests, and measure Platform performance. You can accept or decline cookies through your browser settings; if you decline, certain features may not work.

5. Third Parties

The Platform may display links to other websites. We make reasonable efforts to link only to sites that meet similar privacy standards, but we cannot control the content or privacy practices of third-party sites and disclaim responsibility for them.
If we display third-party advertisements, those third parties may store your IP address and download technologies like cookies and JavaScript to measure and optimise their ads. This Policy does not cover technologies installed by third-party websites.
When you grant permission to view Platform information on a third-party service, that third party may also collect information and publish your activity. All information Hawlt collects is subject to this Policy; information collected by third parties is subject to their policies.

6. Third-Party Services and Tools

To operate Hawlt we rely on the following third-party tools and providers. This list is illustrative and may change over time:

Lovable Cloud — authentication, database, storage, and serverless functions.
Google OAuth — social sign-in.
Payment processors — Stripe, Razorpay (for prepaid orders and refunds).
Shipping carriers and customs brokers — DHL, FedEx, Aramex, India Post, and equivalent partners.
Email delivery — for verification and notification emails.
Analytics and product monitoring — to understand aggregate usage and diagnose issues.
Error monitoring — to detect and resolve crashes.
Customer-support tools — for live chat and ticketing.
Google reCAPTCHA — to protect the Platform from spam and abuse; use is subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

7. Security Precautions

We safeguard your privacy using industry-standard security procedures and comply with applicable data-protection laws. We combine physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards throughout the data lifecycle: all traffic uses HTTPS/TLS in transit; passwords are salted and hashed; sensitive data at rest is encrypted; database access is protected by row-level security and least-privilege roles; and administrative access is authenticated and logged. Sensitive data is decrypted only for processing and re-encrypted or discarded immediately afterwards.

We retain data after account deletion where required to comply with legal obligations or for records connected with disputes. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information you transmit via email, social media, or other public forums. Hawlt takes no responsibility for breaches caused by events beyond our reasonable control such as fire, flood, acts of God, sabotage, strikes, civil commotion, war, acts of government, computer hacking, or damage to software or hardware.

8. Data Retention

We keep account and shipment records for as long as your account is active and for up to 7 years afterwards to comply with tax, customs, and accounting laws. Diagnostic logs are typically retained for up to 90 days. You may request earlier deletion — see Section 11.

9. International Data Transfers

Because Hawlt forwards parcels internationally, your data may be processed in countries other than your own, including the country where you shop and the country where you receive parcels. We rely on standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards where required. You acknowledge that data may be processed and stored by third parties in their respective countries.

10. Opt-Out

You may opt out of marketing communications by using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by changing notification preferences in your account. Even after opting out, we will still send transactional messages required to deliver the service, and we will collect information when you perform transactions on the Platform.

11. Your Rights

Subject to your local law (including the EU GDPR, UK GDPR, California CCPA/CPRA, and India's DPDP Act), you may:

Access the personal information we hold about you.
Correct inaccurate information.
Delete your account and associated personal data.
Export a copy of your data (portability).
Object to or restrict certain processing.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

To exercise these rights, email support@hawlt.com. We respond within 30 days.

12. Account and Data Deletion

You can request deletion of your account and personal data at any time from your dashboard or by emailing support@hawlt.com from your registered address. Upon verified request we delete your account, profile, saved addresses, and notification history. Records we are legally required to retain (tax invoices, customs declarations, fraud logs) are kept for the minimum required period and then deleted.

13. Minors' Information

Hawlt is not marketed toward persons under the age of eighteen (18). If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from an individual under 18, we will promptly delete such information.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Policy at any time. Material changes will be announced via email or an in-app notice at least 7 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of those changes.

15. Consent

By submitting data to us or to our agents, you consent to our use of your data in the manner set out in this Policy and agree to have your personal data transferred and processed across national boundaries.

16. Queries and Grievance Officer

If you have questions about this Policy or Hawlt's information collection, use, and disclosure practices, please contact:

Name: Hawlt Grievance Team
Email: grievance@hawlt.com
Support: support@hawlt.com