Privacy Policy
StoreBuddy is engineered with privacy at its foundation. This policy explains how your data is handled, stored locally, and how our optional Google Drive backup integration operates.
Offline-First Data Storage
Your inventory, point-of-sale registers, and customer invoices are stored directly on your physical device. You own your store database.
Restricted Google Drive Scope
Connecting Google Drive only uploads encrypted database backups and deletes old backup copies based on your retention settings.
Zero Data Monetization
We never sell, rent, broker, or monetize your store data, sales history, customer phone numbers, or Google Drive files under any circumstance.
01Overview & Core Principles
StoreBuddy (“StoreBuddy”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), operated by LighTecHouse, provides a hybrid offline-first retail Point of Sale (POS) and inventory management platform across desktop (Windows, macOS), mobile (Android), and cloud web applications.
This Privacy Policy articulates our transparent commitments regarding how information is collected, safeguarded, and utilized when you use the StoreBuddy applications, desktop installers, mobile APKs, and cloud dashboard (accessible at https://storebuddy.co and https://app.storebuddy.co).
Unlike traditional cloud-only POS systems where your proprietary retail transactions are exposed to remote third-party databases, StoreBuddy is architected so that your operational data belongs exclusively to you and remains hosted primarily on your local hardware.
How We Access & Use Google Drive
StoreBuddy allows store owners to optionally connect their personal or organization Google Drive account to safeguard their store database against local hardware failure, fire, theft, or operating system crashes.
Exact & Exclusive Scope of Google Drive Operations:
- Upload Database Backups: StoreBuddy creates compressed, encrypted snapshots of your local store database and uploads them to a dedicated StoreBuddy backup folder within your authorized Google Drive.
- Delete Outdated Backups (Retention Management): To prevent your Google Drive quota from filling up, StoreBuddy automatically deletes only obsolete backup files previously created by StoreBuddy, in accordance with your configured backup retention policy (for example, keeping the 5 most recent daily snapshots).
What StoreBuddy Never Does With Your Google Drive:
- • We never access, read, view, modify, download, or delete any personal documents, photos, spreadsheets, presentations, or other files existing on your Google Drive.
- • StoreBuddy does not scan or index your Google Drive file list.
- • We never transfer your Google Drive files to external servers or commercial third parties.
- • StoreBuddy never uses your Google Drive data or backups to serve ads or monetize user data.
03Google API Services User Data Policy (Limited Use)
StoreBuddy strictly adheres to the highest standards of user data protection mandated by Google for third-party application developers.
“StoreBuddy’s use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.”
No AI/ML Model Training
Information received from Google APIs is never used to develop, train, or improve generalized machine learning or artificial intelligence models.
No Human Access
No human beings at StoreBuddy or LighTecHouse are permitted to read or view your Google Drive backup files unless you have granted explicit consent for technical recovery.
04Offline-First Architecture & Data Ownership
StoreBuddy was engineered specifically to ensure retail operations never stall due to poor internet connectivity. As part of this architectural decision:
- Local Storage: Your product catalog, inventory quantities, barcode registrations, batch numbers, FEFO expiration dates, customer purchase records, and daily sales registers are stored in a local embedded database residing on your device.
- Zero Forced Cloud Dependency: You can operate your cash register, barcode scanner, and receipt printer in completely disconnected offline mode indefinitely.
- Optional Cloud Sync: If you utilize multi-terminal sync or cloud reporting, data synchronized to our servers is encrypted in transit and at rest, restricted exclusively to authenticated staff credentials.
05Information We Collect
We collect only the minimum necessary information required to operate StoreBuddy and fulfill our software licensing obligations:
| Category | Data Elements | Purpose & Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Account Information | Store name, email address, phone number, business currency, subscription plan. | License verification, billing, and software update notifications. |
| OAuth & Cloud Tokens | Google Drive OAuth2 refresh and access tokens. | Stored securely on your device/instance to automate scheduled backup uploads and deletions. |
| Device & Diagnostics | Operating system version (Windows, macOS, Android), app version, crash dumps. | Debugging, stability improvements, and security patches. |
06WhatsApp Billing & Digital Receipts
StoreBuddy provides automated digital receipt dispatch over WhatsApp to save thermal paper costs and provide your customers with immediate digital proofs of purchase.
Customer phone numbers entered at the point of checkout are utilized solely to generate and transmit the digital invoice via your configured WhatsApp connection or gateway. StoreBuddy does not compile, sell, share, or broker your customer directory for promotional campaigns or third-party telemarketing.
07Zero Data Sharing & No Sale of Personal Information
We believe your retail store’s sales history, profit margins, product costs, supplier details, and consumer volume represent your competitive advantage. Under no circumstances does StoreBuddy:
- Sell your personal, store, or customer information to data brokers.
- Share Google user data or Google Drive files with marketing networks.
- Disclose transaction logs to competitor retail analytics platforms.
Data may only be disclosed if legally mandated by a verified court order, subpoena, or applicable regulatory law enforcement body.
08Data Security & Encryption
We employ industry-standard administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your information:
All communications with StoreBuddy web services, cloud portals, and Google APIs are secured with TLS 1.3 encryption.
Database backups are packaged into secured archives prior to upload to Google Drive, ensuring that raw SQL/data dumps are never exposed.
09Data Retention & Google Drive Revocation
You retain total autonomy over your data and connected cloud services:
How to Disconnect Google Drive at Any Time:
- In the StoreBuddy App: Navigate to Settings → Backup & Sync → Google Drive and click “Disconnect Account”. This instantly wipes all saved OAuth tokens and terminates future automated uploads.
- From Your Google Account: You can revoke StoreBuddy’s access at any moment via Google’s official permissions management portal at Google Account Third-Party Permissions. Once revoked, StoreBuddy cannot execute any upload or delete operations on your Drive.
10Your Privacy Rights (GDPR & CCPA/CPRA)
Depending on your geographic jurisdiction, including the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, and the State of California, you possess statutory rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Access & Portability: Request a complete machine-readable copy of any account data we store.
- Right to Rectification: Correct any erroneous or incomplete store registration details.
- Right to Erasure (Be Forgotten): Request full deletion of your cloud account and stored diagnostics.
- Non-Discrimination: We never deny service, adjust pricing, or degrade POS performance if you exercise privacy rights.
Contact Our Privacy Team
If you have questions, feedback, or require assistance concerning this Privacy Policy, your Google Drive backup settings, or your personal data rights, please contact our Data Protection Office: