DriveChat Privacy Policy

Last updated: 26 August 2026

DriveChat is a voice-and-text chat app for drivers. This policy explains what the app collects, why, and what you can do about it. It covers the DriveChat mobile app and the DriveChat API.

1. What we collect

Data	Why
Email address and password	To create and secure your account. Passwords are stored only as a bcrypt hash — we never see them.
Display name, nickname, bio, profile picture	Shown to other drivers you chat with. All optional except the name you sign up with.
Messages, photos, voice notes, music links	To deliver them to the room or group you sent them to.
Location, only when you tap “share location”	To post a one-off map card in the conversation. DriveChat does not track your location in the background and does not record where you drive.
Speed, if you turn on automatic hands-free mode	To tell whether you are driving, so the app can switch to its hands-free form. Read from location services only while DriveChat is on screen. It never leaves your phone, is never stored, and is never sent to us. Off until you turn it on.
Device push token	To notify you about join requests, friend requests and group messages. Only if you allow notifications.
Reports you file and blocks you set	To act on abuse and to keep blocked drivers out of your view.

2. Content moderation

Every message and image is checked before it is posted. A word filter runs first, then an AI moderation model classifies the content for profanity, hate speech, harassment, threats and sexual or graphic imagery. Content that fails is refused and never stored. Content that passes is not retained by the moderation provider for training.

You can report any message or driver from inside the app. Reports reach our moderators, who review each one and may warn, suspend or remove accounts and content. We keep a copy of reported content so a report can still be judged after the original is deleted.

3. Hands-free mode

DriveChat can hide the keyboard, read new messages aloud and leave a single large button to talk, so a conversation does not need your eyes. You choose how it turns on: never, automatically once you are moving above about 15 km/h, or always.

Automatic mode is the only feature that reads your speed, and it asks before it does. The reading happens on your phone, while the app is open, and is used for nothing else — we never receive it. Hands-free mode is a help, not a substitute for your judgement: follow the law where you are driving.

4. Who we share with

We do not sell your data and we do not use it for advertising. We share only with the service providers needed to run the app:

the AI moderation provider, which receives the message or image being checked;
the push notification relay, which receives your device token and the notification text;
our hosting provider, which stores the database.

We disclose data to authorities only where the law requires it.

5. Where your data lives

Data is stored on servers in the European Union. Messages stay until the room is closed or you delete your account. Reports are kept for up to 12 months so repeat behaviour can be recognised.

6. Your choices

Block anyone — Profile → Blocked drivers lets you undo it later. The other person is never told.
Report anything — long-press a message, or open a driver’s profile.
Delete your account — Profile → Delete my account. This erases your account, your messages, your friendships and your rooms immediately and permanently. You can also request deletion at /delete-account.
Turn off notifications — in your device settings, at any time.
Ask us what we hold — write to the address below and we will respond within 30 days.

7. Children

DriveChat is not intended for anyone under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has an account, contact us and we will remove it.

8. Changes

If this policy changes materially we will say so in the app before the change takes effect.

9. Contact

Questions, data requests or abuse reports: privacy@drivechat.ro