Privacy Policy
Draft: This policy is a draft prepared for Checktow Corp and is pending the company's review. It is not yet in effect.
Effective date: To be set when this document is published
This policy describes how Checktow Corp ("CheckTow", "we", "us") collects, uses, and shares information when you use the CheckTow mobile app and this website (together, the "Service"). CheckTow is a parking ticket alert service for New York City drivers.
Information we collect
Information you give us
- Account information. Your name and email address, and a password or sign-in credential from Apple or Google if you use those sign-in options.
- Vehicle information. The license plate numbers you add, and vehicle details you provide or confirm, such as state, make, body type, color, and year.
- Plate scan photos. If you scan a plate, the photo you take is sent to our scan provider so the plate number can be read. The photo is used to read the plate and is not sold or used for advertising.
- Household information. If you share alerts, the names and email addresses of the people you invite.
- Support messages. What you send us when you ask for help.
Information collected automatically
- Device and push information. A push notification token for your device so we can deliver alerts, and basic device details needed to run the app.
- Usage information. A small set of product events, such as a scan being completed or an alert being opened, used to understand whether features work. These events do not include your plate numbers.
- Anonymous scan information. If you use the free scan without an account, we keep a limited technical identifier to enforce the free scan limit and prevent abuse.
Information from public records
Ticket and boot and tow status information for your plates comes from NYC Open Data, which is published by the City of New York and is public record. This includes summons details, amounts owed, penalty dates, and judgment status.
Subscription information
Subscriptions are purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play. We receive your subscription status and plan from our subscription provider so the app knows which features to unlock. We do not receive or store your full payment card number.
What we do not collect
CheckTow does not collect your device location. The location shown for a ticket comes from the city's summons record, not from your phone.
How we use information
- To check public records for your vehicles and send you ticket, penalty, judgment, and boot and tow alerts by push notification and email.
- To operate your account, including household sharing and subscription features.
- To respond to support requests.
- To keep the Service secure, enforce the free scan limit, and prevent abuse.
- To understand and improve the product, using limited usage events.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third party advertising.
How information is shared
We share information only with the service providers that run the Service:
- Google Firebase for hosting, database, and account sign-in.
- OpenRouter to process plate scan photos and return the plate number.
- Resend to deliver alert and account emails.
- Expo, Apple, and Google push services to deliver notifications to your device.
- RevenueCat to manage subscription status across platforms.
- Crash and error reporting providers, if enabled, receive technical error details to help us fix problems.
We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users or the company. If the company is sold or merged, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.
Data retention
We keep account and vehicle information while your account is active. Ticket and alert history is kept so you can review it in the app. When you delete your account, your profile, vehicles, tickets, alerts, and devices are deleted, subject to limited retention where the law requires it or where records are needed for security and fraud prevention.
Your choices and rights
- Export a copy of your information, including your profile, vehicles, tickets, alerts, and devices, from inside the app.
- Delete your account and its information from inside the app.
- Turn push notifications and alert emails on or off in your settings and your device settings.
- Remove a vehicle at any time to stop checks and alerts for it.
Security
We use access controls and encrypted connections to protect information in transit and at rest, and we limit which systems can read your information. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Children
The Service is for licensed drivers and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we will update this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or by email before the change takes effect.
Contact us
Checktow Corp
33 Menahan Street, Brooklyn, NY 11221
Email: support@checktow.dev