Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 5, 2026

1. Introduction

ZeroTow, LLC ("ZeroTow," "we," "us," or "our") operates the ZeroTow mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

By using ZeroTow, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information:

Phone number (used for account creation and authentication)
Name (first and last)
Email address
Vehicle information (make, model, year, color, VIN)
Payment information (processed securely through Stripe; we do not store card numbers)

Location Data:

Pickup and drop-off addresses you enter
Real-time GPS location when actively using the Service (for tracking and dispatch)
Location data embedded in inspection photos

Usage Data:

App usage patterns and feature interactions
Device type, operating system, and browser information
Crash reports and performance data

Driver-Specific Information:

Driver's license and photo
Commercial insurance documentation
DOT compliance records
Vehicle and truck registration details

3. How We Use Your Information

To provide and maintain the towing service
To match you with available tow truck operators
To process payments and send receipts
To provide real-time GPS tracking during active tows
To conduct pre-hook vehicle inspections and document vehicle condition
To communicate with you via in-app chat, SMS, or email
To verify driver credentials and insurance
To handle claims, disputes, and customer support
To operate our safety and trust systems — including reviewing and acting on reports you or others submit about a user — and to investigate abuse, fraud, and safety incidents
To analyze demand patterns in aggregate — such as which times of day, days of week, service areas, and vehicle types generate the most requests — so we can plan driver coverage, shorten response times, set pricing, and decide where to expand
To offer you relevant first-party services and partner offers within ZeroTow (for example, suggesting a nearby repair facility after a tow). These offers are selected and delivered by ZeroTow; we do not give the partner your personal information unless you choose to contact them or you ask us to share it
To produce aggregated, de-identified statistics and insights (for example, "demand in a given ZIP code by vehicle make") that may be shared with or sold to business partners. Aggregated data does not identify you and cannot reasonably be used to re-identify you
To send service notifications (tow status updates, driver arrival, etc.)
To improve our Service and develop new features

4. GPS and Location Data

We collect location data only when necessary to provide the Service:

Customers: Location is used to determine pickup location and calculate distance/pricing. GPS tracking is active only during an active tow request.
Drivers: Location is shared with customers during active jobs for real-time tracking. Location is collected every 10 seconds during active tows and embedded in inspection photos as a watermark.

You can disable location services in your device settings, but this will prevent you from using core features of the Service.

5. Vehicle Inspection Photos

During every tow, drivers conduct an 8-zone photo inspection of your vehicle. These photos are:

Watermarked with timestamps, GPS coordinates, and zone labels
Stored securely on Cloudinary (cloud storage)
Accessible to you, the assigned driver, and ZeroTow support staff
Used for claims and dispute resolution
Retained for a minimum of 12 months after the tow

6. Payment Processing

All payments are processed through Stripe, a PCI-DSS compliant payment processor. We do not store, process, or have access to your full credit card numbers. Stripe's privacy policy governs the handling of your payment data.

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

Tow truck operators: Your name, phone number, vehicle details, and location are shared with your assigned driver to complete the tow
Payment processors: Stripe receives payment information to process transactions
Cloud service providers: We use third-party services for hosting, storage, and communications (Railway, Cloudinary, Twilio, SendGrid)
Law enforcement: When required by law, subpoena, or court order
Insurance companies: In connection with claims or disputes, with your consent
Business partners (aggregated data only): We may share or sell aggregated, de-identified demand statistics — for example, request volume by area, time of day, or vehicle make. This data does not identify you, and we do not provide partners with your name, contact details, or individual trip records for their own marketing

We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites. ZeroTow does not use third-party advertising SDKs or advertising networks, does not sell or share your personal information with data brokers, and does not combine your information with data obtained from other companies for targeted advertising. All analytics described in this Policy are first-party — collected by ZeroTow, about your use of ZeroTow, and used to operate and improve the Service. Because of this, ZeroTow does not engage in "tracking" as defined by Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework, and the app does not ask for tracking permission. If this ever changes, we will update this Policy, update our App Store privacy disclosures, and request your permission first.

8. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
JWT-based authentication with short-lived tokens
Rate limiting on all API endpoints
Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
Regular security audits

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal and regulatory obligations, defend against potential claims, and operate our business. Specific retention periods by category are set out below; where multiple periods apply, the longer controls.

Data category	Retention period	Reason
Account profile (name, phone, email)	For the life of the account. On deletion, identifying profile data is removed from active systems; a restricted, access-limited copy is retained solely to defend disputes/claims for up to 7 years, then permanently purged	Account operation; claims and liability defense
Trip / tow records (pickup, drop-off, fares, status)	7 years	Tax, insurance, regulatory, claims defense (matches industry standard)
Pre-hook and post-drop inspection photos	3 years from trip completion	Damage-claim defense, regulatory inquiries
Customer signatures and acknowledgments	7 years	Contract enforcement, e-signature evidence
GPS location — customer (per request)	90 days from trip completion (precise location); 7 years for trip-summary endpoints (origin/destination only)	Active dispatch + claims defense (summary only)
GPS location — operator (while online)	24 months	Operator support, fraud + spoofing investigations, regulatory compliance
In-app chat messages	2 years	Dispute resolution, abuse investigations
User safety reports (reports you file about, or that others file about, a user)	3 years from resolution	Safety, abuse and fraud investigations, dispute resolution
Payment records (Stripe charges / refunds)	7 years	Tax records, chargeback defense, financial reporting
Operator credentials, insurance certificates, background-check reports	Duration of active status + 7 years	Tax (1099), insurance, FCRA, regulatory inquiries
Login + audit logs	18 months	Security investigations, fraud prevention
Cookie-consent records	12 months from consent, then re-prompt	Compliance with consent-renewal standards
Marketing communications history	3 years after opt-out	Suppression list management

You may delete your account at any time directly in the app or fleet portal (Profile / Settings → Delete Account), or by emailing privacy@zerotow.com. When you delete your account, we immediately disable it and sign you out everywhere, remove your login credentials and saved payment methods, and anonymize your active profile. As permitted by Apple App Store Guideline 5.1.1(v), GDPR Article 17(3)(e), and California Civil Code §1798.105(d), we then retain a limited, access-restricted set of records — principally your prior trip/tow history and a segregated copy of your identity — solely to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims and to meet tax and regulatory obligations, for the periods set out in the table above (generally up to 7 years). Once the applicable retention period lapses, these records are permanently and irreversibly purged. Email-based deletion requests are honored within 45 days (or longer where extended under applicable law), subject to the same retention obligations.

10. Your Rights — Privacy Rights by Jurisdiction

Depending on your state or country of residence, you may have one or more of the following rights with respect to your personal information:

Right to know / access: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and the categories of sources, recipients, and business purposes;
Right to correct: request correction of inaccurate personal information;
Right to delete: request deletion of personal information, subject to the retention obligations in Section 9 above;
Right to portability: request a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format;
Right to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising: ZeroTow does not currently sell personal information for money or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may submit a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" request at /privacy/dont-sell.html;
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: precise geolocation and government identifiers may qualify as "sensitive" under California law; we use these only for the purposes disclosed in this Policy;
Right to opt out of marketing communications at any time by replying STOP to any text or clicking unsubscribe in any email;
Right to non-discrimination: we will not deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different level of service in response to a privacy-rights request.

How to exercise your rights: Email privacy@zerotow.com, email info@zerotow.com, or submit a request at /privacy/request.html. We will verify your identity before responding to any request. We may decline frivolous, repetitive, or unverifiable requests.

Authorized agents: California residents may designate an authorized agent to make requests on their behalf, subject to verification.

California (CCPA / CPRA): California residents have all of the rights above. ZeroTow honors Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a valid opt-out of "sale" or "sharing" under the CCPA. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of any California resident under the age of 16.

Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, Utah, and other state laws: Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws have substantially the same rights of access, correction, deletion, portability, and opt-out described above. Right to appeal: if we decline your request, you may appeal by replying to our denial notice within 30 days.

European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland (GDPR / UK GDPR / FADP): Where applicable, ZeroTow processes personal data under the following lawful bases: performance of a contract (delivering the Service); legitimate interests (fraud prevention, safety, business operations); legal obligation (tax, insurance, regulatory); and consent (where required, e.g., marketing). EEA/UK residents have additional rights to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Our EU/UK representative can be contacted at privacy@zerotow.com.

11. Children's Privacy

ZeroTow is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete it promptly. Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided personal information to ZeroTow may contact privacy@zerotow.com for deletion.

12. Push Notifications & SMS

We send push notifications for service-related updates including tow status changes, driver arrival, chat messages, and scheduled tow reminders. You can disable push notifications in your device settings at any time. SMS text messages are sent for the same purposes plus account-security alerts and verification codes; reply STOP to opt out of non-essential SMS, or HELP for support. Message and data rates may apply; message frequency varies with account activity. See Section 4 of the Terms of Service for full SMS consent and TCPA disclosures.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with subcontractors in support services, such as customer service, is permitted only to deliver the Service. All other use-case categories described in this policy exclude text-messaging originator opt-in data and consent; opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties.

13. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses a limited number of strictly necessary cookies (for authentication and security) and optional analytics cookies (where you consent). On your first visit, you will see a cookie banner allowing you to accept all cookies, reject all non-essential cookies, or customize your choices. You may change your preferences at any time at /privacy/cookies.html or by clearing your browser cookies. The native mobile applications do not use third-party advertising cookies or trackers.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. For non-material changes, we will post the updated Policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date. For material changes — including changes to the categories of data collected, retention periods, or sharing practices — we will provide at least 30 days' advance notice via email to the address associated with your account before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any change constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

15. Contact Us

For privacy-rights requests, questions about this Privacy Policy, or to reach our privacy team, contact us at:

ZeroTow, LLC — Privacy Office
1395 Brickell Avenue, Suite 800
Miami, FL 33131
Email: privacy@zerotow.com
Phone: info@zerotow.com
Website: zerotow.com