1. What we collect
Contact details (name, email, phone); vehicle details you provide; route, pickup, and drop-off information; trip data such as checkpoint photos and notes during an active trip; vehicle papers you choose to upload; and your conversations with Ask Plona, Plona's AI helper. Drivers' profile photos, which owners see when choosing a driver and at pickup. We keep a photo while the account is open and delete it within 30 days after the account is closed.
ID check: the result, the date, and the name and date of birth on your ID. ID images and selfie are processed by Stripe and deleted within 30 days (see the ID check section below).
Maps. When you use a map or route feature, we keep a scrambled (one-way hashed) form of your IP address for 2 days, only to limit how many map requests one visitor can make. Then we delete it. When a map loads, Google also receives information from your device, under Google's Privacy Policy.
Public posts. Plona looks at public posts on other websites where someone asks for a vehicle to be moved. We keep the post link, the public name or handle shown, the route and dates, and a short note, so the Plona team can reach out. Plona Market shows only the cities and dates, and we only use posts anyone can see. We don't sell this information. To have yours removed, email support@go-plona.com and we'll delete it within 5 business days.
In the Plona app. In the Plona app for iPhone and Android we also collect: photos you take or choose from your photo library (the car at pickup and drop-off, vehicle papers, your profile photo), only after your phone asks for your OK; if you turn on alerts, a token from Apple or Google that lets us send alerts to your phone; your app version and your phone's operating system version, so we can tell you when an update is needed; the car's location during a trip, only when the driver turns on location sharing; your messages with the other person; and reports you send and people you block. See sections 13 and 14.
2. Why we collect it
Solely to create and manage connections and to provide, coordinate, and support the service. That's it.
3. We do not sell your data
Plona does not sell, rent, or trade your information to anyone, for any purpose. Our principle is effective, relevant communication: we only send what helps you, in the way you chose, and you can turn optional messages off at any time. Notices about money and safety are always sent by email. We text you only if you opt in (see section 6, Text messages).
4. Your ID
ID check. Before a first move, we ask you to verify your identity through Stripe Identity, operated by Stripe, Inc. Stripe collects images of your government ID and a selfie and compares them using face measurements (biometric data). Stripe processes this information for Plona under Stripe's own privacy policy (stripe.com/privacy). We receive and keep the result, the date, and the name and date of birth shown on the ID, for as long as your account is open plus 4 years. We do not sell or share biometric data and use it only to verify identity and prevent fraud.
Retention and destruction schedule for biometric data. Plona has Stripe delete ID images, selfies and face measurements as soon as a check is complete, failed or abandoned, and no later than 30 days after the check. In no case is biometric data kept longer than 1 year after its purpose ends (Texas) or 3 years after your last interaction with Plona (Illinois), whichever comes first. To ask about or delete your data, email support@go-plona.com.
5. Sharing
We share information only as needed to provide the service and only with your permission. Vehicle papers such as a registration are opened by the other person only through a request that is logged, and the owner is told. We may share information with service providers bound by confidentiality, and with law enforcement where legally required or to investigate prohibited conduct (theft, fraud, etc.). All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties. The service providers we use include Stripe (payments, payouts and the ID check), Anthropic (the AI behind Ask Plona and message summaries), Telnyx (calls, and texts if you opt in), Google (maps), and Apple and Google (alerts on your phone, only if you turn them on). Each one processes your information only to provide its part of the service to Plona.
6. Text messages
When you opt in to texts, we collect your mobile number, the date, time and way you opted in, and the messages we exchange. We use this to send the texts you asked for, keep a record of your consent and opt-out, and answer you. We may use automated tools, including AI, to sort the texts you send us so the right person answers. Our texting provider, Telnyx, processes this information only to deliver our messages.
We do not sell your mobile number. No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties. These sentences apply to everything else in this Privacy Policy.
Reply STOP to stop texts at any time. We keep opt-in and opt-out records for 4 years to show consent, then delete them.
7. Calls, texts and email with Plona
When you call or text Plona at (915) 285-0097, an automated assistant may answer first and pass you to a person. Calls may be recorded and transcribed so we can answer you, keep records and improve support. Our phone provider, Telnyx, processes calls and texts for us. We keep recordings and transcripts for 1 year, unless we need them longer for a claim or dispute, and then delete them. We don't sell or share them for marketing.
We may use AI tools, including Anthropic's Claude, to summarize and sort messages sent to Plona so the right person answers. Summaries are kept for 14 days. Anthropic processes this for us and does not use it to train its models.
8. Plona's AI helper
Ask Plona is an AI helper, not a person. Your conversations with it are recorded (what you type, the answers, and any rating or notes you leave) so we can improve Plona and route your question or feedback to the right place. If you are signed in, the chat is linked to your account. Answers are produced by a third-party AI service provider. Please do not type passwords, card numbers, or ID numbers into a chat.
That provider is Anthropic. Before anything you type is sent to it, Plona asks for your OK. With your OK, Plona sends Anthropic what you type in the chat and, if you are logged in, your first name, whether you own or drive, the page you are on, your next step, and the status of the move you are looking at. If you say No thanks, you still get our saved answers and the Plona team. You can stop AI answers at any time: in Ask Plona, tap Stop AI answers.
9. Storage & security
We keep the minimum information necessary, store it with access restricted to authorized Plona personnel, protect it with encryption and access controls, and retain it only as long as needed for the service or as required by law. Sensitive IDs are handled with extra care and are not shared without your consent.
How long we keep it after you delete your account: Plona keeps your completed trip records and your agreements for 4 years, and payment records for 7 years, because the other person on the trip and the law rely on them. Then they are deleted. Text consent records are kept for 4 years (section 6), and call recordings for 1 year (section 7).
10. Your choices & rights
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your information by emailing support@go-plona.com. You can turn optional messages off at any time in My account, under Notifications. Notices about money and safety are still sent by email, because they are part of the service.
You can delete your account yourself: in the Plona app or on the website, open More, then Account Settings, then Delete my Plona account. The steps, and what is kept and for how long, are also at go-plona.com/delete-account.
11. Minors
Plona is not intended for anyone under 18.
12. State privacy rights
Depending on your state, you may have additional rights regarding your personal information. Requests can be sent to support@go-plona.com.
13. Photos, location and alerts
Photos. The Plona app uses your camera and photo library only when you add a photo, and your phone asks for your OK first. We keep only the photos you add.
Location. During a trip, the driver can share where the car is with the owner. The phone asks for your OK first. The location is shared only with the owner of that move, only while Plona is open, and it stops at the drop-off. You can turn it off at any time on the trip page or in your phone's settings.
Alerts on your phone. If you turn on alerts in the Plona app, Apple or Google gives us a token for your phone. We use it only to send you Plona alerts, which never show addresses, phone numbers, emails, codes or amounts. We don't send advertising alerts. The token is removed when you log out, when your sign-in ends, or when you delete your account. You can turn alerts off at any time in Account Settings or in your phone's settings.
14. Reports and blocks
If you report a message, a person, a route or an Ask Plona answer, we keep the report and a copy of what was reported so the Plona team can review it. If you block someone, we keep that so neither of you can message or book the other. Plona does not tell a person who reported them.
15. Changes & contact
We may update this policy; the current version governs. Questions or requests: support@go-plona.com.