Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 26, 2026

This Privacy Policy is part of the Desi Terms of Service & Privacy Policy Agreement. By using Desi, you agree to both the Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy as a single combined agreement.

Scope: This Privacy Policy covers information we collect from users of the Desi platform (including the website and any related online services). It applies to all users of Desi, including those in the United States. Our contact for any questions about this policy is contact@desi.casa.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information from and about you when you use Desi:

Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration Data: When you sign up, we collect personal identifiers such as your name, email address, phone number, and a password. If you create a profile, we may also collect a profile picture or other details (like a bio or university affiliation).

• Listing Information: If you post a housing listing or sublease, we collect details about the property and lease (e.g. property location, rent amount, lease term, photos, description).

• Verification Data: If you undergo our Verified Student process, we might collect a .edu email, student ID card, or enrollment letter. We use this solely for verification and related trust and safety purposes.

• Communications with Desi: If you contact us via email or support forms, we collect the information in your correspondence, including your contact information and the content of your message.

• Consent Preferences: We record any consents you give us, such as opting-in to receive marketing emails or agreeing to share your info with a Property Partner. We also record if you later opt-out of communications.

Information We Collect Automatically

• Usage Data: We gather information on how you navigate and interact with Desi — pages you view, search queries, features you click on, and time spent on various parts of the site.

• Device and Technical Data: We receive data such as your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, device identifiers, and coarse location information (e.g. city or region based on IP).

• Cookies and Tracking: Desi uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to provide and improve the Service (see Section 3 for details).

Information from Third Parties

At this time, Desi's primary source of data is from you directly. We do not purchase bulk personal data from third-party data brokers. Analytics providers (PostHog, Axiom) may provide us aggregated insights about user behavior, but those don't identify individuals by name.

2. How We Use Your Information

Desi uses the collected information for the following legitimate purposes:

• Providing and Improving the Service: Creating and maintaining your account, authenticating logins, displaying listings, enabling user communications, remembering preferences, monitoring usage, and troubleshooting technical issues.

• Moderation and Safety: Content review by automated systems and humans to detect violations like scams, hate speech, or illegal material. We may use activity data to identify and investigate fraudulent or malicious activity.

• Communication with You:

  • Transactional Communications: Service-related communications including confirmation emails, listing notifications, policy updates, and administrative messages. These cannot be opted out of (except by deactivating your account).
  • Marketing and Newsletters: With your consent, occasional newsletters or promotional emails. You may opt-out at any time via the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email.
  • SMS Communications: If you provide a phone number, we or our partners may send SMS for authentication or service alerts. Reply "STOP" to any SMS to opt-out.

• Analytics and Product Development: We use PostHog and Axiom as analytics tools. These are internal-only tools — we do not use them for advertising. Data is aggregated and does not directly identify you by name. Both providers are bound by confidentiality.

• Personalization: Showing you relevant housing listings near your university and prioritizing content based on your preferences.

• Legal and Compliance: Complying with applicable laws and regulations, enforcing our Agreement, and defending against or pursuing legal claims.

3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Desi uses cookies for:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to function (e.g. session management to keep you logged in).
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences for a more personalized experience.
• Analytics Cookies: Collect information about site usage to analyze unique visitors and usage patterns.
• Security Cookies: Help ensure security, enabling things like CAPTCHA for bot prevention.

Managing Cookies: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can remove or block cookies, but doing so might affect the availability and functionality of Desi.

We do not use cookies for third-party advertising. Desi does not host third-party ads or engage in cross-site behavioral advertising networks.

4. How We Share Your Information

Desi does not sell or rent your personal information to data brokers or marketers. We only share information in the following contexts:

• With Other Users (Your Transactions): When you initiate contact with a Property Partner's listing, we share your contact details (name, email, phone) with that listing owner through Desi Manager. By initiating contact, you consent to this sharing. Your email and phone are not publicly displayed in listing text.

• With Service Providers: We employ trusted third-party companies to support the Service. These include Vercel (hosting), PostHog and Axiom (analytics), email/SMS service providers, and verification services. All are bound by confidentiality contracts.

• With Property Partners (B2B data sharing): We limit what data Property Partners receive to what is needed for the housing inquiry (typically your name, email, phone, and school). Property Partners are contractually obligated to only use your data for housing-related communications and to protect it.

• Legal Compliance and Protection: We may disclose personal information if required by law, court order, or when necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Desi, our users, or the public.

• Business Transfers: If Desi is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We would ensure any new owner honors the commitments in this Privacy Policy.

• Aggregate or De-Identified Data: We may share aggregate, anonymized statistics (e.g. average sublease prices, platform usage levels) that do not identify you personally.

5. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: We use HTTPS (TLS) encryption for all data in transit. Passwords are stored hashed in our database.
• Access Controls: We restrict access to personal data to authorized personnel subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Secure Hosting: Our hosting provider (Vercel) implements firewalls, regular security patches, and monitoring for intrusions.
• Incident Response: We have a procedure for responding to data breaches. In the event of a breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and appropriate authorities as required by law.

Despite our efforts, no security measure is perfect. Protect your account credentials and avoid sharing login details. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at contact@desi.casa.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law:

• Account Data: Information is kept until you delete your account or request deletion. Inactive accounts may eventually be deleted or anonymized after a prolonged period.
• Listings and Transaction Data: Listings remain visible until you remove them or mark them inactive. If you delete your account, listings are removed from public view.
• Legal Obligations: We may retain certain data to comply with legal requirements (e.g. retaining records to prevent re-registration after a serious misconduct ban).
• Deletion Procedure: When you request deletion, we remove or anonymize data in our live databases. Removal from backups may take additional time but those backups are maintained securely.

7. Children's Privacy

Desi is not intended for anyone under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided information to us, please contact us immediately at contact@desi.casa. We will promptly remove the information and terminate the account.

We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by not knowingly collecting data from users under 13.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, or legal requirements.

• Material Changes: We will notify you by email and/or prominent site notice. We may provide a review period (e.g. 15 days) before material changes take effect.
• Versioning: We will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this document whenever we make a change.
• Minor Changes: Non-material changes (typo fixes, contact info updates) may be made without special notice.

If you do not agree with changes to the Privacy Policy, you should discontinue use of Desi before the changes take effect and delete your account. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Desi Technologies LLC — Legal / Privacy Team
• Email: contact@desi.casa (include "Privacy Request" in the subject line)
• Address: 2612 Oakbrook Ct, Weston, FL 33332, USA

We will respond to requests within the time frame required by law (typically within 30–45 days).