Privacy Policy

I. Introduction

When you use ShortA, you are trusting us with your personal data. We’re committed to maintaining that trust. We need to make sure you understand our privacy practices as part of that commitment.

This notice describes the personal data (“data”) we collect, how we use it and if we need to share it, as well as your choices regarding this data. We ask that you read this policy if you use ShortA in any capacity.

II. Overview

A. Scope

This notice applies to users of ShortA’s services anywhere in the world, including users of ShortA’s apps, websites, features, or other services.

This notice describes how ShortA and its affiliates collect and use data. This notice applies to all ShortA users globally. This notice specifically applies to:

This notice also governs ShortA’s other collections of data in connection with its services. For example, we may collect the contact information of owners or employees of merchants on the ShortA platforms; the contact information of individuals that manage and use accounts owned by Enterprise Customers; or data of individuals who start but do not complete their applications to be drivers or delivery persons.

All those subject to this notice are referred to as “users” in this notice.

Our privacy practices are subject to applicable laws in the places in which we operate. This means that we engage in the practices described in this notice in a particular country or region only if permitted under the laws of those places. In addition, please note the following:

Please contact us here or through the addresses below with any questions regarding our practices in a particular country or region.


B. Data controller and transfer

Joat Tech Limited. are the data controllers for the data collected in connection with use of ShortA’s services in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

ShortA limited is the data controller for the data collected in connection with use of ShortA’s services everywhere else.

ShortA operates, and processes personal data, globally; if you travel to other locations we operate in, your data travels with you so we can offer you a seamless experience. We also respect your data protection rights whether you are in your home country or elsewhere.

This means that we may transfer personal data to countries other than your home country in order to provide our services in a different country at your request. We may also transfer personal data to another country if that is necessary to respond to a customer support request that you submitted outside your region. And order histories may be accessed by users in another country after they have left the country where services were rendered. Because our services involve multiple users at the same time, limited personal data may be accessible to the other user in another country.

We do so in order to fulfill our agreements with all of our users, or based on users’ instructions or prior consent, adequacy decisions for the relevant countries, or other transfer mechanisms as may be available under applicable law, such as the Standard Contractual Clauses.

We may also transfer data to other countries in order to respond to a request for personal data from a law enforcement agency. To provide additional safeguards to these data transfers, ShortA applies robust internal procedures for processing these requests. ShortA only discloses personal data to law enforcement agencies in a manner that is consistent with the regulatory requirements of applicable laws, such as the GDPR.

To help provide equivalent data protection wherever you use our services, ShortA has implemented the following measures across the globe:

For your convenience, the exercise of your data protection rights can be directed to ShortA via any of the designated channels mentioned above, and will be handled centrally on behalf of the relevant controller. Questions, comments, and complaints about ShortA’s data practices can be submitted here. You may also use this email to submit a question to ShortA’s Data Protection Officer and to ask us for information of Standard Contractual Clauses or other transfer mechanisms in place for the data processing activity of your inquiry.

III. Data collections and uses

A. The data we collect

ShortA collects data: 

ShortA collects the following data:

1. Data provided by users. This includes:


2. Data created during use of our services. This includes: 

3. Data from other sources. These include:


B. How we use personal data

ShortA uses data to enable reliable and convenient transportation, delivery, and other products and services. We also use such data:


We use the data we collect:

1. To provide our services. ShortA uses data to provide, personalize, maintain, and improve our services.

This includes using data to:

2. Safety and security. We use data to help maintain the safety, security, and integrity of our services and users. This includes:

3. Customer support. ShortA uses the information we collect (which may include call recordings) to provide customer support, including to investigate and address user concerns and to monitor and improve our customer support responses and processes.

ShortA performs the above activities on the grounds that they are necessary to fulfill the terms of our agreements with users or for purposes of ShortA’s legitimate interest in monitoring and improving its customer support services and interactions.

4. Research and development. We use data for testing, research, analysis, product development, and machine learning to improve the user experience. This helps us make our services more convenient and easy-to-use, enhance the safety and security of our services, and develop new services and features.

ShortA performs the above activities on the grounds that they are necessary for purposes of ShortA’s legitimate interests in improving and developing new services and features.

5. Enabling communications between users. For example, a driver may message or call a purchaser to confirm a drop-off location, a rider may call a driver to retrieve a lost item, or a merchant or delivery person may contact an order recipient with information about their order.

ShortA performs the above activities on the grounds that they are necessary to fulfill the terms of our agreements with users.

6. Marketing and Advertising. ShortA uses data (other than Guest Users’ data) to market its services, and those of ShortA partners. This may include:

7. Non-marketing communications. ShortA may use data to send surveys and other communications that are not for the purpose of marketing the services or products of ShortA or its partners. We may also send users communications regarding elections, ballots, referenda, and other political processes that relate to our services. For example, ShortA may notify some users by email of ballot measures or pending legislation relating to ShortA’s services in those users’ areas.

ShortA performs the above activities on the grounds that they are necessary to fulfill the terms of our agreements with users, or for purposes of ShortA’s and its users’ legitimate interests in informing users about events that may have an impact on their use of ShortA services.

8. Legal proceedings and requirements. We use data to investigate or address claims or disputes relating to use of ShortA’s services, to satisfy requirements under applicable laws, regulations, or operating licenses or agreements, or pursuant to legal process or governmental request, including from law enforcement.

ShortA performs the above activities on the grounds that they are necessary for purposes of ShortA’s legitimate interests in investigating and responding to claims and disputes relating to use of ShortA’s services and features, and/or necessary for compliance with applicable legal requirements.


C. Cookies and third-party technologies

ShortA and its partners use cookies and other identification technologies on our apps, websites, emails, and online ads for purposes described in this notice.

Cookies are small text files that are stored on browsers or devices by websites, apps, online media, and advertisements. ShortA uses cookies and similar technologies for purposes such as:

We may also allow others to provide audience measurement and analytics services for us, to serve advertisements on our behalf across the internet, and to track and report on the performance of those advertisements. These entities may use cookies, web beacons, SDKs, and other technologies to identify the devices used by visitors to our websites, as well as when they visit other online sites and services.


D. Data sharing and disclosure

Some of ShortA’s services and features require that we share data with other users or at a user’s request. We may also share such data with our affiliates, subsidiaries, and partners, for legal reasons or in connection with claims or disputes.

ShortA may share data:

1. With other users

This includes sharing:

2. At the user’s request

This includes sharing data with:

3. With the general public

Questions or comments from users submitted through public forums such as ShortA blogs and ShortA social media pages may be viewable by the public, including any data included in the questions or comments submitted by a user.

4. With the ShortA account owner

If a user receives services through an account owned by another party, we may share their trip or order information, including location data, with the owner of that account. This occurs, for example, when:

5. With ShortA subsidiaries and affiliates

We share data with our subsidiaries and affiliates to help us provide our services or conduct data processing on our behalf. For example, ShortA processes and stores such data in the United States on behalf of its international subsidiaries and affiliates.

6. With ShortA service providers and business partners

These include:

7. For legal reasons or in the event of a dispute

ShortA may share users’ data if we believe it’s required by applicable law, regulation, operating license or agreement, legal process or governmental request, or where the disclosure is otherwise appropriate due to safety or similar concerns.

This includes sharing data with law enforcement officials, public health officials, other government authorities, airports (if required by the airport authorities as a condition of operating on airport property), or other third parties as necessary to enforce our Terms of Service, user agreements, or other policies; to protect ShortA’s rights or property or the rights, safety, or property of others; or in the event of a claim or dispute relating to the use of our services. In the event of a dispute relating to use of another person’s credit card, we may be required by law to share your data, including trip or order information, with the owner of that credit card.


This also includes sharing data with others in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, consolidation or restructuring, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by or into another company.

8. With consent

ShortA may share a user’s data other than as described in this notice if we notify the user and they consent to the sharing.


E. Data retention and deletion

ShortA retains user data for as long as necessary for the purposes described above, including to provide its services and comply with legal obligations.

ShortA retains user data for as long as necessary for the purposes described above. The period for which we retain user data is determined by the type of data, the category of user to whom the data relates, and the purposes for which we collected the data.

The length for which ShortA retains user data may further be determined by legal and regulatory requirements, purposes of safety, security, and fraud prevention, or by issues relating to the user’s account such as an outstanding credit or an unresolved claim or dispute.

For example, we retain data:

Users may request deletion of their accounts at any time. ShortA may retain user data after a deletion request due to legal or regulatory requirements or for reasons stated in this policy.

Users may request deletion of their account at any time through the Settings > Privacy menus in the ShortA app, or through ShortA’s website or via our support email.

Following an account deletion request, ShortA deletes the user’s account and data, unless they must be retained due to legal or regulatory requirements, for purposes of safety, security, and fraud prevention, or because of an issue relating to the user’s account such as an outstanding credit or an unresolved claim or dispute. Because we are subject to legal and regulatory requirements relating to delivery persons, this generally means that we retain their account and data for the applicable statutory retention period after a deletion request. For order recipients/ purchasers, their data is generally deleted within 90 days of a deletion request, except where retention is necessary for the above reasons.

IV. Choice and transparency

ShortA enables users to access and/or control data that ShortA collects, including through: 

ShortA also enables users to request access to or copies of their data, make changes or updates to their accounts, request deletion of their accounts, or request that ShortA restrict its processing of user data.

A. Privacy settings

The Settings > Edit button in the ShortA app allows order recipients to set or update their preferences regarding data collection and sharing, emergency data sharing, and notifications. Our Support Centre is also available in our web version.

B. Device permissions

Most mobile device platforms (iOS, Android, etc.) have defined certain types of device data that apps cannot access without the device owner’s permission, and these platforms have different methods for how that permission can be obtained. Please check the available settings on your device or check with your provider.

C. In-app ratings pages

After every purchase, drivers and order recipients are able to rate each other on a scale from 1 to 5. An average of those ratings is associated with a user’s account and is displayed to other users for whom they provide or receive services. For example purchaser ratings are available to merchants and drivers and driver ratings are available to purchasers.

This 2-way system holds everyone accountable.


D. Marketing and advertising choices

ShortA provides users with the following choices regarding how their data is used for purposes of marketing and advertising:

E. User data requests

ShortA provides users with a variety of ways to learn about, control, and submit questions and comments about ShortA’s handling of their data.

V. Updates to this notice

We may occasionally update this notice. 

We may occasionally update this notice. If we make significant changes, we will notify users in advance of the changes through the ShortA apps or through other means, such as email. We encourage users to periodically review this notice for the latest information on our privacy practices.

Use of our services after an update constitutes consent to the updated notice to the extent permitted by law.