Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Gardinou places great importance on the protection of your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the laws of the Province of Quebec, including Law 25, and the applicable federal laws of Canada, including PIPEDA, where applicable.

Gardinou is a Canadian platform operated from Quebec and is committed to protecting the personal information of its users in accordance with applicable laws.

By using the Platform, you consent to the processing of your personal information in accordance with this Policy.

2. Collection of Personal Information

We collect only the personal information necessary to provide our services, including:

First and last name
Email address
Phone number
Mailing address (if applicable)
Information relating to your pets or services offered
Platform usage and navigation data
Payment information (processed securely by third-party payment providers)

In certain cases, additional information may be required, particularly for identity verification (see Section 14).

3. Purposes of Use

Personal information is used to:

Create and manage user accounts
Facilitate connections between pet owners and sitters
Provide, operate, and improve the Platform
Ensure user safety and trust
Communicate with users
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

We do not use your personal information for purposes incompatible with those described in this Policy.

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

Gardinou does not sell or rent personal information.

However, personal information may be disclosed:

To other users as part of a service connection
To service providers (hosting, security, maintenance, payment processing)
To specialized identity verification providers (see Section 14)
To competent authorities where required by law

These third parties have access only to the information necessary to perform their services and are bound by contractual confidentiality and security obligations.

5. Transfers Outside Québec or Canada

Some service providers may process or host personal information outside Québec or Canada.

In such cases, we implement appropriate contractual, organizational, and technical safeguards to ensure an adequate level of protection in accordance with applicable laws.

6. Security Measures

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against:

Unauthorized access
Loss
Misuse
Disclosure

Access to personal information is limited to individuals whose functions require it.

7. Confidentiality Incidents

In the event of a confidentiality incident involving personal information, we will take reasonable measures to reduce the risk of harm.

Where an incident presents a risk of serious injury, we will provide the required notifications in accordance with Law 25, including:

Notification to affected individuals
Notification to the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec, where required

We maintain a confidentiality incident register as required by law.

8. Retention of Personal Information

Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with legal obligations.

Once this period expires, the information is securely deleted or anonymized.

9. Your Rights

In accordance with applicable laws, you have the right to:

Access your personal information
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion, subject to legal obligations
Withdraw your consent
Receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used technological format (data portability, where applicable)
File a complaint with the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec

Requests will be processed within a maximum of 30 days.

Withdrawal of consent may limit access to certain services requiring the processing of the relevant information.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Platform uses cookies and similar technologies to:

Ensure proper functionality
Improve user experience
Analyze usage

Analytics tools such as Google Analytics may be used.

Upon your first visit, a consent banner allows you to accept, refuse, or customize non-essential cookies.

No non-essential cookies are activated without your explicit consent.

11. Consent Management

We use the Usercentrics consent management solution to collect and record your cookie preferences.

You may modify or withdraw your consent at any time using the consent management tool accessible at the bottom of each page.

12. Third-Party Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services.

Gardinou is not responsible for their privacy practices.

13. Minors

Our services are not intended for children under 14 years of age without parental or legal guardian consent.

14. Identity Verification

To ensure the safety and reliability of pet sitter profiles, Gardinou uses the services of Didit, a third-party provider specialized in automated identity verification.

The verification process may include:

Facial recognition
Automated validation of identity documents
Liveness detection (“liveness check”)

Data Processing

The required information is collected and processed directly by Didit through its secure interface, in accordance with its own privacy policy and legal obligations.

Gardinou:

Does not retain identity documents
Does not retain biometric data
Receives only a verification status (approved / not approved)

Didit acts as an independent third-party service provider in the context of this verification. Gardinou does not control the processing activities carried out by Didit.

Certain data may be used by Didit in aggregated or anonymized form to improve its fraud detection and prevention systems, in accordance with its legal obligations.

Information may be hosted or processed outside Québec or Canada, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Consent

By choosing to proceed with identity verification, the user consents to the transmission of their information to Didit for this specific purpose.

A link to Didit’s privacy policy is made available at the time of verification.

15.Person Responsible for the Protection of Personal Information

Responsibility for the protection of personal information rests with the management of the Platform.

For any request:

Person Responsible for the Protection of Personal Information
Montréal (Québec), Canada
Email: contact@gardinou.ca

16. Modifications

This Privacy Policy may be modified at any time.

The current version is accessible at all times on the Platform and comes into effect upon publication.

We encourage you to review it regularly.