Privacy Policy

Effective July 12, 2026

1. What this policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains what information BlueHelm ("we," "us") collects when you use our marketplace and apps, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using BlueHelm you agree to this policy.

2. Information we collect

Account information: name, email address, phone number, password (stored only as a secure hash by our authentication provider), and whether your email is verified.

Captain credentials: license details (type, number, issuing authority, waters, expiry) and the license document or photo you upload, used solely for verification.

Vessel and voyage information: vessel details Owners provide, voyage postings, bids, acceptances, trip status, reviews, and dispute records.

Payment records: amounts, payment status, and payout status. Card and bank details are collected and stored by Stripe, our payment processor — they never touch BlueHelm's servers.

Technical data: request logs and error reports (via our monitoring tools) that may include your IP address and device information, used for security and reliability.

3. How we use information

To operate the marketplace: matching Owners and Captains, verifying Captain credentials, processing payments and payouts, sending transactional email such as verification codes, enforcing our Terms (including cancellation and dispute handling), preventing fraud, and providing support.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

4. When we share information

Between users: when a Voyage is confirmed, the Owner and Captain receive each other's contact details so they can coordinate. Captains' public profiles show their name, ratings, and experience.

Service providers: we use Stripe (payments), Supabase (database and authentication), Railway (hosting), Sentry (error monitoring), and Resend (transactional email). Each receives only what it needs to perform its function.

Legal: we may disclose information when required by law, or to protect the safety of users or the public.

5. Data retention

We keep account information for as long as your account exists. Voyage, payment, and dispute records are retained after account closure as needed to meet financial, legal, and safety obligations, then deleted or anonymized.

6. Security

Data is encrypted in transit, access to production systems is restricted, license documents live in private storage accessible only through time-limited links, and daily database backups are maintained. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affecting your data occurs, we will notify you as required by law.

7. Your choices and rights

You can view and update your profile information in the app. To request a copy of your data or deletion of your account, email support@gobluehelm.com; we will honor deletion requests except where records must be kept for legal or financial reasons.

8. Children

BlueHelm is for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18; if we learn we have, we will delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted here with a new effective date.

10. Contact

Privacy questions: support@gobluehelm.com.