Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Email address, display name, phone number (optional), profile picture, and bio
• User-Generated Content: Requests you create, responses you post, photos, videos, and text content
• Live Status Broadcasts: Your location, status messages, and optional media (photos/videos) when you choose to broadcast your availability
• Disaster Routes: Evacuation routes, road conditions, and hazard reports you share
• Payment Information: In-app purchase transactions (processed securely through Apple App Store/Google Play Store via RevenueCat), bank account details for withdrawals
• Wallet Activity: Credit purchases, credit offerings on requests, withdrawal requests, and gamification rewards
• Gamification Data: Check-in locations at public landmarks, quest progress, collection cards earned, leaderboard rankings, and daily activities
• Communications: Messages sent through the app and feedback you provide

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Location Data: Your approximate location to show you nearby requests and enable location-based features. We store your last known location for notification purposes only. Your exact location is never visible to other users - only approximate distance and area name (e.g., "Half Way Tree area"). Location data is automatically deleted after 7 days of inactivity.
• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, app version, and mobile network information
• Usage Data: App features used, requests viewed, responses posted, ads viewed, gamification activities, and interaction patterns
• Ad Interaction Data: Rewarded ad completions for request access (via Google AdMob)
• Device Attestation: Firebase App Check tokens to verify device authenticity for check-ins (prevents location spoofing)
• Camera and Photos: When you choose to upload photos or videos in responses

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Authentication Services: When you sign in using Google or Apple Sign In
• Firebase Services: Analytics, crash reporting, and App Check attestation data
• RevenueCat: Purchase verification and subscription management data from Apple App Store/Google Play Store

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide Core Features: Show you nearby requests, enable you to post requests and responses
• Location-Based Services: Match you with requests in your area, show nearby essential services (hospitals, police, shelters), and enable live status broadcasting
• Live Broadcasting: Share your real-time location and status with nearby users when you choose to go live
• Emergency Services: Help you find hospitals, police stations, pharmacies, emergency shelters, and other essential services
• Disaster Safety: Provide access to community-shared evacuation routes and disaster preparedness information
• Privacy Protection: Automatically detect and blur faces in photos/videos you upload
• Credit System: Process credit purchases, credit rewards for helpful responses, gamification rewards, and withdrawal requests
• Payment Processing: Facilitate secure in-app purchases via Apple Pay/Google Pay (through RevenueCat) and bank transfer withdrawals
• Gamification: Track check-ins at public landmarks, manage quests and collections, calculate leaderboard rankings, and award daily fun facts
• Device Verification: Use Firebase App Check to verify device authenticity and prevent location spoofing for check-ins
• Free Tier & Ads: Manage daily request limits, rewarded video ads, and credit-based access
• Notifications: Send you alerts about new requests nearby, responses to your requests, emergency updates, and wallet activity
• User Safety: Monitor for inappropriate content, enforce community guidelines, and prevent abuse
• App Improvement: Analyze usage patterns to improve features and user experience

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 Public Information

The following information is visible to other LocSnaps users:

• Your display name and profile picture
• Requests you create (including title, description, category, and approximate location)
• Responses you post (including text, photos, and videos)
• Your credibility score and statistics (total requests, helpful responses)
• Your gamification achievements (leaderboard ranking, collection cards, check-in streaks)
• When Broadcasting Live: Your real-time location, status message, and any media you include (visible only to users within your set visibility radius)
• Disaster Routes: Evacuation routes and road conditions you share with the community

3.2 We DO NOT Share:

• Your exact GPS location (except when you actively broadcast live - you control visibility radius and duration)
• Your email address or phone number
• Your device information
• Your personal location history
• Your broadcast location after it expires

3.3 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who help us operate the app:

• Supabase: Database, authentication, and storage services
• Firebase: Analytics, crash reporting, push notifications, and App Check device attestation
• Google Maps: Map display and location services
• RevenueCat: In-app purchase processing and management
• Apple/Google: Payment processing for in-app purchases

3.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to:

• Comply with legal processes
• Protect our rights and property
• Prevent fraud or abuse
• Protect user safety in emergency situations

4. Data Security

We implement security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted
• Access Controls: Row-level security policies ensure users can only access appropriate data
• Face Blurring: Automatic face detection and blurring to protect identities in photos
• Secure Authentication: Industry-standard authentication protocols including Apple Sign In and Google Sign In
• Device Attestation: Firebase App Check verifies device authenticity to prevent fraudulent check-ins
• Payment Security: All purchases processed through Apple App Store/Google Play Store - we never see your payment card details

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Location Privacy

We take your location privacy seriously. Here's exactly how we handle your location data:

5.1 What Location Data We Collect

• Last Known Location: We store your approximate location to send you notifications about nearby requests
• Location Update Frequency: Updated when you open the app, at minimum every 5 minutes while active, or when you move 200+ meters
• Background Location (Optional): If you enable "Always Allow" location permission, we can update your location even when the app is closed
• Precision: Low/reduced accuracy for battery efficiency (approximately 500m-1km precision)

5.2 How Your Location is Protected

• NOT Visible to Other Users: Your exact GPS coordinates are never shown to other users
• Approximate Distance Only: Other users see only "2.5 km away", never your exact location
• Area Names: When you use "Current" location for requests, we show general area (e.g., "Half Way Tree area") instead of your exact address
• Database Protection: Column-level security prevents other users from accessing your location data

5.3 Automatic Data Deletion

• 7-Day Retention: Your location data is automatically deleted after 7 days of inactivity
• Daily Cleanup: Our system runs automatic cleanup every day at 2:00 AM UTC
• No Historical Tracking: We do not maintain a history of your locations - only your most recent location for notifications

5.4 Your Location Control

• Permissions: You can revoke location permission anytime in device settings
• Background Location: You can enable or disable background location tracking at any time - this is completely optional
• Notification Radius: Set how far away you want to receive notifications (1-50 km)
• Quiet Hours: Set times when you don't want to receive notifications
• Account Deletion: Deleting your account permanently removes all location data

6. Your Privacy Rights

6.1 Access and Update

• View and update your profile information in the app
• Access your request and response history

6.2 Delete Your Data

• Delete individual requests or responses you've created
• Request account deletion (which removes all your personal information)

6.3 Manage Notifications

• Control notification preferences in the app settings
• Set notification radius and quiet hours
• Disable notifications entirely in your device settings

7. Data Retention

• Active Requests: Stored until they expire or are manually deleted
• Responses: Stored indefinitely unless you delete them
• Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
• Analytics Data: Aggregated data may be retained for analysis

When you delete your account, we remove your personal information within 30 days, except where we're required to retain it for legal purposes.

8. Children's Privacy

LocSnaps is not intended for users under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will delete it immediately.

9. Camera and Photo Access

LocSnaps requests camera and photo library access to:

• Allow you to take photos directly in the app for responses
• Upload existing photos/videos from your device
• Update your profile picture

Privacy Protection:

• Automatic Face Blurring: Photos and videos are processed to detect and blur faces for privacy (95%+ accuracy with ML Kit)
• Content Safety: Google Cloud Vision API scans media for inappropriate content
• You Control Uploads: We only access photos you explicitly choose to upload
• No Background Access: We never access your camera or photos without your action

10. Live Status Broadcasting

When you choose to broadcast your live status:

What Gets Shared:

• Your real-time location (exact GPS coordinates)
• Status message you provide (max 200 characters)
• Photos or videos you choose to include
• Your display name and profile picture

Control and Privacy:

• Visibility Radius: You control who can see your broadcast (500m to 50km radius)
• Duration: You set how long your broadcast lasts (1-24 hours)
• Automatic Expiration: Broadcasts automatically expire after your set duration
• Stop Anytime: You can end your broadcast immediately at any time
• No History: Once expired or stopped, your broadcast location is no longer accessible

Important Notes:

• Only broadcast when you're comfortable sharing your real-time location
• Broadcasting is completely optional - all other app features work without it
• Users within your visibility radius can see your exact location while broadcasting

11. Disaster Routes and Community Safety

What We Provide:

• Community-shared evacuation routes for hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters
• Real-time road conditions and hazard reports from users
• Locations of essential services (hospitals, police, fire stations, shelters)

Your Responsibility:

• Verify Information: Always consult official sources like ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management)
• Official Resources: www.odpem.org.jm or call 1-888-DISASTER (347-2783)
• Follow Government Guidance: Official evacuation orders take precedence over community routes

12. Gamification & Check-Ins

12.1 Check-Ins at Public Landmarks

• Location Verification: Check-ins require you to be within 200 meters of a known public landmark
• Exact Location Required: Unlike requests and broadcasts, check-ins use exact GPS coordinates to verify physical presence
• Device Attestation: Firebase App Check verifies your device is genuine (not an emulator/simulator) to prevent location spoofing
• Public Places Only: Check-ins are only available at curated public landmarks (beaches, attractions, restaurants) - never at private locations

12.2 Quests & Collections

• Quest Progress: We track your progress on quests (e.g., number of helpful responses, check-ins completed)
• Collection Cards: Cards earned through activities are stored in your profile
• Leaderboard Data: Your ranking on public leaderboards based on community contributions

12.3 Privacy Protections

• Check-in locations are always at known public landmarks, never revealing your home or private locations
• You control when and where you check in
• Leaderboard displays only your display name, not personal information

13. Wallet, Credits & Payment Processing

13.1 Credit System

• Earn Credits: Receive credits when your responses are marked as helpful by requesters
• Gamification Rewards: Earn credits through quests, check-ins, and daily activities
• Offer Credits: Optionally offer credits to incentivize quick responses to your requests
• Purchase Credits: Buy credit packages via Apple Pay or Google Pay (in-app purchases)
• Withdraw Credits: Cash out your earned credits via bank transfer (minimum $5 USD)

13.2 In-App Purchases (RevenueCat)

• Credit packages are purchased through Apple App Store or Google Play Store
• Payments are processed by Apple Pay or Google Pay - we never see your payment card details
• Available packages: Starter (75 credits), Basic (170 credits + 10% bonus), Popular (375 credits + 20% bonus), Value Pack (1000 credits + 30% bonus)
• Platform Fees: Apple and Google charge platform fees (typically 15-30%) on in-app purchases

13.3 Withdrawals

• Withdrawals are processed via bank transfer
• Your bank account details are stored securely for withdrawal processing
• Minimum withdrawal: $5 USD (50 credits)
• Withdrawals are processed within 3-5 business days

14. Free Tier, Ads & Monetization

14.1 Free Tier

• Free Requests: 5 free requests per day (unlimited responses)
• Credit Exemption: Offering ≥25 credits on a request makes it FREE (bypasses daily limit)
• Daily Reset: Free request counter resets daily at midnight UTC

14.2 Ad-Supported Access

• Rewarded Video Ads: Watch a 30-second ad to get 1 additional request
• Ad Platform: Google AdMob processes ad delivery and analytics
• Optional: You can spend 10 credits instead of watching ads

14.3 What We Share with AdMob

• Device type and operating system
• App usage patterns (anonymized)
• Ad interaction data (clicks, completions)
• We do NOT share personal information (name, email, exact location)

15. Third-Party Services

LocSnaps integrates with third-party services. Please review their privacy policies:

• Supabase: https://supabase.com/privacy
• Firebase: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
• Google Maps: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Google AdMob: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/6128543
• RevenueCat: https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy
• Apple: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
• Google Play: https://policies.google.com/privacy

16. International Users

LocSnaps is operated from Jamaica. If you're using the app from outside Jamaica, your information may be transferred to and processed in Jamaica. By using LocSnaps, you consent to this transfer.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy in the app
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending you a notification for material changes

Your continued use of LocSnaps after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

18. Your Consent

By using LocSnaps, you consent to:

• Collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy
• Processing of your location data to provide location-based features
• Automatic face blurring of photos/videos you upload
• Display of your public information (display name, requests, responses) to other users
• When broadcasting live: Sharing your real-time location within your chosen visibility radius
• Device attestation via Firebase App Check for check-in verification
• In-app purchase processing through Apple App Store or Google Play Store
• Understanding that disaster routes are community-generated and should be verified with official sources

19. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us: