Privacy Policy

This is a translation provided for convenience. The Polish version is legally binding. Read the Polish version

1. Data controller

The controller of your personal data is the Service Provider identified in § 1 of the Terms (hereinafter: the "Controller", "we" or "us").

Contact in all matters concerning personal data: [email protected] or by post to the address of the Service Provider given in the Terms. We have not appointed a data protection officer.

This policy applies to the TravelPing mobile app (iOS, Android), the location preview pages opened in a web browser (/s/… and /g/… links) and the https://travelping.app website (together: the "Service").

2. What data we process

If you use the app

• Account: e‑mail address, password (we store only its cryptographic hash), display name and an optional profile photo. You can use the app as a guest: in that case we create an anonymous account with a random identifier, without your e‑mail.
• Location: GPS coordinates, accuracy and, if the device provides them, also speed, direction of travel and battery level. We collect them only while sharing is turned on, including in the background, until you pause or delete it.
• Share and group settings: names, time windows and daily hours, update frequency, an optional trip destination, a short status (e.g. "On my way").
• Messages: the content of messages in a share's chat and replies to questions from recipients.
• Push notification token and basic device information (operating system), if you allow notifications.
• Friends list: other people's shares that you have saved under a name of your choice.
• Moments: photos with a short text and a position that you add to a share or group yourself. Before storing a photo, we downsize it and remove its metadata (EXIF, including GPS coordinates and camera model).

If you view someone's location in a browser

• You do not need an account. If you send a message or a question to the sharing person, we store its content, the signature you enter (optional) and a random browser identifier that allows you to see the reply.
• Reactions and comments on moments: if you react (emoji) or comment on a moment, we store the reaction, the comment text, the name exactly as you type it (optional; without it we show “Guest”), the time and a hash (sha256) of a random identifier kept in your browser (localStorage). We do not store your IP address or cookies with them. The identifier is used only to undo a reaction, mark your own comments and count reports from one person once. Comments containing links are not accepted.

All users

• Technical data: IP address, browser/device type, date and time of the request. They are recorded in server logs and are used for security purposes (e.g. limiting abuse and spam).

We do not collect special categories of data, address book contacts or advertising identifiers.

3. Purposes and legal bases

Providing data is voluntary, but without your location it cannot be shared, and without an e‑mail address you cannot create a full account (you can then remain a guest). We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing, including profiling.

4. Who can see your location

• Anyone who has the link or QR code of a share can see your position, name, avatar and status, but only while the share is active (not paused, and within the time window and hours you have set). The link works like a key: give it only to people you trust.
• Group members and anyone who has the group's link or QR code can see the positions of members who share their location in that group.
• If you turn on the route trail, recipients can also see your positions from the period you choose (e.g. the last hour, the last 6 or 24 hours, or the whole time you share).
• Moments (photo, text, place and time added) are visible to the same people who can see your position: via the link or QR code only while sharing is active, and in a group also to its members in the app.
• Reactions and comments on a moment are visible to anyone with the share or group link while the moment is visible (same rules as the position) and, in the app, to the moment's author, the owner of the share or group and its members. Do not write anything in comments that you do not want to disclose.
• Once a share is paused, ended or deleted, recipients can no longer see your position.

5. Data recipients and processors

We entrust data only to providers without whom the Service cannot operate, and only to the extent necessary:

• Server and database hosting (VPS server): all Service data.
• Cloudflare, Inc.: content delivery network, connection encryption, protection against attacks (IP address, network traffic).
• Expo (650 Industries, Inc.), Apple (APNs) and Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging): delivery of push notifications (device token, notification content) and app updates.
• Map tile providers, i.e. OpenFreeMap in the app and the OpenStreetMap Foundation on the preview pages: loading the base map (IP address, displayed map area).
• OSRM routing service (project‑osrm.org): matching the route trail to roads (coordinates of trail points, without data identifying the user).
• Google Fonts and unpkg: fonts and the map library on web pages (IP address).
• Apple App Store and Google Play: app distribution. They process data under their own rules, as separate controllers.

We may also disclose data to public authorities, but only where required by law. We do not sell data and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

6. Transfers outside the EEA

Some of the providers listed (Cloudflare, Expo, Apple, Google) are based in the USA. Data is transferred on the basis of the European Commission's decision finding an adequate level of protection (EU‑US Data Privacy Framework) in the case of certified entities, and in other cases on the basis of standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission. You can obtain a copy of these safeguards by writing to us.

7. How long we keep data

• Location history (shares and groups): up to 7 days, after which we delete it automatically. Deleting a share, leaving a group or deleting your account erases it earlier.
• Moments (photos with text and position): up to 30 days, after which we delete them automatically. You can delete any moment earlier in the app; moments are also deleted together with the share, when you leave the group and when you delete your account.
• Reactions and comments on moments: as long as the moment — they are deleted together with it (automatically after the moment's retention period, or earlier). The moment's author and the owner of the share or group can delete any comment in the app. A comment reported by 3 different people is automatically hidden from public view (the owner still sees it and can delete it).
• Last known position in the server cache: up to 1 hour.
• Messages from recipients in a browser: up to 180 days.
• Guest account (using the app without signing up): if it has no shares, groups or saved shares and has not been used for 90 days, we delete it automatically (the app creates a new one the next time it starts).
• Account, settings, chat messages: until the account or the given share/group is deleted.
• Server logs: rotated and overwritten, as a rule within 30 days.
• Correspondence with us: for as long as necessary to handle the matter and any claims (as a rule up to 3 years).

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

• access your data and obtain a copy of it,
• rectification of your data (you can also change your name, e‑mail and photo yourself in the app),
• erasure of your data: Profile → "Delete account and data" deletes your account and data immediately (details),
• restriction of processing,
• data portability,
• object to processing based on our legitimate interest,
• withdraw consent at any time (e.g. by turning off location access in your phone's settings), without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal,
• lodge a complaint with the Prezes Urzędu Ochrony Danych Osobowych (President of the Personal Data Protection Office, UODO; ul. Stawki 2, 00‑193 Warszawa, Poland, uodo.gov.pl).

To exercise your rights, write to [email protected]. We will reply without undue delay, and at the latest within one month. We may ask you to confirm that the account belongs to you.

9. Permissions and device storage

• Location, including "always"/background: sending your position when the app is not on screen. Before the system prompt, we explain in the app why it is needed.
• Camera: scanning QR codes (the image does not leave the device) and taking photos that you send yourself as a profile photo or a moment.
• Photos: only when you choose a profile photo or a photo for a moment yourself.
• Notifications: information about shares and messages.

The app stores login tokens on your phone (in the system's secure storage) and its settings. The preview pages store a random identifier and your chat signature in the browser's storage (localStorage). We do not use cookies for tracking or analytics; the admin panel uses only strictly necessary session cookies.

The travelping.app website sets a tp_lang cookie with your chosen site language (one year). We also count page views and clicks anonymously, e.g. on the App Store or Google Play button: we store the event type, the page, the language, the device type (iOS, Android or other), the domain of the site you came from and campaign parameters (utm). We do not store your IP address, a visitor identifier or browser details, and we do not use cookies for this, so these statistics cannot be linked to a person. We keep them for up to 13 months.

10. Security

Connections are encrypted (HTTPS). Share links contain random tokens that are hard to guess. We store passwords only as cryptographic hashes. We limit the number of requests to make abuse more difficult. Only the Controller has access to the servers. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a high risk, we will notify you.

11. Children

The Service is intended for people aged 16 or over. Younger people may use it only with the consent and under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. If we learn that we are processing a child's data without such consent, we will delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We update this policy when the Service or the law changes. We will inform you of material changes in advance in the app or on this page. The top of the page always shows the effective date of the current version.