Privacy Policy for TrailTreks

This Privacy Policy describes how TrailTreks (the "App") collects, uses, stores and shares information when you use our mobile application and this website. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data with care.

1. Who We Are

TrailTreks is an independent app, developed and operated by a private developer based in New Zealand. It is not affiliated with any government agency. The developer is the "agency" responsible for your personal information under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, which applies to this policy. You can contact us at trailtreksmobile@icqz.net.

2. Data We Collect

TrailTreks runs on our own backend, built on Google Firebase (authentication, Realtime Database, Analytics, Crashlytics and Performance Monitoring) together with a server we operate for alerts and subscriptions. Google provides the Firebase infrastructure to us as our service provider.

a. Account Information:

Some features (such as sharing content, Location Beaconing, alerts and PLUS) require you to sign in with Google or Apple. When you sign in, we store a basic profile in our backend, which may include:

• Your name or display name, as provided by Google or Apple (Apple may provide your full name).
• Your email address.
• Your profile photo URL, where provided.
• A unique account identifier, the sign-in provider you used, and sign-in timestamps.

Your name or display name may be shown on items you share. At present, your email address is also included in items you share and can be seen by anyone who opens the share link. You can use the core mapping features of the App without an account.

b. Location Data:

By default your location stays on your device. We collect and use it as follows:

• Showing your position: your coordinates are used to display where you are and to centre the map. This happens only while the App is open and on screen.
• Recording your route: when you explicitly start a recording, the App captures GPS points in the background, even with the screen off, so your hike is mapped accurately. Background recording runs only while recording is switched on. Recorded tracks are stored on your device.
• When your track leaves your device: when you view a track, its coordinates are sent to elevation providers to build an elevation profile, and its details are sent to an AI provider to generate a summary (see AI Track Summaries below). A track is also uploaded if you share it.
• Location Beaconing: when you post a beacon position, its coordinates, accuracy and a timestamp are sent to our backend. See Location Beaconing.
• Device backups: your operating system may include the App's data on your device, including recorded tracks and trip plans, in its own backups (for example Android backup to your Google account, or iCloud). That is controlled by your device settings and the backup provider's terms, not by us.

c. Shared Content:

When you choose to share a track, marker or place, the content you share, including its coordinates, is uploaded to our backend and made available to anyone who opens the share link. See Sharing Content.

d. Offline Map Data:

The App allows you to download map tiles to your device for offline use. These map tiles are stored locally on your device and are not uploaded to our servers or redistributed.

e. Alerts and Notifications:

If you set up DOC alerts, weather alerts or hut watches, we store the following on our own alerts server (not in Firebase):

• Your account identifier.
• A notification token for your device.
• What you are watching: regions, DOC places or huts. For hut watches this includes the dates and party size.
• Your alert history.

Push notifications are delivered through Expo's push notification service (United States) and Apple or Google's notification services.

f. PLUS Subscription Data:

If you subscribe to PLUS, the App sends the store's purchase token or transaction ID, together with your TrailTreks account ID, to our own alerts and billing server. We use this only to verify the purchase with Apple or Google and to work out whether your account has PLUS. Payments are handled entirely by Apple or Google, and they do not share your card or other payment details with us. We keep purchase records for as long as needed to manage your subscription and meet tax and accounting obligations (see Data Retention). The PLUS subscription itself is covered by our Terms of Use.

g. Analytics Data (Firebase Analytics and Performance Monitoring):

We use Google Firebase Analytics and Firebase Performance Monitoring to understand how the App is used and how well it performs, so we can improve it. These are on by default, and you can switch them off in Settings under "Analytics & error reports". They may collect:

• Device information: such as your device model, operating system version and device identifiers.
• Usage data: such as screens visited, features used and session duration, and the search terms you enter.
• Performance data: such as how long screens and network requests take.
• Geographic data: a general, non-precise location (such as country or city) derived from your IP address.

Our analytics events do not include your precise location or the contents of your tracks. Because identifiers and search terms may be collected, we do not describe this data as anonymous.

h. Crash Reporting Data (Firebase Crashlytics):

We use Google Firebase Crashlytics to monitor and report crashes and errors within the App. When the App crashes, Crashlytics collects crash traces and device information (such as device model and operating system version). Crash reports may be linked to your account ID and may include technical details about what you were doing in the App at the time. You can switch crash reports off in Settings under "Analytics & error reports".

i. AI Track Summaries (Google Gemini):

The App can generate a plain-language summary of a track using Google's Gemini API. We send Gemini the track's statistics, its elevation profile, and either the region or the approximate start and end location. For tracks you created yourself, we also send the track name. Summaries are generated automatically when you open a track. They are produced by AI, may be inaccurate, and should not be relied on for safety decisions. We do not send your name, email or account ID.

j. Te Araroa Progress:

The App's free Te Araroa feature lets you tick off sections of the trail as you walk them. Nothing new leaves your device:

• Your Te Araroa progress (which sections you have completed, the date, and the option you walked) is stored only on your device. It is not uploaded, synced or shared.
• Offline maps for a section are downloaded from the same map providers as other offline maps.
• If you delete your account and choose to also delete the tracks and markers on your device, your Te Araroa progress is deleted too.
• Analytics events record the actions you take (for example "section completed" or a change of direction), with no location, section geometry or free text.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the App's features, including offline maps, route recording, sharing, Location Beaconing and alerts.
• Authenticate you and maintain your account.
• Verify PLUS purchases and provide PLUS features to your account.
• Send the notifications and alerts you set up.
• Understand and analyse how the App is used so we can improve it.
• Monitor and fix crashes and errors, ensuring the App's stability and reliability.
• Provide support, keep the service secure and respond to requests under the Privacy Act 2020.

4. Location Beaconing

Location Beaconing is a safety feature that lets you manually post your GPS position into a time-limited session and share it with contacts. It is available to all users and is currently in BETA. Please be aware of how it works:

• A position is only ever posted when you explicitly tap to post it. The App does not track or transmit your location automatically.
• Anyone who has the session link can open it in a web browser, without an account. They can see the full trail of positions you have posted (up to 100 timestamped points, each with its accuracy), the session name you chose, and a "last seen" time. You control who you give the link to.
• The session name you choose is visible to anyone with the link, so do not put sensitive information in it.
• Each session has an expiry that you choose. Once a session expires it can no longer be viewed through the link.
• Your link stops showing your position when the session expires. Your history is deleted 7 days later. For those 7 days after expiry, only you, signed in to the App, can view the session and its points, so you can review your trip. Deletion is handled by an hourly job, so it happens at around the stated time rather than instantly, and you can delete the session yourself at any time before then.
• Beaconing is a manual check-in tool. It is not an emergency, SOS or live-tracking service, and should not be relied on as one.

5. Sharing Content

When you share a track, marker or place, it is uploaded to our backend and can be read by anyone who has the share link. Share links do not expire, and anyone with a link can see the content, including its coordinates, and the details described under Account Information above. Shared content is created only when you choose to share it. Deleting your account removes the content you have shared. We do not yet offer a way to remove an individual share; if you need one removed sooner, email us.

6. Third-Party Services

To provide certain features, the App sends data to the following external services:

• MET Norway (Norway): coordinates, to retrieve weather forecasts.
• Open Elevation and OpenTopoData: track coordinates, to build elevation profiles.
• Google Gemini: track statistics, elevation profile, region or approximate start and end location, and the track name for your own tracks, to generate AI summaries.
• Esri ArcGIS (United States): search text and the visible map area, for Department of Conservation map layers.
• LINZ and Koordinates: search text and map tile requests.
• Expo push notification service (United States): your notification token and the content of notifications we send you.
• Bitrise CodePush (United States): app version and a device identifier, to deliver app updates.
• Apple and Google: sign-in and in-app purchases, under their own terms.

The weather, elevation and mapping services receive coordinates or search text only, not your name, email or account ID. Each of these services also receives your IP address as a normal part of any internet request, and handles the data under its own privacy policy.

7. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers. The only data made visible to other people is the content you deliberately share or beacon, as described above. Data held in our backend is processed by Google as our infrastructure provider, and data is sent to the third-party services listed above solely to deliver those features. We may also disclose information where the law requires it.

8. Overseas Storage and Disclosure

Some of your information is stored or processed outside New Zealand:

• Our backend database (profiles, shared content and beacons) is hosted by Google in Singapore.
• Analytics, performance and crash data are processed by Google in the United States and elsewhere.
• Our alerts and billing server is hosted by a commercial hosting provider. We are confirming its country and will state it here.
• Weather, elevation, mapping, notification and update providers are in Norway, the European Union and the United States (see Third-Party Services).

Where we use a provider to store or process information on our behalf, we rely on that provider not using it for its own purposes. We are still confirming this for some providers. In particular, we are confirming the Google Gemini terms that apply to us and the data-sharing settings on our Google Analytics property. Until that is confirmed, you should assume that data sent to those services may not be fully protected from the provider's own use. Where a provider is not acting on our behalf, we send information only where it is needed to give you the feature you asked for.

9. This Website

When you visit trailtreks.nz, the following applies:

• We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used. It records the pages you visit, your device and browser type, your approximate location (worked out from your IP address by Google), and performance and error counts. Google necessarily receives your IP address when the page loads. It sets two cookies, _ga and _ga_<id>, to tell visits apart. Google reCAPTCHA on the feedback page may also set cookies. Google retains this data for 2 months. Google Signals and ad personalisation are switched off, and we do not use this data for advertising.
• On shared-location pages (trail, marker, document and beacon links), we record only the type of page opened. We never send the link, the share or session ID, or any location to Google Analytics.
• Our feedback form asks for your name, email address and message. We email them to our support mailbox and use them only to reply to you. We keep them for as long as needed to deal with your request, and delete them after 2 years. The form is protected by Google reCAPTCHA, which processes information about your device and browsing to tell people from bots, under Google's privacy policy and terms. It runs only on the feedback page.
• We load fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser requests them from Google and your IP address is shared with Google.
• Pages that show maps request map tiles from our map providers, who receive your IP address and the area you are viewing.
• Shared content and beacon viewer pages load the shared data from our backend so it can be displayed.

10. Data Retention

We keep information only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected:

11. Your Rights and Account Deletion

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you can ask to see the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct it.

• You can see, change and delete most of your information in the App itself (your profile, shared items, beacon sessions and recorded tracks).
• To ask for a copy of what we hold, to correct it, or to ask us to delete something, email trailtreksmobile@icqz.net. We will respond within 20 working days.
• You can delete your account at any time from the Settings screen in the App. This removes your profile and the content you have shared. You can also choose to delete the tracks and markers on your device at the same time, which deletes your Te Araroa progress too.
• Beacon sessions and positions, and alert and notification data held on our alerts server, are not yet removed automatically when you delete your account. To have these deleted, email us from the address linked to your account and we will remove them.
• Crash reports and usage statistics already sent to Google can't be removed from the App. Email us if you would like them deleted.
• You can switch off analytics and crash reports at any time in Settings.

If you are not happy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (privacy.org.nz). We would appreciate the chance to put things right first.

12. Security and Access

Data is encrypted in transit between the App and our servers, and access to our backend is restricted. The developer can access account data in our backend for support and security purposes. If a privacy breach occurs that is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify affected people and the Privacy Commissioner as the Privacy Act 2020 requires.

13. Children's Privacy

The App is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children. It is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

14. Map Data Attribution

Map data used in this App is sourced from:Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)

Data is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

© Crown copyright | Map data by LINZ

15. Disclaimer

While we strive to provide accurate maps, we always recommend checking local conditions and trail signs. Your use of this App is at your own risk, and your safety should always be your top priority.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the date above, and we will highlight material changes in the App. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: trailtreksmobile@icqz.net