PawPal Privacy Policy
Last updated: 19 September 2026 · Applies to all PawPal users
At PawPal, your privacy matters as much as your dog's happiness. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it and what rights you have over it.
1. Data We Collect
Where your data is stored: PawPal can be used without an account. While you are signed out, everything you create — dog profiles, posts, health records and settings — stays in your browser on this device and is not sent to us. When you create an account and sign in, that data is stored in your account so it is available on every device you sign in on. You can export or permanently delete it at any time in Settings.
Information you provide directly:
- Account details: name, email address, phone number, city
- Pet profile: dog's name, breed, date of birth, weight, coat colour, microchip ID, vaccination records
- Content you post: photos, captions, comments, stories
- Messages you send to other users
- Health records you choose to add (vaccinations, clinical notes and uploaded documents). If you are not signed in, they are saved only in this browser on this device and we never receive them — clearing your browser data deletes them. Once you sign in, they are also kept in your account so they appear on every device you sign in on, and attached documents are held in private storage that only you can open
Information collected automatically:
- Location data, in two ways: (a) device GPS only when your browser grants permission, and (b) an approximate city inferred from your IP address by ipwho.is only while Detect my location is on and you have not typed a location yourself
- Device information: browser type, operating system, screen resolution
- Usage data: which features you use, how often, and for how long
2. How We Use Your Data
We use your data to:
- Create and manage your account
- Display your profile and your dog's profile to other PawPal users
- Connect you with dog owners in your community
- Show your own locally held position on a private map
- Deliver messages between users
- Send optional email notifications (only if you opted in)
- Improve the platform through aggregated, anonymised analytics
- Comply with legal obligations
3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Union, our legal bases for processing your personal data are:
- Contract: processing necessary to provide the PawPal service
- Consent: location data, optional email marketing
- Legitimate interests: security, fraud prevention, product improvement
- Legal obligation: compliance with applicable laws
4. Data Sharing
We never sell your personal data. We may share data with:
- Other signed-in PawPal users — according to your Profile visibility setting: Everyone shows your dogs and posts to other signed-in members; Private hides your dog profiles from Search and Discover Dogs lists. Users you block cannot see or contact you.
- Service providers who help us operate the platform (hosting, analytics) — bound by strict data-processing agreements
- Law enforcement or regulators — only when legally required
5. Location Data
Location detection is available only after you sign in and while Detect my location is turned on. You choose exactly how your position is shared, with four settings: Use my exact location, Use my approximate location (~2 km radius), City only and Hidden.
- Use my exact location: your position is stored and shown to other signed-in members as accurately as your device provides it. Choose this only if you are comfortable sharing your exact area.
- Use my approximate location (~2 km radius): your position is rounded to the centre of a roughly 2 km area before it is stored — your exact spot never leaves your device.
- City only: only your saved city name is shared; no coordinates are stored or shared at all.
- Hidden: no city, position or distance is shared with other members.
- Device GPS: when your browser grants permission, coordinates are used to centre your own map and are shared only under Use my exact location or Use my approximate location (~2 km radius), exactly as described above. They are never sent to a reverse-geocoding provider.
- Network address: if you have not typed a city yourself, your IP address may be sent to ipwho.is to suggest an approximate city. This happens only while detection is on after sign-in.
- Manual city: a city or postcode you enter is resolved by Open-Meteo Geocoding. The resulting city name becomes authoritative and prevents IP-derived location from overriding it. Coordinates returned by that lookup are discarded, so a manually typed city never shares a position.
Search may show an approximate distance to dogs whose owners chose Use my exact location or Use my approximate location (~2 km radius); distances from an approximate share are always rounded. Play uses your shared city. Maps never plot another member's position unless they chose to share it. Changing to City only or Hidden, turning detection off, clearing location or revoking GPS permission removes previously stored positions and shared city information from dog profiles. Deleting a dog removes its profile and health records; deleting an account removes its location-bearing profiles, records and uploaded files.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your personal data will be permanently removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
7. Your Rights
Under the GDPR and applicable law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
- Withdraw consent at any time (e.g. for marketing emails or location)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@my-pawpal.com. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Cookies
PawPal uses essential cookies to keep you signed in and remember your preferences. We also use optional analytics cookies (Google Analytics) to count visits and see which features are used — these are set only if you press Accept on the cookie banner, and you can decline or change your mind at any time using the cookie button at the bottom of the screen. We never use advertising cookies and we do not track you across other websites.
9. Children's Privacy
PawPal is for adults aged 18 and over and is not directed at children or teenagers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it and close the account promptly.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. We will notify you of significant changes via the app or by email at least 30 days before they take effect.
11. Sub-processors
To run PawPal we rely on a small number of service providers who process data on our behalf, listed here in full: Supabase (database, sign-in and private photo/document storage, EU region), Cloudflare (hosting, content delivery and security filtering), Lovable (build, deployment and email delivery), Google Fonts (typeface files), OpenStreetMap (map tiles loaded only when you open a map), Open-Meteo Geocoding (resolves a place name you type), ipwho.is (suggests an approximate city only after sign-in, while detection is on and no manual city exists) and Google Analytics (usage statistics only if you accept analytics cookies). Precise GPS coordinates stay in your browser unless you choose Use my exact location or Use my approximate location (~2 km radius), in which case they are stored only as described in the Location Data section.
12. Contact & Data Controller
PawPal (the data controller) can be reached at:
privacy@my-pawpal.com
