Privacy Policy

Dog Maps is an iPhone app for posting photos of dogs you see, pinned to where you saw them. This policy explains what we collect, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: we collect what the app needs to work, we don't sell anything, and we don't track you across other apps or websites.

What we collect

• Account details: your name, username, email address and password (stored as a one-way hash). Optionally a short bio and a profile picture.
• Dog posts: the photo you take in the app, the note you add, the time you took it, and your location at that moment (latitude, longitude and how accurate the fix was), plus a place name like "Washington Park, Denver" worked out on your phone.
• Activity in the app: who you follow, follow requests, likes, blocks and reports you make.
• Push notification token if you allow notifications, so we can tell you about follow requests and new followers.
• Basic server logs (IP address, time, the request made), kept briefly for security and to fix problems.

We don't collect your contacts, your photo library, your browsing history, advertising identifiers or health data. The app only uses your location at the moment you post a dog. It does not track your location in the background.

Who can see your posts

Your posts show the dog's photo, your note, and the place on the map where you took it. That location is the point of the app, so think about it before posting near your home.

• Public accounts: your dogs, profile and collection map can be seen by anyone, in the app and on dogmaps.org share pages.
• Private accounts: your dogs and collection map are only visible to followers you approve. Your name, username, profile picture, bio and follower counts are still visible so people can ask to follow you.
• People you block can't see your profile or dogs, and you won't see theirs.

How we use it

• To run the app: your account, posting dogs, maps, follows, likes and notifications.
• To keep it safe: checking photos, handling reports and enforcing our Terms.
• To email you about your account: confirming your email address and password resets. No marketing emails.

The AI photo check (OpenAI)

Before a dog is posted, the photo and your note are sent to OpenAI's API to check that the photo contains a real dog, to guess its breed, and to screen out content that breaks our guidelines. OpenAI processes this data for us as a service provider. Under OpenAI's API terms, data sent through the API is not used to train their models and is kept for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring. Photos that fail the check are not stored by us.

Who we share it with

We don't sell your data or share it for advertising. We use a few service providers to run Dog Maps:

• OpenAI - the photo check described above.
• Amazon Web Services (Amazon SES) - sending account emails.
• Apple - push notifications (Apple Push Notification service) and maps (MapKit).
• Cloudflare - network and security for dogmaps.org.

Our servers are in the United States. We may disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and posts until you delete them. When you delete a dog, its photo is deleted. When you delete your account, everything is removed right away: your profile, dogs, photos, likes, follows, notifications and devices. Encrypted backups roll off within 90 days.

Your choices and rights

• Edit your profile, switch between public and private, or delete any dog at any time in the app.
• Delete your account in the app: Profile, then the settings button, then Delete account. Or see how to delete your account.
• Turn off notifications or location access in your iPhone's Settings at any time. You can still browse without location access; you just can't post.
• Ask us for a copy of your data, or to correct it, by emailing [email protected]. Depending on where you live (for example California or the EU/UK) you may have further rights, and we will honor them.

Children

Dog Maps is for people 13 and older. We don't knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you think a child under 13 has an account, email us and we will delete it.

Changes

If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we'll update the date at the top and let you know in the app.

Contact

Questions about privacy: [email protected].