Privacy Policy
The short version
- We collect your email address, your location while you're using the app, and the photos, videos and text you post.
- Your location is used to show and unlock nearby pins. We don't keep a history of where you've been, and we don't track you in the background.
- No ads, no third-party analytics or tracking, and we never sell your data.
- Our hosting provider (Amazon Web Services) stores the data in the United States.
- You can ask us to delete your account and everything tied to it at any time: privacy@earthr.net.
Who we are
earthr ("we", "us") makes a location-based app where people drop pins that others can unlock only by being physically nearby. Questions about this policy or your data go to privacy@earthr.net.
What we collect and why
| Data | Why we use it | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Email address and password | To create and sign in to your account, and to send sign-up confirmation codes. Passwords are handled by Amazon Cognito and stored only in hashed form; we never see them. | Only us. Other users don't see your email. |
| Precise location, while the app is open | To show pins near you, to check you're close enough to unlock a pin, and to place a pin where you create it. We use your location at the moment you do something; we don't store a history of your movements and the app doesn't use location in the background. | Not shared with other users, except that a pin you create sits at the place you created it (see below). |
| Pins you create | The pin's location, unlock radius, type, viewer limit and expiry, so the app can show it and enforce its rules. | Public pins appear on the map for anyone nearby. Personal pins are visible only to the people you invite. |
| Photos, videos and captions you post | To show them to people who unlock your pin. | Anyone who unlocks the pin. People who collect a pin can view its content again later. |
| Email addresses you invite | When you create a personal pin, the addresses you enter (typed or picked from your contacts) are stored so only those people can open it. We only receive the addresses you choose, not your contact list. | Only us and you. |
| Your activity on pins | Which pins you've unlocked, collected or discarded, so viewer limits work and your Collected list stays in sync. | Only us. A pin's creator sees how many slots remain, not who used them. |
| Reports | If you report a pin, we store the report and reason to moderate content. Pins reported by several people are hidden automatically. | Only us. The person you report isn't told who reported them. |
| Server logs | Standard request logs (such as IP address, time and the request made) to keep the service running and secure. Deleted after 14 days. | Only us. |
The app also asks for camera access, only so you can take a photo or video for a pin. Nothing is captured unless you do so.
What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent personal data.
- We don't show ads or use advertising identifiers.
- We don't use third-party analytics or tracking SDKs, and we don't track you across other apps or websites.
Who we share data with
- Amazon Web Services hosts the app's servers, database, file storage and sign-in system (Amazon Cognito) in the United States (Oregon region). AWS processes the data only to provide those services to us.
- Apple, during the beta: if you install through TestFlight, Apple shares crash reports and any feedback you choose to send with us, under Apple's privacy policy.
- Legal requirements: we may disclose information if required by law, to respond to valid legal process, or to protect the safety of people using earthr. Where the law requires it, we report child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
How long we keep it
- Photos and videos are deleted from storage when their pin expires or its creator deletes it.
- Pin and activity records are kept while your account exists, so viewer limits and your history stay accurate.
- Server logs are deleted after 14 days.
- Your account is kept until you ask us to delete it. Deleting it removes your email, your pins and their content, your activity and the invites you sent, apart from anything we must keep to meet a legal obligation.
Your choices and rights
- Location and camera: you can turn either off at any time in iOS Settings → earthr. Without location, the app can't show or unlock pins.
- Your content: you can delete any pin you created from My Pins in the app, which also deletes its photo or video.
- Access, correction and deletion: email privacy@earthr.net from the address on your account to get a copy of your data, correct it, or delete your account. We'll respond within 30 days.
- Depending on where you live (for example California, or the EU and UK), you may have additional rights under local law, such as the right to object to or restrict processing, or to complain to a data protection authority. We'll honor those requests through the same address.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest. The database is reachable only from inside our private network, and photos and videos are served through short-lived links. No system is perfectly secure, but we limit who and what can reach your data.
Children
earthr isn't intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page. If a change materially affects how we use your data, we'll tell you in the app before it takes effect.