Effective Date: April 23, 2025
Introduction
IslandDevs ("we", "us", or "our") operates Phonar ("the app"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our application. By accessing or using the app, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.
Information We Collect
We collect and handle the following types of information:
1. Essential Information
- Phone number: Required for account authentication and connecting with contacts
- Location: Required for core app functionality to enable location sharing with your contacts
2. Technical Information
- Authentication tokens: To keep you securely signed in
- Crash reports: To improve app stability and fix issues
- Performance data: To ensure the app runs smoothly
- Device tokens: To send push notifications that alert you when someone shares their location with you.
Data Protection:
- Security: All data is encrypted during transmission and storage
- Control: You can pause location sharing at any time
- Privacy: Your data is only shared with contacts you explicitly choose
- Deletion: You can delete your account and data at any time
How We Use Your Information
We may use the collected information for:
- Providing and maintaining the app;
- Enhancing user experience;
- Analyzing usage trends and preferences;
- Sending push notifications to alert you when someone shares their location;
- Communicating with you regarding updates, security alerts, or support;
- Complying with legal obligations.
How We Share Your Information
We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, we may share information with:
- Service Providers: Third-party vendors who assist with operations (such as hosting, data analysis, payment processing, etc.) under strict confidentiality agreements. This includes:
- Firebase (by Google, for hosting, authentication, and database services).
- Sentry (for crash/error reporting and diagnostics).
- Legal Requirements: If required by law or to protect our rights, safety, or property;
- Business Transfers: In connection with any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so under applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). The lawful bases we rely on include:
- Contract: Processing necessary to provide you with the app’s services.
- Legitimate Interests: Processing for our legitimate business interests, such as improving the app and ensuring its security, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
- Legal Obligation: Processing necessary to comply with legal obligations.
- Consent: Where required, we will seek your explicit consent for specific processing activities. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at [email protected].
International Data Transfers
Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside of your jurisdiction, including the United States, where our servers or service providers (such as Firebase and Sentry) are located. We ensure that such transfers are made in compliance with applicable data protection laws and that appropriate safeguards—such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission and UK authorities—are in place to protect your information. For more details, see:
Data Security
We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
Data Retention
We will retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law.
Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights regarding your personal data. For users in the UK and EU, these rights include:
- Access: Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure: Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”).
- Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
- Objection: Object to our processing of your data in certain circumstances.
- Portability: Request a copy of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
- Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (see below).
Supervisory Authority
If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Automated Decision-Making
We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
Cookies and Analytics
We do not use cookies or similar tracking technologies for marketing or analytics purposes. However, we use Sentry for crash/error reporting and diagnostics, which may collect technical information about your device and app usage to help us identify and fix bugs. Sentry does not track you for advertising or marketing.
Children's Privacy
Our app is not intended for children under the age of 13 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under this age. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with information, please contact us so we can remove it. We encourage parents and guardians to monitor their children’s use of the app.
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 Effective Date. Your continued use of the app after this means you accept those changes.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: [email protected]