Legal
Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
WetuWild ("WetuWild", "we", "us") is a field journal and community for wildlife lovers and travellers. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who helps us run the service, where your data is stored, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to the WetuWild app on iPhone and iPad.
We designed WetuWild around a simple principle: what you share is what you choose to share. We do not track you across other apps or websites, we do not sell your data, and the app contains no advertising or analytics SDKs.
HSB Developers is responsible for your personal data (the "data controller") when you use WetuWild.
2. Who can use WetuWild
WetuWild is intended for users aged 18 and older. You enter your date of birth at an age gate during sign-up, and younger users cannot create an account. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under that age. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under the minimum age, we delete its data and block the account.
3. Your account and sign-in
You can create an account with:
- an email address and password — we send you a link to confirm your address, and you need to confirm it before you can post or buy promotions;
- Sign in with Apple — Apple shares your name and email with us, and lets you hide your real email behind a relay address;
- Google Sign-In — Google shares your name and email address with us.
Sign-in is handled by Firebase Authentication (Google). We give your account a random account ID and create a username for you. If you turn on two-step sign-in, we also store your phone number and send a code to it by SMS when you sign in. Before your account can be deleted, you are asked to sign in again.
4. Information we collect
We collect only what the app needs to work. Everything below is linked to your account and used for running the app — never for tracking or advertising.
| Category | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account identifiers | Your account ID, the username we create for you | Create and operate your account |
| Contact details | Email address; phone number only if you turn on two-step sign-in | Sign-in, email confirmation, account recovery, security |
| Name and profile | Display name, optional bio, profile photo, optional location text, role (for example enthusiast, guide, lodge) | Your profile and showing who posted what |
| Date of birth | Entered at the age gate | Enforce the minimum age |
| Photos and videos | Photos in posts, trips, journal entries and listings; Moments (videos up to 15 seconds, or photos) | The core sharing features |
| Location | The park and map position you choose to attach to a post or Moment (both optional) | Show where a sighting happened (see §6) |
| Your content | Captions, hashtags, comments, likes, saves, reviews, follows, trips and journal entries, listings, campaigns, promotions | The social and discovery features |
| Direct messages | Messages you send and receive, reactions, replies, conversation settings (for example muted) | Deliver messages between you and the people you chat with (see §7) |
| Reports and blocks | Reports you make (what you reported, the reason, your note) and the people you block | Review reported content, prevent abuse (see §9) |
| Purchases | Records of promotions you buy through Apple, and any refunds (see §10) | Deliver and manage promotions |
| Device identifier | The push notification token of each device you sign in on, with the platform and app version | Send the notifications you have switched on |
| Business listing views and shares | When you open or share a business listing (a guide, tour or lodge package, gear, or a conservation campaign): which listing, the day, and where you opened it from (for example the feed, search, or a promotion) | Give the business totals of how often its listings are seen and shared (see §9 and §11) |
| Settings and consents | Privacy settings, notification settings, marketing choice, the policy version you accepted and when | Respect your choices; keep a record of your consent |
| Professional details | Licence, tax ID, insurance number, business address, certifications — professional accounts only (guide, lodge, tour operator, vendor, partner) | Shown on business profiles. Self-reported, unless the profile shows the verified badge (see the next row). |
| Verification documents | Photos or scans a business sends to get the verified badge — for example a licence, permit, business registration or insurance certificate — and an optional note | Check that the business is real. Seen only by our review team, never shown on the profile |
| Partner applications | The organisation details, registration number, documents and note you send when applying to become a Conservation Partner | Check that the organisation is a genuine wildlife institution. Seen only by our review team; the details appear on your profile only once the application is approved |
We do not collect: advertising identifiers (IDFA), cross-app or cross-site tracking data, your contacts, health data or browsing history.
On your device. WetuWild suggests species and nearby parks while you write a post. The species suggestion runs on your device; your photo is not sent anywhere for it. Your device's location is only read while you are adding a location to a post or Moment, and only if you allow it.
5. How we use your information, and our legal bases
| Use | Legal basis (GDPR / UK GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Provide WetuWild's features — feed, profiles, parks, species, search, trips, sightings, Moments, listings, reviews, direct messages | Performance of our contract with you (the app's terms) |
| Create your account, confirm your email, keep your account secure (including two-step sign-in) | Contract; our legitimate interest in security |
| Send the push notifications you have switched on (for example new messages, followers, likes, comments, new sightings you follow) | Contract; you can switch each type off |
| Review reported content, act on it (for example hide or remove it, or suspend an account), tell you when we act on your content, and prevent abuse | Our legitimate interest in a safe community; legal obligations |
| Sell and deliver promotions, handle Apple refund requests (see §10) | Contract; legal obligations (accounting) |
| Send product news and tips by email — only if you opt in | Consent (you can withdraw it in Settings at any time) |
| Process your data as described in this policy, as accepted at sign-up | Consent, recorded with the policy version |
| Show businesses how often their listings are viewed and shared — as totals only | Our legitimate interest, and the business's, in knowing whether their listings reach people |
| Review a business's verification request and show the verified badge when it's approved | Our legitimate interest in a trustworthy community; the business's request |
| Fix bugs and keep the service reliable using basic, non-tracking diagnostics | Our legitimate interest in a working service |
We do not sell your data, use it for third-party advertising, or use it to train AI models.
6. Location, and protecting sensitive species
- Location on posts is optional. You can attach a park, a map position, both or neither. Moments can be shared with or without a location.
- Protected species. For species that are Endangered or Critically Endangered, and for species often targeted by poachers (for example rhinos, elephants and pangolins), the app never shows the precise position of a post to other users — only the park or area name. You still see your own spot.
- Your profile location (the free-text location on your profile) is only shown to others when Share Location is on (Edit Profile → Privacy Settings). On business profiles it is shown so travellers can find you.
7. Direct messages
- Who can read them: the people in the conversation, on any device where they are signed in. Messages from people you don't follow arrive in your Requests inbox.
- Moderators see a message only when someone in the conversation reports it. They then see the reported message and the recent messages in that conversation, so they can decide on the report.
- Not end-to-end encrypted. Messages are encrypted in transit and at rest on our servers, but they are not end-to-end encrypted. If you need end-to-end encryption, use a dedicated messaging app.
- Notifications for a new message show the sender's name and a short preview, unless you hide previews in iOS settings.
- Deleting: when you delete a message it disappears from your view; it is removed from our servers 30 days after both people in the conversation have deleted it. When either person deletes their account, the conversation and its messages are deleted for both.
- Your choices: turn direct messages off (Edit Profile → Privacy Settings → Allow Direct Messages), mute a conversation, or block someone — a blocked person can no longer message you.
8. Moments
Moments are short videos (up to 15 seconds) or photos (shown for 3 to 10 seconds) that expire automatically, normally after 24 hours, and are then deleted. A Moment that has been reported and held or removed by a moderator is kept for up to 30 days after it expires as a moderation record, then deleted.
9. What others can see, reports, moderation and blocking
Public content. What you publish — posts, photos, captions, comments, likes, reviews, Moments, listings, campaigns, promotions, and your profile (display name, photo, role, bio) — is visible to WetuWild users, subject to your settings:
- Private profile — turn Public Profile off (Edit Profile → Privacy Settings) and your profile is only visible to your followers.
- Blocking — once you block someone, neither of you sees the other's content and they can no longer message you.
- Your drafts, settings, trip and journal photos, the reports you make and the people you block are not shown to others.
- Business listings — when you open or share a business's listing, the business sees it only as part of its totals (for example "120 views, 85 people, 6 shares in the last 30 days" and where views came from). It is never told who viewed or shared its listing.
Reports and moderation. You can report posts, comments, reviews, Moments, messages, listings and profiles. A report stores your account, the item and account reported, the reason and any note you add, and the moderator's decision. The person you report is never told who reported them. WetuWild moderators (people on our team) review reports and may hide or remove content, or restrict or suspend an account. If we act on your content or account, we tell you in the app.
10. Purchases and refunds
Promotions are bought through Apple's App Store (StoreKit). Apple processes the payment — we never receive your card or bank details. We receive and keep the transaction details we need: the product, the transaction ID, the date, the promotion it pays for, and whether it was refunded. To link a purchase to your account, the app passes Apple an identifier derived from your account ID.
When you ask Apple for a refund, Apple may ask us about the purchase. We then tell Apple whether the promotion was delivered and how much of its run took place. Repeated refunds of promotions that ran may stop you buying further promotions.
11. Analytics and diagnostics
WetuWild does not include Firebase Analytics, Google Analytics, or any other analytics or ad-measurement SDK, and analytics collection is switched off in the app's settings. We do not collect advertising measurement data.
The only usage information WetuWild records itself is business listing views and shares (§4): when you open or share a guide, tour or lodge package, gear or a conservation campaign, our own database notes the listing, the day and where you opened it from. A view is counted at most once per listing per day, your own listings are not counted, and businesses only ever see totals — never who viewed. These records are kept for 13 months and are not used for tracking or advertising.
The Google and Firebase software we use for sign-in and notifications (Google Sign-In, Firebase Authentication, Firebase Cloud Messaging) may send Google limited technical information, such as the device type, app version and diagnostic data, to provide and secure those services. Google handles that information under its own privacy policy; we do not use it to track you.
If we ever add analytics, we will update this policy and the App Store privacy details before that version is released.
12. Who helps us run WetuWild, and where your data is stored
| Provider | What it does for WetuWild | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase (hosted on Amazon Web Services) | Our main database: your profile, posts, comments, likes, follows, reviews, trips, listings, Moments' details, messages, reports, purchases and consent records | European Union (Ireland) |
| Cloudflare R2 | Storage for photos and videos. Files are kept private and the app opens them with short-lived signed links | Cloudflare's global network |
| Google Firebase | Sign-in (Firebase Authentication), push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and our server functions (Cloud Functions, for example media links, purchases, account deletion and clean-up jobs) | United States |
| Apple | Sign in with Apple, push notification delivery (Apple Push Notification service), payments (App Store / StoreKit) | Apple's servers, under Apple's privacy policy |
| Google Sign-In | Google's servers, under Google's privacy policy | |
| Cloudflare | Hosts this website | Cloudflare's global network |
These providers process data only on our instructions to run WetuWild (Apple and Google also act under their own privacy policies for their sign-in and payment services). All data is encrypted in transit, and our providers encrypt it at rest.
On your device, the app keeps a local copy of your feed, your drafts and your messages so it works offline. Deleting the app removes it.
13. International transfers
Your main data is stored in the EU, but some providers process data in other countries, including the United States. Where the law requires it, these transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses in our providers' data processing terms.
14. Sharing and disclosure
We share data only:
- with the providers listed in §12, to run the service;
- with the people you message (your messages) and with WetuWild users (what you publish — see §9);
- with Apple when you ask for a refund (see §10);
- with a business you choose to contact by phone, email, WhatsApp or Messages — see "Contacting businesses outside WetuWild" below;
- when the law requires it, or to enforce our terms or protect the rights, safety and security of our users and the public.
We never sell your personal data.
Contacting businesses outside WetuWild
Business profiles and listings can show a phone number, email address, WhatsApp or Messages contact, website and social links. When you tap one of these, WetuWild opens another app (Phone, Mail, Messages, WhatsApp or your browser). Before it does, the app tells you what you are about to share and asks you to confirm.
Whatever you send that way — for example your phone number, email address, name, and the details of your trip or request — goes directly to the business. It does not pass through WetuWild, and we do not receive, store or read it. From then on the business handles your information under its own responsibility and its own privacy policy, and the other app handles it under its terms (for example Apple, Google or WhatsApp).
WetuWild is not responsible for how a business or another app uses information you give them directly. Only share what the business needs, and see Settings → About → Staying Safe When Booking. To keep your contact details private, use WetuWild direct messages (§7) when the business accepts them.
If a business misuses your information or you think it is a scam, report its profile or listing in the app (§9) and contact us. Where the law requires, we will cooperate with the authorities.
15. How long we keep your data
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Your account and content | While your account exists, until you delete it (§16) or delete the content |
| Unconfirmed email sign-ups | Deleted automatically after 24 hours |
| Moments | Deleted when they expire (normally 24 hours); moderated Moments up to 30 days after expiry |
| Deleted messages | Removed from our servers 30 days after both people have deleted them |
| Content removed by moderators | May be kept as a record for legal reasons (a "legal hold"), even after the account is deleted |
| Reports you made | Kept as moderation records, also after your account is deleted |
| Business listing views and shares (§4) | 13 months, then deleted automatically; deleted straight away if you delete your account (the business's lifetime totals stay, without your details) |
| Verification documents and partner applications (§4) | Approved: kept while your business is verified and for 6 months after the verification ends (it expires, is removed, is replaced by a renewal, or you delete your account). Not approved or cancelled: deleted 90 days after the decision. We keep them longer only when the law requires it (for example a legal claim or a request from an authority), and only until that ends. The decision itself (verified / not verified, and the date it was valid until) is kept |
| Purchase and refund records | Kept as long as needed for accounting, tax and refund handling |
| Consent and data-request records | Kept as proof of your choices, also after your account is deleted |
16. Deleting your account
You can delete your account at any time in Settings → Danger Zone. After you sign in again to confirm, our server deletes your profile and everything linked to it — posts, comments, likes, follows, reviews, trips, listings, Moments, your conversations and their messages, and your blocks — together with your photos and videos and your sign-in account. The only records we keep are those listed in §15 (content under a legal hold, reports you made, purchase and refund records, and consent and data-request records).
17. Your rights and choices
- Access and export — download a copy of your data at any time from Settings → My Data. The file includes your profile, posts, comments, likes, saves, trips and journal entries, listings, campaigns, promotions, Moments, reviews, follows, conversations, the messages you sent, reactions, your blocks, the reports you made and your consent records.
- Delete — delete your account and data from Settings → Danger Zone (§16).
- Correct — edit your profile and content in the app.
- Control who sees you and who can contact you — make your profile private, turn direct messages off, hide your profile location, block people, and switch notification types off.
- Withdraw consent — change your marketing choice at any time, or withdraw your consent entirely in Settings → My Data, which signs you out.
- Object or restrict — object to processing based on our legitimate interests, or ask us to restrict it, by contacting us.
We honour these rights in line with the EU and UK GDPR and equivalent laws in other countries. To exercise a right, use the in-app tools above or contact us at hsbappdeveloper@gmail.com. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
18. Security
We protect your data with encryption in transit and at rest, database access rules that let each user reach only what they are allowed to, private storage for photos and videos with short-lived links, and re-authentication before an account is deleted. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your data, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.
19. Consent and changes to this policy
At sign-up you accept this Privacy Policy and consent to the data processing it describes. Each acceptance is recorded with the policy version and date. When we make material changes, we update the version and ask you to accept the new policy the next time you open the app — you are never quietly opted into new terms. The current version is shown in the app and at the top of this policy.
20. Contact
Questions or requests about this policy or your data: hsbappdeveloper@gmail.com (HSB Developers).