Privacy Policy

1. Overview & Summary

Pawtastic Pals ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Pawtastic Pals mobile application ("App") and the website at www.pawtaticpals.com ("Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our App or Site.

By using Pawtastic Pals, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you disagree, please stop using the App and Site and contact us to delete your data.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account information: Name, email address, password (hashed)
• Profile information: Profile photo, home type (apartment/house), pet preferences, activity level, household members
• Adoption-related information: Application responses, shelter communication history
• Communications: Messages sent via in-app chat, emails or support requests sent to us

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information: Device type, operating system and version, unique device identifiers, mobile network information
• Usage data: Screens viewed, swipe interactions, app features used, session duration, crash reports
• Location data: Approximate location (city/region level) used to surface nearby shelter listings. Precise GPS is only requested if you enable "Nearby" search and is never stored beyond the session.
• Log data: IP address, access times, pages/screens visited, referring URLs

2.3 Information From Third Parties

• Shelter partners: Pet availability data and adoption status updates from our partner shelters
• Social sign-in (optional): If you choose to sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name and email from that provider
• Analytics providers: Aggregated, anonymized usage statistics (see Third-Party Services)

3. How We Use Your Information

We do not use your data for advertising profiling, sell your data to third parties, or use your personal data to train AI models.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share data in these limited circumstances:

• Shelter partners: When you apply to adopt a pet, your application information is shared with the relevant shelter to process your request.
• Service providers: Trusted vendors who help us operate the app (hosting, analytics, email delivery) under strict data processing agreements.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of users or others.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may transfer as a business asset. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice in the App.
• With your consent: Any other sharing will only occur with your explicit consent.

5. Data Safety — Google Play

This section supplements the Data Safety section in our Google Play Store listing and is required for transparency under Google Play Developer Policies.

Data Collected & Shared

Security Practices

• Data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2+
• Data is encrypted at rest using AES-256
• You can request deletion of your data at any time (see Section 7)
• We follow secure development practices and conduct regular security reviews

6. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Specifically:

• Active account data: Retained until you delete your account.
• Waitlist emails: Retained until you unsubscribe or we launch the app (whichever is first), then deleted within 30 days.
• Anonymized analytics: May be retained indefinitely as they cannot identify you.
• Legal compliance records: Retained as required by applicable law (typically 3–7 years).
• After account deletion: All personal data deleted within 30 days, except data required for fraud prevention or legal compliance.

7. Account & Data Deletion

How to Delete Your Account

Option 1 — In-App (after launch):
Settings → Account → Delete Account → Confirm. Your data will be permanently deleted within 30 days.

Option 2 — Via Website:
Visit our Account Deletion page and submit a deletion request with your registered email.

Option 3 — Via Email:
Email privacy@pawtaticpals.com with subject line "Account Deletion Request" from your registered email address.

What Gets Deleted

• Your profile and preferences
• Your swipe history and saved matches
• Your adoption applications and messages
• Your email address and device identifiers

What May Be Retained

We may retain limited data for fraud prevention, abuse detection, or legal compliance for up to 90 days after deletion. This data is isolated, not used for any other purpose, and automatically purged.

8. Your Rights & Choices

Regardless of your location, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information in your profile settings or by contacting us.
• Deletion: Delete your account and all associated personal data (see Section 7).
• Portability: Request a machine-readable export of your data.
• Opt-out of marketing: Unsubscribe from our emails at any time using the link in any email, or email us.
• Withdraw consent: Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.
• Push notifications: Disable via your device settings at any time.
• Location: Revoke location permission via your device settings at any time.

To exercise any right, contact us at privacy@pawtaticpals.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. GDPR — European Users

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to restrict processing
• Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority

Our legal bases for processing are: contract performance (operating the app), legitimate interests (security, improvement), consent (marketing), and legal obligation (compliance). We do not transfer personal data outside the EEA without appropriate safeguards (Standard Contractual Clauses).

Our Data Protection contact: privacy@pawtaticpals.com

10. CCPA — California Users

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you specific rights:

• Right to Know: Request disclosure of personal information we collected about you in the past 12 months.
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. No opt-out is necessary.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

To submit a CCPA request, email privacy@pawtaticpals.com with "CCPA Request" in the subject line. We will respond within 45 days.

11. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

Pawtastic Pals is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Our app is rated for users 13+ on the Google Play Store.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@pawtaticpals.com and we will delete that information promptly.

Users between 13–17 must have parental consent to use the App. If you are 13–17, please review this policy with a parent or guardian.

12. Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• TLS 1.2+ encryption for all data in transit
• AES-256 encryption for data at rest
• Hashed and salted password storage (we never store plaintext passwords)
• Access controls and role-based permissions for internal data access
• Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at security@pawtaticpals.com.

13. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy:

Links to third-party sites from our App or Site are not covered by this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you use.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending an email notification to registered users (for material changes)
• Displaying an in-app notification (after launch)

Your continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree, you may delete your account at any time.

15. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or to exercise your rights: