AskThere Privacy Policy

1. Anonymous account

AskThere automatically creates an anonymous account so that the app can distinguish one user from another and connect that user's activity within the service.

The account is identified by a technical user identifier.

AskThere does not require that identifier to be connected to your real-world identity.

2. Information used when you create a plan

If you use AskThere to ask locals for information, the app may process:

• the destination city and country;
• your selected purpose, such as study, work, tourism or moving;
• the stage of your plan;
• an approximate budget, if you choose to provide one;
• an expected duration, if you choose to provide one;
• the predefined AskThere questions that you select.

AskThere does not currently provide a general free-text field for creating your own questions.

When a question is matched with a local helper, relevant plan context may be shown to that helper so that the helper can understand the question and provide a useful answer.

This may include the city, country, purpose, stage, budget, duration and selected question.

3. Information used when you help someone

If you choose to participate as a local helper, AskThere processes:

• the city and country you know;
• your selected connection to that city;
• the topics you select as topics you know;
• the answers you submit to Help Cards.

AskThere does not require your real name, email address, phone number or other direct identity information in order to create a local helper profile.

4. Answers and local recommendations

Answers submitted by helpers are stored so that they can be delivered to the asker.

After answering, a helper may in some circumstances choose to add a separate local recommendation.

A recommendation may concern a place, service, business, activity or other local option.

A helper may also indicate that a recommendation relates to their own business or professional activity.

Any information included in an answer or recommendation is provided voluntarily by the helper.

AskThere does not require users to disclose private personal information in an answer or recommendation.

Users should avoid including unnecessary private, confidential or identifying information about themselves or other people.

Optional translation. When an asker chooses to translate an answer or local recommendation into English, AskThere sends the selected text through its backend to Google Cloud Translation for the purpose of producing the requested translation.

Translation is initiated only when the user requests it. Before the first translation on an installation, AskThere displays a disclosure explaining that the selected text will be sent to Google Cloud Translation and gives the user the choice to continue or cancel.

AskThere does not intentionally include the user's real name, email address, phone number or AskThere user identifier in the translation request. Because answer and recommendation text is user-generated, users should avoid including unnecessary personal or confidential information.

5. Reports and blocking

AskThere includes reporting and blocking functionality.

If an asker reports an answer or recommendation, AskThere processes the technical identifiers needed to identify the relevant content and user, together with the selected reason for the report.

If an asker blocks a helper, AskThere records the anonymous identifiers required to prevent future matching between those users.

For block continuity on the same app installation, AskThere may also use a pseudonymous installation-level safety identifier that is separate from the anonymous account identifier.

This safety identifier is used only for safety and blocking purposes and is not used for advertising, analytics profiling or cross-app tracking.

These functions are used to support safety, moderation and enforcement of AskThere's rules.

6. Push notifications

If you allow push notifications, AskThere obtains and stores a technical push-notification token so that notifications can be delivered to your device.

Push notifications are optional.

AskThere may use notifications to inform users about events such as:

• a new matching Help Card;
• a new answer;
• a new local recommendation.

AskThere deliberately limits the information included in notification messages.

For example, the text of an answer or recommendation is not included in the corresponding notification.

7. City search

AskThere uses Google Maps Platform to provide city suggestions while you type a city name.

The city-search text and a language setting may be sent through AskThere's backend to Google Maps Platform for this purpose.

AskThere does not intentionally send your AskThere user identifier, plans, budget, answers or helper profile to Google as part of the city-autocomplete request.

8. Technical information

AskThere and the infrastructure services used to operate it may process limited technical information necessary to operate, secure and maintain the service.

This may include information such as:

• technical identifiers;
• timestamps;
• request information;
• server logs;
• security logs.

The AskThere website uses Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand aggregate website traffic and performance, such as page views and visits.

Cloudflare Web Analytics is designed not to track individual visitors and does not use cookies or local storage for this analytics measurement.

AskThere does not use this information for behavioral advertising.

9. Information AskThere does not require

AskThere does not require users to provide:

• real name;
• email address;
• phone number;
• postal address;
• date of birth;
• government identification;
• precise GPS location.

A user may voluntarily include information in an answer or recommendation, but AskThere does not require such information in order to use the service.

10. How AskThere uses information

AskThere uses information only as reasonably necessary to:

• create and maintain anonymous user sessions;
• create and manage plans;
• create and maintain helper profiles;
• match questions with relevant helpers;
• deliver answers and recommendations;
• provide optional translation of answers and local recommendations when requested by the user;
• provide optional push notifications;
• provide city-search suggestions;
• operate reporting and blocking functionality;
• preserve block relationships on the same app installation after account deletion and recreation;
• prevent misuse and protect users;
• maintain the security and integrity of the service;
• understand aggregate website traffic and performance;
• comply with applicable legal obligations.

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing, that basis may include providing the service requested by the user, legitimate interests in operating and securing AskThere, consent or permission where required, and compliance with legal obligations.

11. No sale or advertising use

AskThere does not sell or rent user information.

AskThere does not currently use user information for advertising.

The current app does not use third-party advertising networks or cross-app advertising tracking.

If these practices materially change in the future, this Privacy Policy and applicable App Store privacy disclosures will be updated before the new use is introduced.

12. Service providers

AskThere currently relies on a limited number of service providers necessary to operate the app and website.

Supabase provides backend infrastructure, anonymous authentication, database functionality, Realtime functionality and server-side functions.

Expo provides infrastructure used to facilitate push-notification delivery.

Apple Push Notification Service (APNs) delivers push notifications to Apple devices.

Google Maps Platform provides city-search suggestions.

Google Cloud Translation provides optional translation of answer and recommendation text when a user requests it.

Cloudflare provides privacy-focused Web Analytics used to understand aggregate website traffic and performance without tracking individual visitors.

These providers may process limited information necessary to provide, secure and maintain their respective services, subject to their own applicable terms and privacy practices.

13. Retention

AskThere does not currently impose an arbitrary fixed retention period on ordinary account data.

Service data may remain associated with an anonymous AskThere account for as long as that account exists and the information remains necessary for operation of the service.

If a block relationship exists, a limited pseudonymous safety identifier and the corresponding block relationship may remain after account deletion for the sole purpose of preserving that block and preventing rematching on the same app installation.

This retained safety record does not contain the deleted account's answers, plans, recommendations, real name, email address or phone number.

AskThere does not retain information merely for advertising or sale.

Technical logs, security records or backup copies maintained by infrastructure providers may remain for limited periods according to those providers' own retention and security processes.

14. Account deletion

AskThere provides a Delete Account function within the app.

Account deletion is permanent.

When a user deletes their account, the AskThere account and associated app content are deleted from AskThere's active systems.

Answers and local recommendations associated with that account may consequently no longer remain available to other users.

If the user was part of a block relationship, AskThere may retain only the limited pseudonymous safety identifier and block relationship needed to prevent future rematching between previously blocked users on the same app installation.

Limited technical logs, security records or backup copies maintained independently by service providers may remain temporarily according to those providers' own retention processes before being deleted or expiring.

15. Who operates AskThere

AskThere is operated by Haydar Ali Ahmad.

16. International processing

AskThere is intended to be available to users in multiple countries.

The technical providers used by AskThere may process information in countries other than the country in which a user is located.

Where applicable data-protection law requires safeguards for international transfers or other specific measures, AskThere will apply the requirements that are applicable to the service.

17. Your privacy rights

Depending on the law that applies to you, you may have rights relating to information concerning you.

These may include rights to:

• obtain information about processing;
• request access;
• request correction;
• request deletion;
• request restriction of certain processing;
• object to certain processing;
• withdraw consent where processing depends on consent;
• request portability where applicable;
• lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection authority.

Because AskThere uses anonymous accounts and does not require direct identity information, AskThere may need sufficient information to establish that a request relates to the relevant anonymous account.

The simplest way to remove an AskThere account and its associated app data is to use Delete Account within the app.

18. Age

AskThere is intended for users aged 18 or older.

AskThere is not designed or intended for children.

AskThere does not require users to provide their date of birth as part of normal use of the service.

19. Security

AskThere uses reasonable technical and organisational safeguards intended to protect information processed through the service against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction.

However, no internet-connected service can guarantee absolute security.

20. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated if AskThere's functionality, service providers, legal obligations or information-processing practices materially change.

The revision date shown at the top of this Policy will indicate when it was last updated.

Where required by applicable law, material changes will be communicated or additional consent will be obtained as appropriate.

21. Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests:

askthereapp@gmail.com