1. Our Privacy Philosophy (The "No B.S." Intro)

Hey, welcome to SoloBudd. This is our privacy policy. We've written it in plain English because we believe in being 100% transparent.

Our mission is to help you, a solo traveller, safely connect with other people and the world around you. To do that, our app needs to know who you are and where you are. It's the core of what makes SoloBudd work.

This policy explains what data we collect, why we need it, and how we use it.

The most important promise: We do not sell your personal data. Ever.

• Who we are: SoloBudd Ltd, UK

• How to reach us: For any privacy questions, email us at support@solobudd.com

2. The Information We Collect

We'll break this down into what you have to give us, what's optional, and what our tech collects automatically.

A. Information You Have to Give Us (The Essentials)

To create a safe and real community, we require this information when you sign up.

• Private Safety Information (We keep this secure and do not show it on your profile):

  • Official Name & Phone Number: This is for our safety records. We need to know who is on our platform to prevent spam and bad actors, and to cooperate with authorities if there's a safety incident.

  • Date of Birth (DOB): We use this to confirm you are 18+. Our app is not for minors, and this is a key safety check.

  • Your City: This is also for safety and verification, and will help us implement future safety features (like KYC) more easily.

    
    

• Public Profile Information (This is what other users see to connect with you):

  • Your Name / Preferred Name: This is the name you want people to call you.

  • Profile Photo (min. 1): To show you're a real person.

  • "About Me" (min. 20 chars): Your chance to tell people who you are.

  • Gender & Nationality: Helps with matching and gives context to other travellers.

  • Your Country: So people know where you're from.

B. Information That's 100% Optional (Your Choice)

You can add this to your profile to help find your community. You can also select "Prefer Not to Say."

• Pronouns & Sexuality (Sensitive Data):

  • Why we ask: We only ask for this to help you find and connect with others from specific communities (e.g., the LGBTQ+ community) and to foster a safer, more inclusive space. We only collect this with your explicit consent.

    
    

• C. Information from Third-Party Logins (Apple/Google)

If you sign up using your Apple or Google account, they send us your email address. That's it. We don't get your password or any other info from them. You still need to provide all the essential profile info listed in section 2.A.

D. Information We Get Automatically (The Tech Stuff)

When you use the app, our tech automatically collects a few things.

• Location Data (This is the app's entire purpose):

  • 1. Foreground Location: When you have the app open, we use your location to show you nearby travellers ("Buddy Search"), local forum posts, city chat rooms, and events happening near you.

  • 2. Background Location: With your explicit permission, we track your location when the app is in your pocket. We know this is a big deal, so here is exactly why it benefits you:

    • To Get You Found: It makes you discoverable to other solo travellers in real-time.

    • To Get You Notified: It lets us send you a notification if another member you've matched with is nearby.

    • To Update Your "Home": It automatically updates your main city (for forums/chats) as you travel.

• Physical Activity Data (The Battery-Saving Trick):

  • We ask for your device's motion data (e.g., "stationary," "walking").

  • Why? To save your battery. Seriously. Instead of pinging your GPS every 5 minutes (which kills your battery), we only check for a new location after your phone says you've started moving. It's smart, not invasive.

• Usage & Device Data (To Fix Bugs):

  • This is the standard stuff: what device you're on (e.g., iPhone 15), your app version, and crash logs. If the app crashes, we need to know why so we can fix it.

3. How & Why We Use Your Information (The Legal Bit)

We need a legal reason (known as a "lawful basis" under GDPR) for everything we do with your data. Here is what we do and why we're allowed to do it.

• To run the app and provide the features you signed up for: We use all your essential information (from Section 2.A) and the technical info (from Section 2.D) to operate the app. This includes creating your account, logging you in, and making the app's functions work.

  • Legal Basis: Performance of a Contract. This is the core service you are signing up for.

• To match you with others & show you local content: We use your location data (both foreground and background) and your Public Profile Info to show you nearby travellers, events, forums, and chat rooms.

  • Legal Basis: Performance of a Contract. This is the main feature of the app.

• To provide optional community matching: If you choose to provide sensitive data like your pronouns or sexuality (Section 2.B), we use it to help you find and connect with specific communities.

  • Legal Basis: Your Explicit Consent. You give us this permission when you add this information, and you can withdraw it at any time.

• To provide background discovery & notifications: We use your background location and physical activity data to make you discoverable to others and send you timely notifications, all while saving your battery.

  • Legal Basis: Your Explicit Consent. You provide this when you give the app "Always" location and motion permissions, which you can change in your phone settings.

• To keep our community safe & prevent spam/fraud: We use your Private Safety Info (like your official name, DOB, and phone number) to verify users and protect the platform from bad actors.

  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interest. We have a legitimate interest in protecting our app and our users from harm.

• To fix bugs & improve the app: We use aggregated, anonymous Usage & Device Data to understand how the app is being used, find and fix crashes, and decide which features to build next.

  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interest. We have a legitimate interest in maintaining and improving our service.

4. How We Share Your Information (Who Sees What)

We are not in the business of selling data. We only share it in these specific situations.

• With Other SoloBudd Users: This is the whole point. Your Public Profile (name, photo, about me, etc.) and any content you post (forum messages, RSVPs) are visible to other users. Your Private Safety Info is never shown to other users.

• With Our Service Providers (Our Tech Partners):

  We don't build everything ourselves. We use trusted partners to host the app and run its features. They are our "Data Processors" and are legally bound to only use your data for the task we hire them for.

  • Supabase (hosted on AWS): This is our main backend and database. Your data is securely stored here. Their servers are in the EU and the United States.

  • Google (Firebase Analytics): We use this to understand how people use the app (e.g., which features are popular, where it crashes). This data is aggregated, and their servers are global.

  For Legal Reasons: If we receive a valid legal order (like a subpoena or court order), we may be required to share data with law enforcement.

• For Safety: We reserve the right to share information if we believe it's necessary to prevent harm, fraud, or protect the safety of our users.

• Business Transfers: If we are ever sold or merge with another company, your data would be part of that transfer. We'd notify you if this happened.

5. Your Data Rights & Controls (You're in Charge)

You have control. Under GDPR (both UK and EU versions), you have these rights:

• Right to Access: Ask for a copy of your data.

• Right to Rectification: Fix any info that's wrong (you can do most of this in your profile).

• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You can delete your account and your data, right within the app (settings).

• Right to Withdraw Consent: For anything you've "consented" to (like Background Location or Optional Data), you can change your mind at any time in your phone or app settings.

• Right to Complain: You can complain to your local data protection authority.

To use any of these rights, just email us at support@solobudd.com.

6. Data Security & How Long We Keep It

We take security seriously. We use encryption (both for data in transit and at rest) and strict access controls to protect your information.

We keep your data for as long as you have an active SoloBudd account. If you delete your account, we will start a process to permanently delete your personal information (usually within 30 days), unless we're legally required to keep it for longer (e.g., for legal records).

For security and community safety, we collect anonymized device characteristics (hashed fingerprint of OS, model, screen size and other compliant EU/UK GDPR) to prevent abuse.

7. Our Policy on Minors (below 18 years old)

Age Policy

This platform requires users to be 18+, though it does not contain adult or age-restricted content. We've implemented this age requirement as a safety measure due to the inherent risks of solo travel for minors. We do not knowingly collect data from under-18s and will remove any accounts found to belong to minors.

8. A Note on International Data Transfers

This is important. We are based in the United Kingdom, but our tech partners (see Section 4) operate globally.

This means your data may be stored on servers outside your home country, including in the United States.

For our users in the UK and EU: We make sure this is done legally and securely. We use safeguards like the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), which are legal contracts approved by the UK and EU to ensure your data has the same level of protection as it does at home.

9. Changes to This Policy

We'll have to update this policy sometimes. If we make a major change, we'll let you know in the app or by email.

10. Contact Us

Got questions? Worries? Ideas? Support Us?

Email our privacy team at: support@solobudd.com

To delete your account: https://www.solobudd.com/deletion