Privacy Policy for Trax

1. Introduction

Trax ("we," "our," or "us") is a wildlife safety and reporting mobile application designed to enhance public safety by enabling real-time reporting and alerting of dangerous wildlife sightings. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our mobile application.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

• Email address - Required for account creation and authentication
• Display name - Optional, for personalizing your experience
• Profile photo - Optional, stored securely in Firebase Storage
• Bio - Optional personal description
• Location information - Optional city, state, country (not precise coordinates)

2.2 Location Data

• Precise GPS coordinates - Used only when you create wildlife reports or enable location-based alerts
• Device location - Temporarily stored for proximity calculations and safety alerts
• Geohash data - Encoded location data for efficient spatial queries
• Background location - Currently disabled to protect privacy and reduce data usage

2.3 Wildlife Reports

• Animal type and description - Information about wildlife sightings
• Report location - GPS coordinates where the sighting occurred
• Photos - Images of wildlife or the area (optional)
• Timestamp - When the report was created
• User identification - Your user ID and display name (if you choose to be identified)

2.4 Device Information

• Device ID - Unique identifier for your device
• FCM Token - For push notifications
• Platform information - iOS or Android
• App version - For technical support and updates

2.5 Usage Data

• Report interactions - Comments, likes, and reactions to reports
• Notification preferences - Your settings for alerts and notifications
• App activity - Report creation, viewing, and interaction history
• Feedback submissions - Optional ratings and feedback about the app

2.6 Communication Data

• Comments and replies - Public comments on wildlife reports
• Social interactions - Likes, reactions, and engagement with community content

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Core App Functionality

• Safety alerts - Send proximity notifications about nearby wildlife sightings
• Report management - Store and display wildlife reports on the map
• Community features - Enable commenting, liking, and social interactions
• User authentication - Verify your identity and secure your account

3.2 Location Services

• Proximity calculations - Determine if you're near reported wildlife
• Map display - Show your location and nearby reports
• Alert delivery - Send location-based safety notifications
• Report creation - Automatically tag report locations

3.3 Communication

• Push notifications - Alert you about nearby wildlife or app updates
• In-app notifications - Show proximity alerts and social interactions
• Email notifications - Send important app updates (if enabled)

3.4 App Improvement

• Analytics - Understand app usage patterns (currently disabled)
• Feedback processing - Improve app features based on user input
• Performance monitoring - Ensure app stability and reliability

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 Public Information

• Wildlife reports - Your reports are visible to other users (with optional anonymity)
• Comments and interactions - Public comments and reactions are visible to the community
• Profile information - Display name and profile photo (if you choose to make them public)

4.2 Third-Party Services

We use Google's Firebase services for:

• Data storage (Firestore)
• User authentication
• Push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging)
• Image storage (Firebase Storage)
• Server functions (Firebase Functions)

We also use:

• Google Maps - For map display and location services
• Expo - For app development and deployment services

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or to:

• Comply with legal processes
• Protect our rights and property
• Ensure user safety
• Prevent fraud or abuse

5. Data Security

5.1 Security Measures

• Encrypted transmission - All data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS
• Secure storage - Data is stored securely in Firebase with access controls
• Authentication - User accounts are protected with Firebase Authentication
• Access controls - Database rules restrict access to authorized users only

5.2 Privacy-First Design

• Minimal data collection - We only collect data necessary for app functionality
• Local processing - Location calculations are performed on your device when possible
• Anonymous options - You can create reports without revealing your identity
• Data minimization - We regularly review and minimize data collection

6. Your Privacy Rights

6.1 Account Management

• Update information - Modify your profile and preferences at any time
• Delete account - Request account deletion (contact us for assistance)
• Data export - Request a copy of your data (contact us for assistance)

6.2 Location Controls

• Location permissions - Control location access through device settings
• Background location - Currently disabled by default
• Report location - Choose whether to include precise location in reports

6.3 Communication Preferences

• Notification settings - Control push notifications and email communications
• Quiet hours - Set times when you don't want to receive notifications
• Alert radius - Customize how far away you want to receive wildlife alerts

7. Data Retention

7.1 Account Data

• Profile information - Retained while your account is active
• Report history - Retained for community safety and historical data
• Comments and interactions - Retained as part of the community record

7.2 Location Data

• Device location - Not stored long-term; used only for real-time calculations
• Report locations - Retained as part of wildlife sighting records
• Background location - Currently not collected

7.3 Deletion

• Account deletion - Your account and associated data will be deleted upon request
• Report deletion - Individual reports can be deactivated but may be retained for safety records
• Automatic cleanup - Old, invalid data is automatically removed

8. Children's Privacy

Trax is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

9. International Users

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

• Posting the updated policy in the app
• Sending a notification through the app
• Updating the "Last Updated" date

11. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: