Privacy Policy

👤 Who We Are

FriendMap is a location-based social app that allows users to discover, create, and join local communities, chat with members, and organise real-world meetups. The app is developed and maintained independently.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, you can contact us at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

📋 What Data We Collect

We collect the following personal data when you use FriendMap:

• Account information — your username, email address, date of birth, and profile picture (optional)
• Location data — your approximate location, used to show nearby communities on the map and to notify you when a new community is created near you. Your location is never visible to other users. See the Location Data section below for full details.
• Messages and content — messages you send in community chats, meetup suggestions, and votes
• Community activity — communities you create or join, and any meetups you participate in
• Push notification token — a device token used to send you notifications about community activity and meetup reminders (via Expo)
• Reports — if you submit a report about a user or community, we store the reason and any description you provide

🎯 Why We Collect It

• To create and manage your account
• To show you communities near your location on the map
• To notify you when a new community is created near you
• To enable real-time chat within communities
• To facilitate meetup planning and voting
• To send push notifications for community activity and meetup reminders
• To enforce our community guidelines through reporting and moderation
• To verify you are at least 18 years of age

We do not use your data for advertising, and we do not sell your data to any third party.

🗄️ How We Store Your Data

Your data is stored securely using the following services:

• MongoDB Atlas — stores your account information, messages, community data, and reports on secure cloud servers
• Cloudinary — stores profile pictures and community avatars as images on a secure content delivery network

Data is transmitted over HTTPS and WebSocket Secure (WSS) connections. We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all of your personal data, messages, and uploaded images are permanently deleted.

🤝 Third-Party Services

FriendMap uses the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy.

📍 Location Data

FriendMap requests access to your device location for two purposes:

• Map display — to centre the map on your position and show nearby communities
• Nearby notifications — to notify you when a new community is created within approximately 5km of your last known location

Your location is never visible to other users of the app. It is stored on our servers solely to power nearby community notifications and is automatically cleared if it has not been updated within 48 hours.

We do not track your location continuously or in the background. Your location is only recorded when you open the app and grant location permission.

Location permission is optional — you can use FriendMap without granting location access, though the map will default to a general view of Ireland and nearby notifications will not be available.

👶 Age Requirement

FriendMap is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We collect your date of birth at registration solely to verify this requirement. Users under 18 are not permitted to use the app, and any account found to belong to a minor will be deleted.

🔔 Push Notifications

If you grant permission, FriendMap may send you push notifications for the following:

• New messages in your communities
• New members joining your communities
• Meetup confirmations and reminders
• Join request updates for private communities
• New communities created near your location

These notifications are sent via Expo's push notification service. Your device token is stored securely and used only for this purpose. You can disable notifications at any time through your device settings.

⚖️ Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access — you can view your account information in the app at any time
• Correction — you can update your username and profile picture in User Settings
• Deletion — you can permanently delete your account and all associated data from the User Settings screen. This action is immediate and irreversible.
• Data requests — you can contact us to request a copy of your data or ask any questions about how your data is used

🛡️ Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/WSS), and access to our database is restricted and protected by authentication.

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

🔄 Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of FriendMap after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

✉️ Contact Us & Support

Have a question about your privacy, need help with the app, or want to request your data? We're happy to help — just send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.