Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Gowlet ("we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our GPS-based adventure route platform.

By using Gowlet, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Email address, password (encrypted), and optional display name
• User-Generated Content: Routes/rounds you create, including titles, descriptions, GPS coordinates, challenges, and questions
• Player Information: Optional nickname when joining rounds anonymously
• Subscription Information: Premium subscription status and expiration date

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Location Data: GPS coordinates when playing routes (only during active gameplay, with your explicit permission)
• Device Information: Browser type, device type, operating system
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent, interactions with features
• Session Data: Your progress through routes, answers to challenges, completion times

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience:

• Authentication Cookies: Keep you logged in to your account
• Session Cookies: Remember your progress during gameplay
• Analytics Cookies: Understand how you use our service
• Advertising Cookies: Google AdSense (for non-Premium users) - see section 5

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Provide Services: Enable route creation, gameplay, GPS navigation, and challenge tracking
• Account Management: Create and maintain your account, handle authentication
• Premium Features: Manage subscription status and provide Premium benefits
• Analytics: Understand usage patterns, improve features, and optimize performance
• Communication: Send important updates about service changes (we do not send marketing emails)
• Security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security issues

4. GPS Location Data

Your location privacy is important to us. Here's how we handle GPS data:

• Permission Required: We only access your GPS location when you explicitly grant permission
• Usage: Location data is used ONLY during active gameplay to calculate distance to checkpoints
• Not Stored: Your real-time GPS coordinates are NOT permanently stored on our servers
• Session Only: Location tracking stops immediately when you close or finish a route
• No Tracking: We do NOT track your location when you're not actively playing a route

You can revoke location permissions at any time through your device/browser settings.

5. Google AdSense and Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements to non-Premium users. Here's what this means:

• Who Sees Ads: Only non-Premium users (anonymous players and Free account holders)
• Premium Users: If you have a Premium subscription, NO ads are shown
• Data Collection: Google AdSense may collect data including:
  • Cookies and device identifiers
  • IP address and approximate location (city/country level)
  • Browser type and settings
  • Pages visited and ad interactions
• Personalized Ads: Google may show personalized ads based on your interests
• Opt-Out: You can opt out of personalized ads at Google Ads Settings

For more information, see Google's Advertising Privacy Policy.

6. Data Storage and Security

We use Supabase (built on PostgreSQL) to store your data securely:

• Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest
• Passwords: Stored using industry-standard bcrypt hashing
• Access Control: Row Level Security (RLS) ensures users can only access their own data
• Infrastructure: Hosted on secure cloud infrastructure with regular backups
• Data Location: Servers located in secure data centers (specify region if known)

While we implement strong security measures, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do NOT sell your personal information. We may share your information only in these cases:

• Service Providers: Supabase (database), Google AdSense (ads), hosting providers - only to provide our services
• Public Content: Routes you mark as "public" are visible to all users on the Explore page
• Legal Requirements: If required by law, court order, or government request
• Safety: To protect the rights, property, or safety of Gowlet, our users, or others

8. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you're in the European Union, you have these rights:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your data
• Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Object: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for location tracking or advertising cookies

To exercise these rights, contact us at: support@gowlet.com

9. Data Retention

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active
• Routes/Rounds: Retained indefinitely unless you delete them
• Player Sessions: Anonymous session data retained for analytics (no GPS coordinates)
• Deleted Accounts: Data permanently deleted within 30 days of account deletion request
• Inactive Free Accounts: May be deleted after 2 years of inactivity (with prior notice)

10. Children's Privacy

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

11. International Users

If you access Gowlet from outside the country where our servers are located, your data may be transferred to and processed in that country. By using our service, you consent to this transfer.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top
• Posting a notice on our homepage
• Sending an email to registered users (for material changes)

Your continued use of Gowlet after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us at: