Privacy Policy

1What we collect

We try to collect only what the service needs:

• Account details: your mobile phone number (used to sign you in with a one-time code — there is no password), the display name you choose, and your country, region and district of residence.
• What you create: reports (photo, description, category and location), confirmations (including the location you made them from), comments, petitions and signatures, community action and memberships, and any flags you submit.
• Basic technical data needed to run and protect the service, handled by the providers that host CiviciReport and send sign-in codes.

2How we use it

We use your information to: run CiviciReport; sign you in; show community activity; let neighbours confirm and verify reports; place reports on the map; run petitions and community action; and keep the platform safe through moderation. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

3What is public and what is private

Public (visible to other users, and on shareable links): the reports, petitions, community action and comments you post, your display name and badge, and counts such as how many people confirmed a report.

Kept private or protected:

• Your phone number — never shown publicly.
• Exact sensitive locations — coarsened on public views so a private spot isn't pinpointed.
• Petition signers' identities — hidden unless a signer chooses to show their name.
• Who has joined a community action — the roster is private; only the count is public.

4Location & photos

• We use location to place a report at the right spot and to recognise on-site confirmations (made at the location). Sensitive locations are coarsened on public views.
• Photos are kept in a private store and shown through time-limited links; they carry a CiviciReport watermark.
• The time a photo is uploaded is recorded as the reliable timestamp. Any date or place read from the photo itself is treated as claimed, not confirmed.

5Your phone number

Your number is used to send the one-time code that signs you in, and to tell your account apart from others (one verified account per person). The code is sent through an SMS provider. Your number is not shown to other users and is not sold.

6Who else sees your data

Besides what you post publicly, limited data is handled by the service providers we rely on to host the platform and deliver sign-in codes, strictly to provide those services. We may also disclose information if we are genuinely required to by law, or to protect people's safety. We do not share your personal information with advertisers or data brokers.

7How long we keep it

We keep your account and content while your account is active and for as long as needed to run CiviciReport and keep a reliable civic record. The final policy will set out specific retention periods and how deletion requests are handled.

8Your choices

Within the app you can already: edit your display name, region and district; withdraw a petition signature; leave a community action; and flag content. If you want to ask what data we hold about you, correct it, or request deletion, you'll be able to contact us (see below). The final policy will set out your rights under the data-protection law that applies to you.

9Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your data — access controls on the database, a private photo store, and phone-based sign-in with no stored passwords. No online service can promise perfect security, but we work to reduce risk and to respond if something goes wrong.

10Age

CiviciReport is intended for adults. It is not directed at young children, and we ask that only people old enough to take responsibility for civic reporting use it. The final policy will state a minimum age.

11Changes & contact

As CiviciReport grows, this policy will change; we'll update the date at the top. Questions about your privacy, or requests about your data, can be sent to us at [contact details to be added].