1. Introduction

FindSquad, Inc. ("we," "our," or "us") provides the FindSquad app and website. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. We designed FindSquad to collect as little personal information as reasonably possible.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

FindSquad uses anonymous authentication. You do not need to provide your name, email, or phone number to create an account or join a search. Each account is tied to a randomly generated identifier. You may optionally choose a display name (it defaults to "Squad Member" plus random characters), and an avatar color is assigned automatically.

We want to be precise rather than absolute: while the account itself requires no personal identifiers, you may still provide personal information through other parts of the Service — for example, if you email us or use our website contact form (which collects your email address), or when you make a payment (see Section 2.4).

2.2 Location Data

Real-time GPS coordinates while you participate in a search
Location history during an active search only
Search-area boundaries you draw when creating a search

Location while you search: FindSquad collects your precise location while a search is running, even with the screen off, so your squad can see which ground has been covered. Collection begins only after you join or start a search, requires your explicit permission, and stops automatically when that search ends.

2.3 Search Information

Search type (pet, item, missing person, evidence)
Search description and details you enter
Photos you upload to a search
Chat messages you send within a search

2.4 Payment Information

Payments are handled by third-party processors (Apple, Google, or Stripe). We do not collect or store your full payment card number. The processor may share limited transaction details with us (such as confirmation of payment and purchase history) to activate your search.

2.5 Technical Data

Device type and operating system
App version and usage analytics
IP address and approximate location derived from it

Some technical data (such as IP address or device identifiers) may qualify as personal information under certain privacy laws, even though it is not tied to your real-world identity by us.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide, operate, and improve the FindSquad service
Coordinate volunteer search efforts
Process payments
Send important service notifications
Respond to support requests
Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and safety issues
Comply with legal obligations

4. How We Share Location Data

Your real-time location is shared only with:

Other participants in searches you actively join
The organizer of a search you join

We do not:

Sell your personal information
Share your location with third parties for advertising
Track your location when you are not in an active search

Our commitment is simple: we do not sell your data and we do not use your location for advertising. We may, however, disclose information when we are legally required to do so — for example, in response to a valid subpoena, court order, or other lawful request, or where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of a person or to prevent serious harm.

5. Data Retention and Deletion

Search data (including location, chat, and uploaded photos): When a search ends, its data is automatically purged. Our system marks the search ended and then permanently deletes the entire search record — location history, chat messages, uploaded images, and the search document — within approximately 10 days (in most cases within about 10–12 days after the search ends).
Account data: Kept until you delete your account, then deleted immediately.
Payment records: Our own records of your purchases and search credits are deleted when you delete your account. Apple, Google, and Stripe keep their own records of your payments (see below).

5.1 Deleting Your Account

You can delete your account at any time in the app or on the web, in Settings → Delete account. The deletion runs on our servers right away and cannot be undone.

What we delete:

Your profile (display name and avatar) and your anonymous account.
Your location history and live position in every search.
The chat messages and photos you sent, the photos you pinned, and your name in the app's automatic notices (for example “Ryan joined the search”).
Your data in searches you had already left, as well as in the searches you are still in.
Your sector assignments, your place in join queues, and your role as search lead.
Your search credits — unused credits are lost — and our records of your purchases.
The rate-limit and anti-abuse records we keep about you.

What stays, with nothing that identifies you:

A search other people are still running keeps going without you. The ground you covered stays marked as searched, without who walked it or when. If you led the search, one of its co-leads takes over; if there is none, the lead seat is left open and whoever holds the search's recovery key can take it.
So that one payment can never be counted twice, we keep a one-way fingerprint of each deleted purchase ID and the IDs of the payment notifications Stripe sent us, with nothing that links them to you.
Messages other people wrote that mention your name are not edited; they are removed when the search is purged, about 10 days after its paid time ends.
One exception for older searches: a search you joined before FindSquad 2.0 and have since left kept no record that you had been in it, so we cannot find it; your data in it is deleted with the whole search, about 10 days after its paid time ends.
Our server logs can contain your anonymous account ID until those logs expire.

What we cannot delete, because other companies keep it:

Apple (App Store) and Google (Google Play) keep the record of your purchase with your Apple ID or Google account, as they must for tax, refunds, and fraud prevention. Ask Apple or Google about that data.
Stripe (payments on the web) keeps the payment record, including the card details and receipt email you gave it, for as long as financial law requires and to handle chargebacks and fraud. Deleting your FindSquad account does not delete it.
Sentry (crash reports) and Google Analytics (app statistics) keep data under their own retention periods and delete it on their own schedule.

6. Third-Party Services

We rely on the following third-party providers, each of which processes data under its own terms and privacy policy:

Google Firebase: Database, authentication, and hosting
Mapbox: Mapping and location services
Apple, Google, and Stripe: Payment processing
Analytics providers: Aggregated, de-identified usage statistics

7. Data Security

We use industry-standard safeguards, including encryption in transit, access controls, and server-side security rules that limit search data to that search's participants. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you
Correct inaccurate information
Delete your account and associated data
Withdraw location permissions (this will limit or disable core app functionality)
Opt out of non-essential communications

To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app controls or contact us at the address in Section 13.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information — including location — from anyone under 13. Users between 13 and 17 must have the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it. Because the App collects precise location, we encourage parents and guardians to be directly involved in any minor's participation.

10. California Privacy Rights

California residents have rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know what personal information is collected and the right to opt out of its sale or sharing. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

11. International Users

FindSquad is based in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your location.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last Updated" date above, and where practical we will provide additional notice in the app.

13. Contact Us

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights:
Email: findsquadapp@gmail.com
Mail: FindSquad, Inc., 2270 W Floral Cliff Way, Tucson, AZ 85741