Privacy Policy
CityNeedsYou ("the app", "we", "us") connects people who need help with nearby volunteers ("Heroes"). This policy explains what information we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
1. Information we collect
Account information
- Name, email address and phone number
- Password, stored only as a one-way hash that we cannot read
- Profile photo and short bio, if you add them
- Gender and date of birth, asked when you create your account. "Prefer not to say" is always an option for gender. We use your date of birth to check you meet the minimum age to use CityNeedsYou. Neither is shown to other users; our team sees them on your account and as anonymous totals (for example, how many users are aged 25–34)
Location
- Your device's precise location while you use the app, to match your requests with nearby Heroes and to show Heroes requests near them
- Locations you choose on the map for a request, such as a pickup and a drop-off point
- Saved places you add to your profile
- If you turn on Hero mode: your last known location, the distance you're willing to travel, and when you were last active, so we can alert you to requests nearby
Help requests and activity
- Requests you post: title, description, category, urgency and location notes
- Requests you help with as a Hero, and their progress
- Ratings you give or receive, and Hero Points you earn
Communications
- In-app chat messages are relayed live between the two people on a request and are not stored on our servers.
- In-app voice calls connect directly between devices. We only relay the signals that set the call up. Calls are not recorded.
- Reports you file about other users, and support requests you send us
Device and technical data
- A push-notification token for your device, so we can send you alerts
- Basic server logs (such as IP address, time of request and errors), used for security and troubleshooting
2. How we use your information
- To create and secure your account, including verifying your phone number by SMS
- To match requests with nearby Heroes and send alerts
- To let the people on a request contact and find each other
- To award Hero Points, levels and leaderboard positions
- To investigate reports and keep the community safe
- To answer your support requests
- To maintain, secure and improve the app
We do not sell your personal information, and the app does not show advertising.
3. Who we share information with
Other users. When a Hero accepts your request, you and that Hero can see each other's name, profile photo, phone number, rating and the request's location. Open requests and their location are visible to Heroes nearby.
Service providers that help us run the app, only as needed:
- SMS providers (such as MSG91 or Twilio) to send verification codes
- Email providers to send account emails
- Push-notification services to deliver alerts
- Google Maps Platform, which shows the maps in the app. Google receives your device's IP address and the map area being viewed, and handles that data under the Google Privacy Policy. We do not send your name, phone number or account details to Google
- Google Cloud (Mumbai, India), which hosts our servers and database
Legal reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, or to protect the safety of our users or the public.
4. How long we keep it
We keep your information while your account is active. When you delete your account, it is removed or anonymised straight away (see below). Copies in backups, if any, are overwritten in the normal backup cycle.
5. Deleting your account
You can delete your account at any time:
- In the app: open Profile and tap Delete account at the bottom, then confirm with your password
- Or follow the steps on our account deletion page
| Deleted | Kept, but no longer linked to you |
|---|---|
| Name, email, phone number, password, profile photo, bio, gender, date of birth, location, saved places, Hero skills, notifications, device tokens, support requests. You are signed out on every device. | Requests you posted and help you gave, ratings and points. These are part of other people's history, so they stay and show you as "Deleted user". Reports about safety are kept. |
6. Your choices
- You can turn off location access in your device settings. Posting location-based requests and Hero mode won't work without it.
- You can turn off Hero mode at any time to stop receiving request alerts.
- You can turn off notifications in your device settings.
- You can edit your profile, photo and saved places in the app.
7. Security
We protect your data with encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords and access controls. No system is completely secure, so please use a strong password.
8. Children
CityNeedsYou involves meeting people in person and is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. We'll change the effective date above and, for significant changes, let you know in the app.
10. Contact
Questions or requests about your data: abdulrahmanonwork@gmail.com