StrayFinder Privacy Policy

Effective and last updated: October 21, 2026

1. Who we are and scope

StrayFinder is provided worldwide by NoorCompass ("NoorCompass," "we," "us," or "our"). This policy describes how the StrayFinder mobile application and related support services collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect information.

2. Information we process

Account and profile information

• Email address, Firebase user identifier, authentication status, account role and status.
• Profile name, city, country, language, and preferences you choose to provide.

Posts, photos, and location

• Lost, found, rescued, and adoption post details, photographs, timestamps, and optional contact information.
• The location you choose for a post by placing a pin on the map; the city and country shown with the post come from that pin. New posts use an approximate pin by default, rounded to 0.001 degrees (about 100 metres, depending on latitude). You can choose to publish the exact pin instead, and an edited post keeps the precision it was published with unless you move its pin. Even an approximate pin may count as “precise location” under app-store definitions. Your device may also process precise location locally when you request nearby results or choose a location.
• Photos are re-encoded on your device before upload, which removes embedded metadata such as GPS location. Anything visible in a photo remains.
• Communities you propose, join, or follow, and community activities you create, show interest in, or join. An activity’s public location is rounded to 0.01 degrees (about one kilometre).

Communications and safety

• In-app messages, conversation participants, read status, and timestamps.
• Reports, blocks, moderation records, and feedback you send by email, including free-form text you submit.
• Notification preferences and push registration identifiers (Firebase installation IDs, and registration tokens from older app versions).

Device, advertising, and diagnostics

• Device or app identifiers, IP address and request metadata that may be processed by our infrastructure, security, advertising, and map providers.
• Advertising consent choices and, where permitted, advertising identifiers and ad interaction information processed by Google AdMob.
• Crash logs, stack traces, app version, device model, operating-system information, and related diagnostics processed by Firebase Crashlytics in production builds. Debug builds disable Crashlytics collection.
• App integrity tokens processed by Firebase App Check to help distinguish legitimate app requests from abuse.

3. How we collect information

We receive information directly from you when you create an account, edit a profile, publish content, send a message, submit feedback, or report content. The app and its service providers also collect limited technical information automatically when you use network, notification, advertising, integrity, or crash-reporting features. Other users may provide information about you when they message, block, or report your account or content.

4. Why we use information

• Authenticate accounts using a one-time code sent by email.
• Publish, search, map, save, and manage animal posts.
• Enable private messaging and requested notifications.
• Moderate user-generated content, investigate reports, enforce our Terms, prevent fraud, and protect people and animals.
• Remember preferences, support offline features, respond to support requests, diagnose crashes, and improve reliability.
• Display and measure advertising when consent and applicable law permit it.
• Comply with legal obligations and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

5. Legal bases for EEA, UK, and Swiss users

Where applicable, we process information to perform our contract with you (providing the service), based on your consent (including certain advertising, tracking, notification, photo, and location uses), for our legitimate interests (security, moderation, support, and service reliability), and to comply with law. You may withdraw consent through the app, device settings, or the advertising privacy choices screen. Withdrawal does not affect earlier lawful processing.

6. Public information and sharing

Your public profile and approved posts—including uploaded photos, the post’s pin (approximate unless you chose the exact one), and optional contact details—can be seen by other StrayFinder users. Do not publish information you do not want others to see. Private account fields and messages are not public, although recipients can view messages sent to them.

Approved posts can also be opened from shared links on strayfinder-itnoa.web.app. A link shows the post’s title, description, type, city, country, and cover photo to anyone who has it, without exact coordinates or contact details.

We disclose information only as needed:

• Google Firebase: authentication, Firestore database, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging, App Check, and Crashlytics.
• Google AdMob and User Messaging Platform: advertising, consent management, fraud prevention, and ad measurement.
• Map and platform providers: OpenStreetMap tile servers, or another tile provider named in the map’s credits, plus Apple or Google platform services used for device location, place search, geocoding, and external directions.
• Email delivery: Google email services used to send one-time authentication codes and receive support requests.
• Authorities or other parties: when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights or safety, investigate abuse, or complete a business transfer subject to appropriate safeguards.

Service providers process data under their applicable terms and privacy commitments. We require personal information handled on our behalf to be protected consistently with this policy and applicable law. We do not sell personal information.

7. Advertising and consent

StrayFinder uses Google AdMob. Where required, Google’s User Messaging Platform asks for advertising consent before ads are requested. You can review or change available choices from Settings → Support & legal → Ad privacy. On iOS, tracking that requires Apple’s permission is not performed unless you grant that permission. Depending on your region and choices, ads may be personalized, non-personalized, or limited. Google may process device identifiers, IP address, ad interactions, and diagnostics under its own policies.

8. Location, camera, photos, and notifications

StrayFinder requests device permissions only when a related feature needs them. You can deny or revoke permissions in device settings, although the associated feature may stop working. Camera and photo-library access are used to select animal photos. Location is used for nearby and map features. Notifications are used for messages and relevant app updates you enable.

9. Retention and deletion

We retain account information while your account is active and retain other data only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes above. Retention periods may vary for security, fraud prevention, backups, dispute resolution, and legal obligations. Crash and advertising providers apply their own documented retention settings.

You can delete your account by choosing Delete account at the bottom of Settings and typing the confirmation word. Deletion runs on our servers and is retried until it completes. It removes your account, private and public profile, posts and their photos, saved posts, the messages you sent, reports you filed, feedback records, push registrations, and your community memberships, interest, and participation. Communities you own are archived and your upcoming activities are cancelled. The app also removes your post drafts from that device.

Some information is kept. People you messaged keep the messages they sent, with your name removed. Messages in a conversation that an open report refers to are kept until the report is resolved. Reports others made about you stay in our moderation records with the link to your account removed. If your account is banned or suspended when you delete it, we keep a one-way hash of your email address so the restriction also applies to a new account with that address. We may also keep limited information we must retain for security or legal reasons. You can also request deletion without using the app through our account deletion page.

10. Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or receive a copy of personal information, object to certain processing, withdraw consent, or appeal a decision. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority. Use Send feedback in Settings (it opens an email) or email us to submit a request. We may need to verify that you control the relevant account.

We do not discriminate against users for exercising applicable privacy rights. StrayFinder does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined by certain US state privacy laws; advertising choices remain available as described above.

11. International processing

StrayFinder is offered worldwide. Information may be processed in countries other than where you live, including locations where Google and other providers operate. Where required, transfers are supported by recognized legal safeguards.

12. Security

We use measures including encrypted transport, access controls, Firebase Security Rules, app-integrity checks, approximate post locations by default, and rate limiting. No internet service is completely secure, so review posts and photos before publishing and protect access to your email account.

13. Children

StrayFinder is not directed to children under 13, and users must be at least 13. If you believe a child provided personal information contrary to this policy, contact us so we can investigate and delete it where appropriate. Local laws may require a higher minimum age or parental consent.

14. Changes

We may update this policy as StrayFinder or legal requirements change. We will update the date above and provide additional notice or request renewed consent when required.

15. Contact