Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you use Explorer Passport, we collect the following information to provide and improve our services:

• Account Information: Your name and email address when you create an account.
• Location Data: Your device's approximate location when you use the map features or search for nearby parks. We only access your location with your explicit permission.
• User-Generated Content: Park reviews, ratings, photos, audio recordings, and park submissions you choose to share.
• Usage Data: Information about which parks you visit, favorite, and interact with within the app.
• Contacts (Address Book): When you choose to connect your contacts, you select specific contacts from your device's address book. We do not store your raw phone numbers — instead we store a secure, one-way cryptographic hash of each normalized phone number, plus the contact's name, so we can match them against members who have added a phone number to their own profile. You pick which contacts to share — we never access your full address book automatically. You can view and remove any saved contact, or disconnect entirely, at any time from the Friends page or Profile settings.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and maintain the Explorer Passport service, including your passport stamps and visit history.
• To display community-contributed park information, reviews, and photos to other users.
• To show you nearby parks and recreational areas based on your location.
• To verify and moderate community-submitted park listings.
• To improve and personalize your experience within the app.

3. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. Information you submit publicly (reviews, ratings, photos, and park submissions) is visible to other Explorer Passport users. Your name is displayed alongside your reviews. We do not share your email address, visit history, or favorites with other users or third parties.

4. Contacts & Address Book

To help you find friends already on Explorer Passport, you can choose to connect contacts from your device's address book. You select the specific contacts you want to share — we do not access or upload your entire address book. We do not store your raw phone numbers. Instead, each selected phone number is normalized and cryptographically hashed (SHA-256) on your device before being saved; only the hash and the contact's name are stored with your account. These are used solely to check whether those people have joined Explorer Passport. A member appears as a match only if they have added a phone number to their own profile and have not turned off "Allow people who have my phone number to find me." Your saved contacts and hashes are private to you, are never shared with other users or third parties, and are never used to reveal anyone's phone number inside the app. You control this feature under Profile → Contact Discovery: toggle automatic syncing, toggle whether people can find you by your phone number, refresh your matches, or disconnect (which deletes your saved contact data). Disconnecting does not remove your existing Explorer Passport friends. All contact-discovery data is deleted when you delete your account.

5. Location Data

Location data is used solely to show you nearby parks and position you on the map. We do not store or track your real-time location history. Your device asks for location permission each time — you can decline or revoke this at any time through your device settings.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information. Your account is protected by secure authentication, and all data transmission uses industry-standard encryption.

7. Children's Privacy

Explorer Passport is designed for families. Children may use the app under parental supervision. Our kid-friendly review feature allows children to record audio reviews — these are associated with the parent's account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

8. Your Rights

You can access, update, or delete your account and associated data at any time through the app's profile section. To request complete data deletion, contact us at the email below.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy in the app and updating the "Last updated" date.