Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

HyLokal ("we", "us") is a local social network, marketplace and events platform used around the world. This policy explains what we collect, why, who can see it and the choices you have. It works together with our Terms of Service.

2. What we collect

Account: name, username, email, password (stored only as a secure hash), date of birth (to check you are 13 or older; never shown), home area, profile photo, cover photo, bio, and the country your account was created in.

What you post: photos, videos, captions, text placed on photos, comments, likes, saves, follows, tags and @mentions, and messages you send in chats.

Location: the location of your device when you create a post; the Private places you choose to add; and, only if you turn it on, live location for features that share it with people you approve.

Shop, tickets and ads: orders, delivery addresses and phone numbers, tickets, ad campaigns and credit. Payments are handled by Stripe; we never see or store your full card number.

Sellers, organisers and affiliates: to verify identity we collect your legal name, ID number and bank account. ID and bank numbers are stored encrypted; staff see only the last 4 digits.

Device and use: IP address and the country it comes from, browser and device type, pages and features used, notification settings (including the push subscription your browser gives us), and a token that keeps your accounts signed in on your device.

Reports: reports you send and reports about your content or account.

3. How we use it

• To run HyLokal: your feed, Pulse, HyMap, search, chats, Shop, events and ads
• To show local posts, people, products and events near the places that matter to you
• To send notifications you can control (likes, comments, tags, messages, orders)
• To process orders, deliveries, payouts and ticket check-in
• To show local ads, and to measure them for advertisers without telling them who you are
• To keep people safe: review reports, find spam, fraud and abuse, and enforce our rules
• To meet legal duties, such as tax records and requests from authorities

We do not sell your personal data.

4. Location: who sees what

Each post shows its area name, and others can see the exact spot it was taken, including on HyMap. Posts taken inside one of your Private places never show the exact spot to anyone (you included) and are not shown on HyMap; posts close to a private place show a spot moved a little. Your list of private places is only visible to you.

We remove location and other hidden data (such as EXIF and video metadata) from the photo and video files we publish. Live location is always off unless you turn it on, and is shared only with the people you choose.

5. Who can see your information

• Everyone: your name, username, profile photo, cover, bio, posts and comments, and who you follow and who follows you.
• People you chat with: your messages to them.
• A seller you buy from and the courier: your name, phone number and delivery address for that order.
• Our moderation team: content that is reported, including the messages in a chat you or the other person reports.
• You choose who can tag or mention you, and you can block anyone.

6. Service providers

We share only what each one needs to do its job, under agreements to protect it:

• Cloudflare: website delivery, security and storage of photos and videos
• Stripe: payments
• EasyParcel and its courier partners: delivery of Shop orders
• Resend: account emails such as sign-up codes
• Browser push services (for example Apple, Google, Mozilla): delivering notifications you turned on
• Map and place search services (OpenFreeMap, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap Nominatim): showing maps and finding areas; they receive the map area or search text and your IP address

We may also share information when the law requires it, or to protect people from serious harm.

7. How long we keep it

We keep your data while your account exists. Things you delete are removed from HyLokal at once. If you delete your account, it is hidden straight away and removed for good after 30 days (signing in again within 30 days cancels the deletion). We keep records we must keep by law, such as orders, payments and payouts, for as long as the law requires.

8. Your choices and rights

• See and download your data: Edit profile, then Download my data
• Correct it: Edit profile
• Delete your account: Edit profile, then Delete account
• Control location: Private places; live location stays off unless you turn it on
• Control tags and mentions: Edit profile, then Privacy
• Notifications: turn them on or off on your device

Depending on where you live, laws such as the GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California) and other data protection laws give you these rights and others, such as objecting to or limiting some uses. For anything not covered in the app, email [email protected]. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.

9. Children

HyLokal is not for children under 13, and we check age at sign-up. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, report the account or contact us and we will delete it.

10. Cookies and local storage

We use cookies to keep you signed in and secure. Your browser also stores small settings on your device, such as which accounts are signed in, your feed and map preferences, and drafts. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

11. Security

We use HTTPS, hashed passwords, encrypted ID and bank numbers, and limited staff access. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password and tell us about anything suspicious.

12. International transfers

HyLokal is global, so your data may be stored and processed in countries other than yours, by us and by the providers above, with protections required by law.

13. Changes

We may update this policy. We will tell you about important changes in the app before they apply.

14. Contact

Privacy questions and requests: [email protected]