Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 22, 2026

Welcome to 4 Paws ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and password when you create an account
• Profile Information: Profile photos, bio, and preferences for cat owners and sitters
• Pet Information: Your cat's name, breed, age, medical conditions, and special care requirements
• Location Data: Your address, a foreground phone location you choose when placing a safe-zone centre, and coordinates reported by a CatSafe-compatible GPS tracker paired to your cat. Tracker reports may include GPS accuracy, battery level, safe-zone state, and the date and time received.
• CatSafe Device Information: A random tracker identifier, a one-way hash of its access token, the cat it is assigned to, and safe-zone settings such as a circle centre and radius or custom boundary points. The raw access token is shown once when pairing and is not retained in readable form.
• Payment Information: Credit card details and billing address (processed securely through Stripe)
• Communications: Messages exchanged between cat owners and sitters through our platform
• Reviews and Ratings: Feedback you provide about sitters or cat owners
• App Interactions: Information about actions you take in the app, such as signing in, creating or managing bookings, sending messages, using the chatbot, and changing account settings. We use this information to provide the requested app functionality and customer support.
• Device and Notification Identifiers: An Expo push-notification token associated with your device when you enable notifications. We use this identifier to deliver booking, message, and account notifications to your device.

We do not currently use Firebase Analytics, Sentry, an advertising SDK, or expo-updates telemetry. We therefore do not collect a separate crash-log or advertising-profile category through those services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Match cat owners with qualified sitters in their area
• Process bookings and payments
• Enable real-time messaging between users
• Send push notifications about booking updates and messages
• Receive compatible GPS tracker reports, determine whether a paired cat tracker crosses an owner-defined safe zone, and provide CatSafe alerts
• Improve our services and develop new features
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Information Sharing

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Other Users: Your profile information is visible to potential matches (sitters see owner profiles and vice versa)
• Service Providers: We share data with third-party services that help us operate our platform, including payment processing, cloud hosting, maps/location services, and Expo's push-notification delivery service. These providers receive only the information needed for the relevant service.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure password hashing
• Regular security audits
• Access controls and authentication

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information in your profile
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Opt-Out: Disable push notifications in your device settings
• Data Portability: Request your data in a portable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@4paws.app.

6. Location Services

Our app uses location services for:

• Finding nearby cat sitters
• Letting an owner choose a CatSafe starting location and place a circle or custom boundary while the app is open
• Receiving coordinates from a compatible GPS tracker or tracker gateway paired to a cat
• Creating exit and safe-return alerts based on those tracker coordinates

The 4 Paws phone app does not treat your phone as the cat's location and does not request background phone location for CatSafe. Foreground phone location is optional and is used only when you choose it as the starting point for a circle or custom boundary. CatSafe monitoring requires compatible GPS hardware to submit location reports. You can pause a fence or unpair a tracker in CatSafe; unpairing deletes that tracker's safe zone and location-event history.

7. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

8. Third-Party Services

Our app integrates with third-party services including:

• Stripe: For secure payment processing
• Expo: For push notifications
• Google Maps: For location and mapping features

These services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. After account deletion, we may retain certain information for legal compliance, dispute resolution, or fraud prevention for up to 3 years.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice in the app or sending you an email. Your continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.