Paw Map India ("Paw Map", "we", "us") helps feeders, volunteers, shelters, NGOs and veterinarians coordinate stray dog care across India. This policy explains what information the app collects, why, and how it's protected.
Who this app is for
Paw Map is intended for users aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect information from children, and the app is not directed at or marketed to minors.
Information we collect
- Account information: your name, email address, and password (or your Google account details if you sign in with Google) — used to create and secure your account.
- Location: for feeders, an approximate feeding-area location; for shelters and vets, the location of your shelter or clinic. We also request your device's live location briefly to verify daily check-ins and to detect your area during onboarding.
- Phone number: collected from shelters, vets, emergency reporters (optional), and volunteers who sign up for a task — used only to connect people who've agreed to be connected (see "How we share information" below).
- Activity you create: feeding check-ins, streaks, emergency reports, support requests, volunteer task posts and signups, and shelter/vet listing details (services offered, dogs currently sheltering, coverage area).
- Device and diagnostic information: basic technical data needed to keep the app running reliably.
How we use this information
To operate the core features of the app: showing feeding zones and listings on the community map, matching emergency reports with nearby shelters and vets, coordinating volunteer signups, and maintaining your streak and check-in history.
How we share information
We do not sell your information. Some information is shown publicly within the app because the app's purpose is a shared community map; other information is shared only between specific people once both sides have taken an action. Specifically:
- Shown to everyone using the app: a feeder's approximate feeding zone and daily dog count (never your name or exact address); a shelter or vet's name, city, services, and verification status; active emergency markers (type and note, not the reporter's identity).
- Shared only between two consenting parties: a shelter or vet's phone number is shared with the person who posted an emergency only after that shelter or vet has explicitly confirmed they're responding. A volunteer's name and phone number are shared with a shelter only after the volunteer signs up for that shelter's specific task. An emergency reporter's phone number (if provided) is shared only with a shelter/vet who has confirmed they're responding to that report.
- Service providers: we use Supabase for authentication and data storage, and OpenStreetMap for map tiles. If you sign in with Google, Google processes your OAuth sign-in. These providers process data on our behalf and do not use it for their own purposes.
How we protect your information
Your session is stored on your device using hardware-backed encryption, not in plain text. Access to data in our database is controlled by row-level security policies, meaning accounts can only read or write the data they're actually permitted to. We continue to review and tighten these protections as the app grows.
We're a small, independent team still actively hardening these protections. If you ever notice something that looks like a security or privacy issue, please tell us — see the Contact page.
Your choices
- You can update your feeding area, average dog count, and shelter/vet listing details from your Profile at any time (some fields, like your registered name and shelter location, are locked after registration to keep the map trustworthy, and location changes are limited to once every 30 days).
- You can request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time — see our Account Deletion page.
Data retention
Emergency reports are automatically removed 24 hours after being marked resolved or reported, whichever comes first. Support requests expire after 7 days. Your profile, check-in history, and listing information are kept until you request deletion.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app evolves. Continued use of the app after an update means you accept the revised policy. Meaningful changes will be reflected here with an updated date.
Paw Map India