Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 20, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how we handle your information for the current version of the AroundBee app, which lets you create and share location-based photo and video Trails and Spots, set up a profile, send direct messages, see what has been posted in your local area (your "Hive"), and share a link to a public post outside the App. We will update this policy before introducing features that involve materially different uses of your information. This notice is provided in English; if you would like to receive it in a language specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, write to us at support@aroundbee.com.

AroundBee ("AroundBee," "we," "us," or "our") is operated by AROUNDBEE PRIVATE LIMITED, a company incorporated in India, which is the data fiduciary responsible for your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices and rights you have, when you use the AroundBee mobile application (the "App"). We ask for your consent to the processing described in this Privacy Policy through a clear affirmative action when you create your account: the sign-up screen presents this policy and our Terms of Service, and by proceeding you confirm that you are 18 or older and signify your agreement to both. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

1. Information We Collect

• Account information — we sign you in using your phone number with one-time password (OTP) verification (via Firebase Authentication). We collect your phone number.
• Profile information — the name, username, bio, and profile photo you choose to add. Your name and username are indexed so that other users can find you by typing part of them.
• Location data — with your permission, we collect precise device location in order to (a) tag where each Trail stop or Spot was created, (b) show you relevant nearby Trails and Spots, (c) attribute your public posts to the local area, or Hive, they fall in, and (d) decide which area-based notifications are relevant to you. We collect location only while you are using the App — never in the background and never when the App is closed. You can enable or disable location access at any time in your device settings; some features may not work without it.
• Photos and videos — the media you capture or select to add to your Trails or Spots, including the audio recorded as part of a video. We access your camera, microphone, and photo library only when you choose to add media. Uploaded media is automatically screened for unsafe content — see section 6.
• Messages and user content — the direct messages you send to other users, and the descriptions, captions, and other content you create in the App.
• Details you record about a place — where you choose to add them, the date and time of a visit, the category or tags you pick, and amounts you record having spent at a stop or Spot (including travel costs between stops). We use these to display your post and to build your own Hive totals. We do not connect to your bank, card, or any payment account, and we never see your actual transactions — these figures are only what you type in.
• Usage and analytics data — we use PostHog to understand how the App is used so we can improve it. We log specific events — such as opening the App, sign-in steps (for example, an OTP being requested or verified), creating, publishing, sharing, or recreating a Trail or Spot, and whether a notification was sent to you, suppressed, or opened — along with basic details about those actions. Some of these events are recorded by our servers rather than by the App. They are associated with your account identifier. We do not use PostHog to record your screen or to capture session replays.
• Activity signals used for reminders — when you last opened the App, whether you have completed the in-app tour, whether you have a saved but unpublished draft, and a record of which reminders we have already sent you and when. We use these only to decide whether and when to send you a reminder, and to keep from over-sending. See section 7.
• Device and log data — technical information such as device model, operating-system version, app version, language, approximate network information, and diagnostic data, which help us keep the App secure and working.
• Crash reports and crash diagnostics — when the App crashes or hits a serious error, we send a report to Sentry so we can fix it. To make a crash reproducible, that report includes a screenshot of the App screen as it was at the moment of the crash, together with a description of the on-screen layout. This means the report can contain whatever was visible to you at that moment — which may include a message thread, a private post, or your own profile details. These reports are generated only by a crash or error, never on a schedule and never while the App is working normally; they are visible only to our engineers, are used only to diagnose and fix the problem, and are deleted on a rolling basis. We do not record your screen at any other time.
• Notification tokens — a push-notification token (via Apple Push Notification service and Firebase Cloud Messaging) so we can deliver notifications to your device.
• Reports and feedback you send us — if you report a user or a piece of content, we collect your report, the reason you select and any details you add, and the identifiers of both you and the person or content reported. If you submit feedback from your profile, we collect your message, your account and device details, and any screenshot you choose to attach.

We do not intentionally collect special-category or sensitive personal data through the App, and we ask that you not include such data in Your Content.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To create and secure your account and sign you in;
• To provide, operate, and maintain the App and its features, including Trails, Spots, profiles, Hives, direct messaging, and shareable links;
• To tag and display the location of your Trail stops and Spots, surface nearby Trails and Spots, and attribute your public posts to a local Hive so that a place's collection of posts grows as people post there;
• To let other users find your profile by name or username;
• To deliver the notifications described in section 7, including reminders and occasional messages from us about the App, subject to the controls in that section;
• To keep the App safe — including the automated screening of uploaded media described in section 6, detecting, preventing, and addressing fraud, abuse, security issues, and violations of our Terms of Service, and to receive and action reports and blocks;
• To understand and improve how the App is used, to diagnose crashes, and to fix problems; and
• To comply with our legal obligations and to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not use your personal data to build advertising profiles, and we do not run third-party advertising in the App.

3. Your Consent

We process your personal data on the basis of the consent you give when you create an account and use the App, and, where applicable, to perform our agreement with you, to comply with law, and for other legitimate uses permitted by applicable law. Your consent is given through a clear affirmative action — creating your account after this policy has been presented to you — and applies to the purposes described in this policy. Where we make a material change to how we use your information, we ask you to accept the updated policy in the App before you continue. You may withdraw your consent at any time, as easily as you gave it, by deleting your account from within the App or by contacting us (see "Your Rights" and "Grievance Redressal" below). Withdrawing consent does not affect processing already carried out, and may mean you can no longer use some or all of the App.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal data. We share information only in these circumstances:

• With other users, when you choose to — for example, your profile and public Trails and Spots are visible to other users, and direct messages are delivered to the people you send them to. Posts you mark private are visible only to you and to anyone you have specifically given access. If you block a user, you and that user will no longer see each other's content or be able to message each other.
• In your local Hive — your public Trails and Spots are counted towards, and shown in, the Hive for the area they were created in, alongside your name or username. Posts you mark private are never shown in a public Hive and never counted towards it. Your own private Hive view, which does include your private posts, is visible only to you.
• Through a link you share — when you share a public Trail or Spot, we create a web page for it at a link.aroundbee.com address. Anyone who has that link can open that page without installing the App or signing in, and it shows the post's title, description, cover image, place, date and any amount you recorded. We ask search engines not to index these pages, but we cannot guarantee that a link you have circulated stays private. Private posts have no such page: a link to one shows only a generic AroundBee card and reveals nothing about the post. You can delete a post at any time, which takes its page down.
• With service providers (data processors) who process information on our behalf, under contractual confidentiality and security obligations — see the list below.
• For legal and safety reasons — where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of AroundBee, our users, or the public.
• In a business transfer — in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganisation, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy.

5. Service Providers and Sub-Processors

We rely on the following providers to operate the App. Each processes only the information needed to provide its service:

• Google Firebase — authentication, database, file storage, cloud functions, push messaging, and app integrity;
• Google Maps Platform — maps, place details, and location features;
• Google Cloud Vision — automated screening of uploaded photos and videos for unsafe content (see section 6);
• Apple Push Notification service — delivery of notifications on Apple devices;
• PostHog — product analytics;
• Sentry — crash and error reporting, including the crash diagnostics described in section 1, to help us diagnose and fix problems;
• Discord — the internal channels our small team uses to receive and act on user reports, feedback submissions, and automated safety and system alerts. Where a report, a piece of feedback, or a safety alert is routed to us this way, it carries the information described in section 1 for that item, including any screenshot you attached. Access is limited to our team.

6. Automated Screening of Uploaded Media

To keep the App safe and to meet our obligations as a platform, every photo and video you upload to a Trail or Spot is automatically screened for unsafe content — including adult, violent, and medical-graphic imagery — using Google Cloud Vision. For videos, we sample frames and screen those. This screening is automated and happens on upload, whether the post is public or private.

Screening produces a rating, not a transcript: we do not use it to identify people, to recognise faces, or to derive anything about you beyond whether the media may breach our Terms of Service. Where media is flagged, our team is alerted and reviews it, and we may remove the content or restrict the account in line with our Terms. A flag alone is not a decision — a human makes it. You can raise a complaint about any such decision with our Grievance Officer under section 12.

7. Notifications and How to Turn Them Off

Push notifications are off until you allow them on your device. Once you do, we may send you three kinds, and you can control each one separately in the App under Settings → Notifications:

• Social — someone liked, saved, or added your post, followed you, or sent you a direct message.
• New content — a summary when a number of new public Trails or Spots have been posted in your Hive. Which Hive this is depends on your location.
• Reminders and nudges — reminders and occasional messages from us about using the App. These are chosen using the activity signals in section 1: how long it has been since you last opened the App, whether you finished the tour, whether you left a draft unpublished, and a weekly summary of activity on your posts. Some are sent to everyone on a schedule rather than being based on your activity.

Turning a category off in the App stops those notifications. You can also turn off all notifications for AroundBee in your device settings. We limit how many notifications any user receives in a day and do not send them overnight. We do not send you marketing on behalf of anyone else, and we do not share your notification token with advertisers.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the App. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period — including your profile, your Trails, Spots and their media, your drafts, your notification and reminder history, and the block lists associated with your account — except where we are required or permitted to retain it by law or for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims. Content you shared with other users, and messages already delivered, may remain visible to those users, attributed to a deleted account. Backups and logs are deleted on a rolling basis in the ordinary course. Where Indian law requires a specific retention period — for example, the retention of certain registration and account information for 180 days after account deletion under applicable intermediary rules — we retain that limited information for the required period and then delete it. Reports and safety records may be retained for as long as necessary to handle the matter and to defend legal claims.

9. Where Your Information Is Stored

Our service providers (including those listed above) may store and process information on servers located outside India. Where information is transferred across borders, we rely on our providers' contractual and technical safeguards and process such transfers in accordance with applicable law.

10. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures, including encryption in transit and access controls, to protect your information. Whether a post is public or private is enforced on our servers, not only in the App. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping access to your phone number and device secure. In the event of a personal data breach affecting you, we will notify you and the relevant authorities — including the Data Protection Board of India — in the manner and within the timelines required by applicable law.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how we process it;
• Correct or update your profile information directly in the App, or request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• Delete your account and associated personal data — from within the App, or by contacting us;
• Withdraw consent to our processing, as described above;
• Nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity;
• Grievance redressal — raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer as described below, and escalate it to the Data Protection Board of India if it is not resolved; and
• Control your notification categories and your Hive visibility settings in the App, and permissions for location, camera, photos, and notifications in your device settings.

To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app controls or contact us at support@aroundbee.com. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond within the timelines prescribed under applicable law.

12. Grievance Redressal

If you have any complaint or concern about how we handle your personal data or about the App, you may contact our Grievance Officer, appointed in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023:

Grievance Officer
Akshith Raja P
AROUNDBEE PRIVATE LIMITED
Email: support@aroundbee.com

We will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours of receipt and resolve it within 15 days (or any shorter period prescribed by applicable law for particular categories of complaint). If you are not satisfied with our response, or if we do not respond within the required time, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Board of India in the manner prescribed under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

13. Age Requirement

The App is intended for adults and is not directed to anyone under 18. You must confirm that you are 18 or older when you sign up. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly profile, track, or send behaviour-based reminders to anyone under 18. If we become aware that an account belongs to someone under 18, we will suspend it and delete the associated personal data. If you believe someone under 18 has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page and revise the "Last updated" date above. Where changes are material, we will provide additional notice through the App and ask you to accept the updated policy before you continue using it. Significant changes, including any new feature that processes your information in a materially different way, will be reflected here before that feature is made available to you.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us at:

AROUNDBEE PRIVATE LIMITED
Email: support@aroundbee.com