Privacy, terms and cookies
Last updated: [date]
Draft. These pages are being reviewed and may change before HEREandNOW launches.
Privacy policy
HEREandNOW shows what's happening right now in [town], from local businesses. We've designed it so that people using it to find somewhere to go don't need to give us their name, email address or location.
Who we are
HEREandNOW is run by PICKaPACK Online Ltd, Bourne Terrace, Wherstead, Ipswich IP2 8NG (company number [number]). We are the controller of the personal information described here. You can contact us at ipswich@hereandnowapp.co.uk. Our ICO registration number is [number].
If you're using HEREandNOW to find somewhere to go
- You don't need an account. We don't ask for your name, email or phone number.
- Your location stays on your phone. If you tap "See how many steps away", your phone works out the distances itself. Your location is never sent to us or stored.
- Fire, I'm here and offer codes. When you first tap one of these, we create a random ID for your phone so you can only react once per post and so your offer code stays yours. It isn't linked to your name or contact details. We store your taps and codes against that ID.
- Alerts, only if you turn them on. If you follow a venue or switch on alerts, your phone gives us an alert address made by your browser's maker (for example Apple or Google) so we can send you alerts. It doesn't include your name or number. We keep it, with the venues you follow, until you unfollow, switch alerts off, or the address stops working. Alerts are sent through your browser maker's alert service. You can switch them off at any time in your phone or browser settings.
- Counting visits. We count how many times posts and venue pages are seen, how often "Directions" is tapped, how many people open the app from each of our QR codes, and how many people use the app each hour, day, week and month (including how many come back within a week). These are stored as totals for each venue, QR code, day and hour, with no ID attached. You can switch this off (see Cookies and storage).
- Maps. Venue pages show a map made from OpenStreetMap, loaded through Cloudflare's cdnjs service. To draw it, your browser asks those services for map pictures and the map program, which means they see your internet address, as any website you visit does. Your location is used on your phone to put you on the map and is not sent to them or to us. Tapping "Step-by-step walking directions" opens Apple Maps or Google Maps, which have their own privacy policies.
If you post for a business, or work for [town partner]
We hold your email address, a password (stored only in scrambled form) and which business or organisation you post for. We keep what you post, any photos you upload, when you posted and who posted it, and the opening hours, events, tap lists, links and other details you add. We also keep a record of administrative actions (such as a post being hidden or a business being added) so we can deal with any problems.
Why we use this information (our lawful basis)
- To run HEREandNOW and provide what businesses have signed up for, which is a contract with the business.
- To keep the service working, safe and fair, for example limiting posts, preventing misuse and keeping an audit record. This is our legitimate interest.
- To produce totals for businesses and for [town partner], such as views, check-ins and offer codes used. This is our legitimate interest in showing that HEREandNOW works. The figures don't identify anyone.
We don't sell personal information, and we don't use it for advertising.
Who else handles it
We use these suppliers to run the service. They act on our instructions.
| Supplier | What for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, sign-in and photo storage | [London, UK — confirm the project's region] |
| Netlify | Hosting the app (it receives your IP address when the app loads) | [USA and worldwide — confirm and note safeguards] |
| jsDelivr | Delivering part of the app's code | [Worldwide] |
Where information is handled outside the UK, we rely on [the UK's adequacy regulations / the International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum — to confirm].
How long we keep it
- Posts, and the Fire, I'm here and offer-code records linked to them, are deleted automatically 90 days after the post ends.
- Daily totals of views, taps and QR visits are kept so we can produce yearly comparisons. They don't identify anyone.
- Town notices are deleted 90 days after they end.
- The record of administrative actions is kept for 2 years.
- Business and staff accounts are kept while they're in use, and deleted [within 90 days] of the business leaving HEREandNOW, unless we need to keep something for legal reasons.
- The random IDs created for phones are [deleted after 12 months without use — to set up].
Your rights
You can ask us for a copy of your information, or ask us to correct it, delete it, or stop or limit how we use it. You can also object to us using it for our legitimate interests. Email ipswich@hereandnowapp.co.uk. If you use HEREandNOW without an account, we may not be able to find your information, because it isn't linked to who you are. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk), but please contact us first so we can try to put it right.
Cookies and storage
HEREandNOW doesn't use advertising or tracking cookies. It saves a few small items in your browser's storage on your phone:
| What | Why | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in details (sb-…-auth-token) | Keeps your random phone ID after you tap Fire, I'm here or Get the code, or keeps a business signed in | Strictly necessary |
| Closed notices (hn-dismissed) | Remembers which town notices you've closed, so they stay closed | Functional (remembers your choice) |
| Alerts (service worker and alert subscription) | Only if you follow a venue or switch on alerts: lets your phone receive and show HEREandNOW alerts | Strictly necessary for a service you asked for |
| Business phone (hn-business) | Remembers that a business has signed in on this phone, so the "Post what's happening" button stays on show for them. It's removed when they sign out. Visitors never get it | Essential |
| Visit counter (hn-visit) | Holds the date and hour you last opened the app, so each phone is counted once an hour and we can tell new visitors from people coming back. Nothing that identifies you is sent: only "first visit today / this week / this month" and "back within 7 days" | Statistics |
| QR visit (hn-scan-…) | Stops a visit from a QR code being counted twice on the same day | Statistics |
| Counting choice (hn-no-stats) | Remembers if you've asked us not to count your visits | Strictly necessary |
The law allows storage that's needed for a service you've asked for, storage that remembers your preferences, and storage used to count how a service is used, as long as we tell you about it and you can say no to the counting. You can switch counting off here:
You can also clear this storage at any time in your browser's settings.
Terms of use
By using HEREandNOW you agree to these terms.
- What's on is posted by the businesses themselves. We check that each business is genuine before it can post, but we don't check every post. Offers, prices, times, what's on tap and opening hours can change, so please check with the venue.
- Offers are from the business, not from us. Each business decides its own terms. An offer code can only be used once, and a business can refuse it, for example if the offer has ended, ran out, or you're not old enough.
- Alcohol. Offers involving alcohol are only for people aged 18 or over. Venues may ask for ID. Please drink responsibly and plan how you'll get home.
- Directions and distances are estimates. Step counts and walking times are approximate. Take care, especially at night, and follow the advice of the map app you use.
- The service is provided as it is. We work hard to keep HEREandNOW running and accurate, but we can't promise it will always be available or error-free. Nothing in these terms limits any rights you have by law.
- Please don't misuse it. For example, don't try to get into accounts that aren't yours, collect codes you don't intend to use, or interfere with the app.
- These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.
Terms for businesses and town staff who post
- Keep posts accurate and current. Only post what's genuinely happening now (or at the time you schedule), and end or remove a post if things change.
- Follow the law and your licence. This includes advertising and consumer-protection rules, alcohol licensing and the Challenge 21/25 policy you operate. Don't post anything that encourages excessive or irresponsible drinking.
- Honour your offer codes while the offer is running and stocks last, as stated in your post.
- Only upload photos you have the right to use, and don't post anything offensive, misleading or about identifiable members of the public without their permission.
- Keep your sign-in details private, and tell us straight away if someone else may have used them.
- We may hide or remove any post, and limit or suspend posting, if these terms aren't followed. We keep a record when we do.
- Your agreement with us (including fees) is set out separately in [your HEREandNOW agreement]. If anything there conflicts with these terms, the agreement applies.
Questions about any of this? Email ipswich@hereandnowapp.co.uk.
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