Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy for Carwash Info
Last updated: April 2, 2026
Version 1.0
Welcome to Carwash Info ("we", "our", "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal data in compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Apple's App Store guidelines. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how we process it, and your rights regarding your personal information.
1. Data Controller
[company_name] [company_street] [company_postal_code] [company_city], [company_country] Email: [support_email]
2. Data We Collect
2.1 Account Information
When you create an account, we collect:
- Email address — used for authentication and account recovery
- Password — stored securely using industry-standard hashing
- Username — your chosen display name
- Full name — optional, for personalization
- Phone number — optional, for contact purposes
- Gender — optional, for personalization
- Date of birth — optional, for personalization
- Profile picture — optional, uploaded and stored in our secure cloud storage
2.2 User-Generated Content
- Marketplace listings — title, description, price, images, and address information you provide when creating a listing
- Chat messages — direct messages between users regarding marketplace listings
- Survey responses and votes — your participation in polls and research surveys
- Comments — your comments on surveys and posts
- Bookmarks — magazines, news articles, events, listings, and surveys you bookmark
2.3 Reports and Moderation Data
- Reports you submit — when you report a listing or comment, we store the reason, an optional description, and a snapshot of the reported content at the time of filing
- Violations on your account — if enforcement action is taken against your content, we store the action type and any moderator notes
- User blocks — when you block another user, we record the relationship to enforce content filtering
2.4 Device and Usage Data
- Read history — which magazines and articles you have viewed, stored locally on your device
- Downloaded magazines — metadata about magazines you download for offline reading, stored locally on your device
- App preferences — your selected language and theme settings, stored locally on your device
- Push notification token — a device token generated by Firebase Cloud Messaging to deliver push notifications
2.5 Camera and Photo Library Access
- AI Car Analysis — when you use the AI Car Analysis feature, you may grant access to your device camera or photo library to upload vehicle images for analysis. These images are sent to a third-party AI service for processing and are not stored permanently on our servers.
- Marketplace listings — product images you upload when creating or editing listings
- Profile picture — your avatar image
We only access your camera or photo library when you explicitly choose to take a photo or select an image. We do not access these features in the background.
3. How We Use Your Data
We process your personal data for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Legal Basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Account creation and authentication | Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Providing app features (magazines, news, events, marketplace, surveys) | Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Content moderation, report handling, and enforcing Community Guidelines | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Filtering content from blocked users | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Sending push notifications | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) |
| AI Car Analysis image processing | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) |
| Enabling user-to-user chat | Contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Improving app functionality and user experience | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Storing your preferences locally | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
4. Content Moderation and Blocking
- When you report content, a snapshot of the reported content is stored alongside your report for moderation purposes.
- When you block a user, that user's listings, survey comments, and surveys become invisible to you, and your content becomes invisible to them. This filtering is enforced at the database level.
- Moderators review reports and may take actions including hiding content, removing content, issuing warnings, or suspending accounts.
- You can view the status of your reports and any violations on your account in the Reports & Violations section of the app.
5. Data Storage and Security
- Backend services are self-hosted on our own servers using open-source technology, with encrypted connections (TLS/SSL) and row-level security to protect your data. Your data is stored on infrastructure operated and controlled by [company_name] and is not shared with third-party platform providers.
- Local storage (reading history, downloaded magazines, app preferences) is stored on your device using encrypted local storage and is never transmitted to our servers.
- Authentication is handled with secure password hashing and session management on our self-hosted infrastructure.
- Images are stored on our servers with access controlled by security policies.
- Report and block data is protected by row-level security policies that ensure only relevant parties (the reporter, the reported user where appropriate, and administrators) can access the data.
6. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services:
| Service | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Push notifications | firebase.google.com/support/privacy |
| Apple App Store | App distribution | apple.com/legal/privacy |
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for advertising purposes.
7. Data Retention
- Account data is retained for as long as your account is active.
- Chat messages are retained for as long as the conversation exists.
- User-generated content (listings, survey responses, comments) is retained until you delete it or your account.
- Reports are retained for moderation history and audit purposes, even if the reported content is later deleted.
- Block records are retained until you unblock the user or delete your account.
- Local data (read history, downloads, preferences) remains on your device until you clear the app data or uninstall the app.
- When you delete your account, all personal data associated with your account is permanently removed from our servers within 30 days.
8. Your Rights (GDPR)
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Right of access — request a copy of your personal data
- Right to rectification — update or correct your data via your profile settings
- Right to erasure — delete your account and all associated data at any time through the app (Profile > Delete Account)
- Right to data portability — request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Right to restrict processing — request limitation of processing under certain conditions
- Right to object — object to data processing based on legitimate interests
- Right to withdraw consent — withdraw consent for push notifications at any time through your device settings
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [support_email].
9. Account Deletion
You can delete your account directly in the app by navigating to Profile > Delete Account. This will permanently remove:
- Your profile information (name, email, username, phone, avatar)
- Your marketplace listings
- Your chat conversations
- Your bookmarks, survey votes, and comments
- Your reports and block records
This process is in compliance with Apple App Store requirement 5.1.1(v) for account deletion.
10. Children's Privacy
Carwash Info is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child under 16 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.
11. Push Notifications
We use Firebase Cloud Messaging to send push notifications. You can opt out of notifications at any time through your device settings. We do not use notification data for tracking or advertising.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app or by email. The "Last updated" date at the top indicates the most recent revision.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:
Email: [support_email] Address: [company_street], [company_postal_code] [company_city], [company_country]
14. Supervisory Authority
If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority in the EU.