Legal

This Privacy Policy explains how Trip Tick collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use our app and website. Trip Tick is run by Matthew Clifton-Bowley, a sole trader based in England, trading as Trip Tick (“we”, “us”). He is the data controller for the information described here. We are committed to keeping your data safe and never selling it.

1. What we collect

We collect the information you give us when you create an account (such as your display name and email address), the birding records, trips and locations you log — including any map coordinates you add — and basic technical and usage information needed to run and improve the service (such as device type and privacy-friendly analytics). If you use the “Use my location” feature, your device’s GPS position is read once, at that moment, only to suggest nearby saved locations; we do not track your location in the background. Payment is processed securely by our payment provider, Stripe — we never see or store your full card details, and Stripe’s own privacy policy governs how they handle your payment information.

2. How we use it

We use your information to provide and improve Trip Tick, sync your records across your devices, process your subscription, respond to your support requests, and send you important service updates. We rely on different legal bases depending on the purpose: performing our contract with you (running the service and your subscription), our legitimate interests (keeping Trip Tick secure and improving it), and your consent where it applies (for example, optional marketing or reading your device location). We only send marketing messages if you have opted in.

3. Sharing your data

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with trusted service providers who help us operate Trip Tick — including our hosting and database provider, our web hosting and analytics provider, and our payment provider — and only as far as needed to deliver the service. Some of these providers may process data outside the UK; where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards. If you use Trip Tick’s social features, your display name and totals are visible to birders you connect with, and to anyone you share a public leaderboard link with. Friends you connect with can also see the email address you signed up with. We may also disclose information where required by law.

4. Your records are yours

The sightings, trips and lists you create belong to you. You can export them at any time, and you can ask us to delete your account and associated data whenever you wish.

We do not sell, pass on or publish your bird records, and they are not sent to eBird, BirdTrack, county recorders or any other scheme. Nobody else sees them unless you choose to share them. Exactly what friends, shared trips and leaderboards can see is set out on Your sightings and who sees them.

5. Data retention & security

We keep your information for as long as your account is active, and apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. When you delete your account we remove your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain it by law.

6. Cookies & analytics

Our website uses a small number of cookies. Essential cookies keep the site working correctly and cannot be switched off. We also use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site, but only after you accept this in the cookie banner shown on your first visit — if you decline, no analytics cookies are set. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser’s cookies for this site.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export or delete your personal data, and to object to certain processing. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below. Trip Tick is suitable for all ages — there is no user-to-user messaging and no mature content. In line with UK data protection law, children under 13 should only create an account with the involvement of a parent or guardian, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from under-13s without that consent. If you are in the UK and are unhappy with how we handle your data, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

8. Who we are

Trip Tick is run by Matthew Clifton-Bowley as a sole trader in England, trading as Trip Tick. He is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration reference ZC233743.

9. Contact

For any privacy questions or requests, email us at info@trip-tick.co.uk.