Privacy Policy

Welcome to TailBook. We are glad you are here — and we take the protection of your personal data seriously. This Privacy Policy explains, in plain language, what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have. If anything here is unclear, please reach out; we would rather explain than leave you guessing.

1. Who we are

TailBook is operated by TailBook d.o.o., a company registered in Montenegro.

• Address: Trg Sunca br. 4, 85310 Budva, Montenegro
• Contact for privacy questions and requests: tailbookme@gmail.com
• In‑app: you can also reach us any time through the Support button in the app footer.

We are the "data controller" for the personal data described in this policy — meaning we decide why and how it is processed. We have not appointed a formal Data Protection Officer; the contact above handles all privacy matters and will route anything that needs escalation.

2. What TailBook is (so this policy makes sense)

TailBook is a coordination platform for animal welfare — on the web and on mobile. People and organizations use it to:

• create profiles for animals and tell their life story over time;
• record actions (found, fed, treated, sheltered, adopted…) and attach evidence such as photos and notes;
• connect animals with the organizations and providers that shelter, treat, or care for them;
• coordinate help through programs and cases — including the Capital Loop, where a case for a specific animal can be reviewed, approved, and funded toward a verified outcome.

Because the animal life story is public by design, some of what you add is visible to others. We are clear throughout this policy about what is public and what stays private.

3. What data we collect

Data you give us

• Account details: your name, username, email address, and password (stored only in a securely hashed form — we never see your actual password).
• Profile information: anything you choose to add about yourself and how you help animals.
• Animal and story content: animal names, descriptions, characteristics, health notes, the actions you record, and the photos you upload.
• Approximate location for an animal or a sighting, when you choose to add one (for example, "found near the old town gate"). You control whether to add this.
• Organization and case information: if you represent an organization or submit a case for help, the details you provide — organization name and description, the need, requested amounts, and supporting evidence.
• Anything you send us through support requests or messages.

Data we collect automatically

• Technical data needed to run and secure the service (for example, IP address, device and browser type, and session information).
• Usage data — which pages and features you use — so we can understand what works and improve it.

Sensitive data

We do not ask for special‑category personal data about you (such as health, ethnicity, or precise home location). Two things deserve extra care and we treat them accordingly:

• Animal medical information (vaccinations, treatment, health status) — part of an animal's story, not your personal health data.
• Location — the locations in TailBook describe animals and sightings, not your precise personal whereabouts. If a location could reveal where you personally live, please do not add it.

4. Why we use your data, and our legal bases

Under the GDPR (and the equivalent UK GDPR), every use of your data rests on a legal basis. Ours are:

• To provide the service (performance of a contract): creating your account, showing life stories, coordinating help, and running programs and cases.
• Your consent: optional things you opt into, such as adding a location. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Our legitimate interests: keeping the network trustworthy and secure, preventing fraud and abuse, and improving TailBook — always weighed against your rights, and you can object.
• Legal obligations: where the law requires us to keep or disclose certain information.

We do not use your data for automated decision‑making that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you.

5. The Capital Loop and financial information

Some organizations use TailBook to run cases: a request to help a specific animal, with an amount, a review, an approval, spending against a spending authority, uploaded evidence, and a recorded outcome. In this context we process the case details, amounts, and evidence you provide.

Today, the payment execution layer is a clearly labelled sandbox — no real money moves through TailBook, and we do not collect or store card, bank, or other payment‑instrument data. If and when a real payment or card provider is introduced, we will update this policy before that goes live, that provider will act as a processor under appropriate safeguards, and any new data we handle will be described here.

Participation in the network is never the same as eligibility to receive or control funds; those are governed separately, and this policy will reflect any real financial features when they exist.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data — ever.

• Other users: public animal life stories and public profiles are visible by design. Your email and password are never shown to other users. Where a person cares for an animal, their name may appear as part of that animal's story to signed‑in members.
• Service providers (processors) who run the platform on our behalf. They process data only on our instructions and under contractual data‑protection safeguards, and we do not currently use third‑party advertising or analytics trackers. They are:
• Railway — cloud hosting, database, and object storage for the app and uploaded media (hosted in the European region).
• Resend — delivery of transactional emails such as password resets.
• Authorities, where we are legally required to disclose information — for example, a valid legal request, or to help address suspected cruelty or fraud.

7. International data transfers

TailBook is operated from Montenegro and used by people in the EU/EEA, the UK, and beyond. Where personal data moves across borders — for example, between the EU/EEA and Montenegro or a provider's region — we rely on recognised safeguards, including the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (or their UK equivalent) and technical measures such as encryption. On request, we will share more detail about the safeguards we use.

8. How long we keep your data

We keep data only as long as we need it:

• your profile and content for as long as your account is active, or until you delete them;
• technical and security logs for a limited period (generally up to 12 months);
• information we must retain to meet a legal obligation, for as long as the law requires.

When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data, except where we must keep specific items by law or to resolve a dispute.

9. Your rights

Wherever you live, you can contact us to exercise your rights, and we will respond within the timeframe the law requires (usually one month under the GDPR).

If you are in the EU/EEA or the UK, you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you and get a copy;
• correct data that is wrong or out of date;
• erase your data ("right to be forgotten") in the cases the law allows;
• restrict processing while a concern is resolved;
• port the data you gave us to another service, in a structured, machine‑readable format;
• object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including any direct marketing;
• withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that already happened;
• complain to a data‑protection authority. In Montenegro this is the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information (AZLP); in the EU/UK you may also contact your local authority. We would appreciate the chance to put things right first.

If you are in California (CCPA/CPRA), you have the right to know what we collect and why, to a copy of your data, to correct it, to delete it, and to limit the use of sensitive information. We do not "sell" or "share" your personal information as those terms are defined, so no opt‑out is needed — and we will never discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

To exercise any right, email tailbookme@gmail.com with your name and the email on your account, and tell us what you would like to do. We may ask a quick question to confirm it is really you — a safeguard for your own protection.

10. How we protect your data

• Encryption in transit for everything you send us.
• Restricted access — only people who need data to run the service can reach it.
• Regular backups so your information is not lost, including off‑site copies.
• Ongoing monitoring and prompt security updates.

No system is perfectly secure, but we work hard to protect your data. If a breach ever affects your rights, we will notify the relevant authority within 72 hours and, where the risk is high, tell you directly.

11. Children

TailBook is intended for people aged 16 and over. If you are under 16, please use TailBook only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has given us personal data without appropriate consent, contact us and we will remove it promptly.

12. Changes to this policy

As TailBook grows, we may update this policy. For significant changes we will give notice in the app and, where appropriate, by email before they take effect. Minor updates are published here with a new date. Continuing to use TailBook after a change means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about your data:

• Email: tailbookme@gmail.com
• In‑app: the Support button in the footer

Your trust is the foundation of everything TailBook does. Thank you for helping animals — and for reading this far. 🐾