Privacy Policy for WineTrail

Effective Date: 2026-08-27

WineTrail ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our wine tracking app.

1. Information We Collect

a) Account Information
When you create an account, we collect:
- Email address
- Display name (if provided)

Authentication is handled by Firebase Authentication (Google). We do not store your password directly; it is managed securely by Firebase.

b) Wine Data
When you use the app, we store:
- Wines you add or track (name, producer, region, vintage, grape varieties, tasting notes, ratings)
- Wine search queries sent to the Grapeminds API to retrieve wine information

c) Photos
If you upload photos (e.g. wine labels or bottles), these are stored in our S3-compatible object storage (hosted by Hetzner in Germany).

d) Technical Data
We may collect minimal technical data necessary for the app to function, such as:
- API request logs (IP address, timestamps)
- Error reports

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:
- Authenticate you and secure access to your account
- Store and display your wine collection and tasting notes
- Look up wine information via the Grapeminds API based on your searches
- Store and serve your uploaded photos
- Improve the reliability and performance of the app

We do not use your data for marketing, advertising, or profiling purposes.

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

- Firebase Authentication (Google) — for user authentication and account management. See Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Grapeminds API — to look up wine data based on your search queries. Only the search query is sent; no personal data is shared.
- Hetzner — for S3-compatible photo storage, hosted in Germany (EU).

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for their own purposes.

4. Data Storage & Security

- Your data is stored on servers located in the European Union.
- All communication with our servers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS).
- Photos are stored in encrypted-at-rest S3-compatible storage.
- Access to production systems is restricted and protected.

5. Data Retention

- Your account and wine data are retained as long as your account is active.
- If you delete your account, all associated data (wine entries, photos, account information) will be permanently deleted within 30 days.

6. Your Rights (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Export your data in a portable format
- Object to or restrict certain processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at winetrail@stephantromer.nl.

7. Children's Privacy

WineTrail is intended for users of legal drinking age. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under the age of 16.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated via the app or email. The effective date at the top indicates when the policy was last revised.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us at:
Email: winetrail@stephantromer.nl