Privacy Policy
Who we are
BAL Buddy is run by Liam Dowsett-Clark, a sole trader trading as BAL Buddy (ABN 51 645 838 661 Current details Historical details), in Australia. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles.
What we collect, and how long we keep it
| Information | Why | Kept |
|---|---|---|
| Your email address, whether it's verified, and an account id (from our sign-in provider, Clerk) | Your account and free runs | Until you delete your account |
| Saved runs: the site's name or address, its location, what you drew and chose, the names you give runs, and the results | Showing your results again | Until you delete the run or your account |
| Your runs left, any subscription, and payments (Stripe's ids, the amount and whether it was paid) | Spending runs; our records | Payment records as long as the law requires (generally 5 years); the rest until you delete your account |
| For accounts: each site you previewed distances and slopes for, its location, and whether it was completed or paid | The daily preview limit; usage | 90 days |
| Daily counts of the steps people reach (site placed, building drawn, vegetation classified, result reached, completed, paid) | Improving the app | 90 days; guests are counted by a salted hash only, with no location |
| A salted hash of your network (your IPv4 address, or the first half, the /64, of an IPv6 address) | Free-run limits, misuse checks and rate limits | 35 days for a guest run, 30 days for a free-run claim, up to 2 days for rate limits |
| A one-way hash of your email address, kept after you delete your account | One free-run grant per email address | Indefinitely, as a one-way hash |
| If you press "I'd use an indicative Method 2 estimate": that you're interested, with your account email if you're signed in (otherwise the network hash) | Judging demand | 12 months |
| Feedback you send: your message, the page and step you were on, an email address only if you give one, the site's name and location only if you tick the box, and your account if you're signed in | Fixing problems | 12 months, or until you delete your account |
| The disclaimer version you accepted, and when | A record of acceptance | Until you delete your account |
| Error reports: the kind of error, the page and a short message with addresses, numbers and emails removed | Fixing faults | 30 days |
| Trial code requests: name, email, company, role, the wording you agreed to and when, a network hash, and the link's utm tags | Sending your code and the updates you agreed to | Until you ask us to stop; then only an email hash, so we never contact you again |
| The utm tags of the link that first brought you | Seeing which links bring people | 90 days with the step counts; on your account until it's deleted |
| Counts of map tiles that failed (never where) and of searches (never what) | Spotting outages | 90 days |
Our server logs record only the request method, page, status and time. Your IP address is not recorded in our database or logs, and what you enter is stored only as set out in the table above.
Cookies and storage in your browser
Cookies and browser storage keep you signed in (Clerk), apply the free-run limit and save what you've drawn between visits. While the site is private, a cookie also remembers the passcode.
The utm tags of the link that first brought you are recorded as described in the table.
We don't use advertising or tracking cookies, and we don't sell or share your information for marketing.
Who else handles information
Hosting, sign-in and payment providers may log IP addresses under their own policies.
| Service | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Hosts the site; our server functions run in its Sydney region; its Web Analytics counts page visits (no cookies) | Australia (a US company) |
| Neon | Our database | Sydney (a US company) |
| Clerk | Sign-in (email code and Google) | United States |
| Stripe | Payments; card details go straight to Stripe | Australia and the United States |
| Esri | Map imagery your browser asks for | United States |
| OpenStreetMap (Nominatim) | Address search, and the point you click to place a site, sent from our server without your IP address (answers cached in memory for a day). Under its own policy | Europe |
| Geoscience Australia and Amazon Terrain Tiles | Elevation at your site; they get coordinates only | Australia; Terrain Tiles in the United States |
Overseas providers handle information under their own privacy policies and our agreements with them.
Your choices
- Download your data: open your account and choose "Export my data".
- Delete your account: open your account, then "Account options" and "Delete account". This cancels any subscription with Stripe first, then deletes your account, saved runs, tracked sites and your sign-in at Clerk. The email hash above, and payment records we must keep, remain.
- Access and correction: ask us for what we hold, or to correct it: email clarkliam86@gmail.com.
Security
Data is sent over HTTPS. The database is encrypted at rest and only the app can reach it.
Complaints and changes
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, email clarkliam86@gmail.com and we'll respond within 30 days. If you're still not satisfied, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top.