Privacy policy

Who runs Plaque Hunt

Plaque Hunt is operated by Northstar Tech Ltd (United Kingdom). Contact [email protected] with privacy questions or requests.

Location and your collection

• Map location. While you use the map, we use your location to show nearby plaques, distances and your position. We do not upload these location readings.
• Claims. When you choose Claim plaque, we send your coordinates, reported accuracy and location time to our server to validate the claim. We keep the plaque, claim time and coordinates for each successful claim with your collection. These records describe places you have visited.
• Nearby plaque alerts. Optional, off by default and available only in the native app. They use background location and notification permission to detect nearby uncollected plaques on your device. On iOS this requires Always location access; Android uses background location permission. Timing and delivery depend on your device, and alerts may stop when the app is closed. Background location for alerts is not sent to our server. Turn alerts off from the menu, or revoke permission in your device Settings.

Guest sessions, accounts and public names

• Guest ID. We create a random guest ID and keep a session in this browser or app installation so you can return to your collection. It is not tied to an email or sign-in provider unless you add one. Clearing browser data or reinstalling can remove guest access.
• Optional sign-in. Email/password, Google and supported native Apple sign-in can provide access on other devices. We keep the account information needed to sign you in. Social providers may share an account identifier, email address and name; Apple may provide a private relay email address. We also keep secure sign-in information needed to disconnect Apple sign-in when you delete your account.
• Explorer name. You choose and save the public name shown on the leaderboard. Provider names are not automatically copied into it. Other players can see your explorer name and claim count, but not your individual claims or locations.
• Guest collection transfer. We use temporary sign-in information to verify that the guest collection belongs to you when moving it to an account. Your device removes this information after the transfer completes. A transfer record is kept for seven days so an interrupted transfer can be retried safely.

Analytics and reports

In the game, events such as viewing a plaque, starting a route or claiming are linked to your guest or account ID and stored in our database to understand usage. Plaque reports include the selected issue and any details you enter. Avoid including personal information about yourself or other people in a report.

The marketing page measures aggregate visits and link activity without attaching your Plaque Hunt account ID. Our in-game analytics are linked to your guest or account ID. We do not use advertising identifiers, sell your personal data or combine it with other companies’ data for targeted advertising.

Why we use this information

• We use account information and your collection to provide the service you request. Location sent with a claim checks that you are at the plaque; you can browse without granting location access, but you cannot make a location-based claim without it.
• We rely on our legitimate interests in operating a reliable game, preventing false claims, understanding feature usage, correcting plaque listings and answering support requests for related analytics, security and support processing.
• We use your consent for optional nearby alerts and publishing an explorer name. You choose whether to share your location. You can withdraw these choices in the app or device Settings; this does not undo earlier claims or remove their stored history. Use the deletion controls below to remove that history.

Claims are checked automatically against the plaque’s location, the freshness of the reading and its accuracy. We do not use your information to make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects.

How long we keep information

• Accounts and collections: your login, public name, claims (including their locations and times) and badges stay while your account or guest session exists, unless you ask us to remove them.
• Gameplay analytics: individual events are kept for 90 days, or removed sooner when you delete the associated account or guest session.
• Plaque reports: reports and their entered details are kept for one year, or removed sooner when you delete the associated account or guest session.
• Sign-in and transfer information: transfer records expire after seven days. Information needed to disconnect Apple sign-in is removed when you delete your account.
• Support correspondence: we retain it while handling your request and for up to one year after it closes, unless a specific legal obligation requires longer. Provider security and email-delivery logs follow their operational retention periods, separately from your gameplay records.

Expired gameplay analytics, reports and transfer records are normally removed automatically within 24 hours of the retention period ending. Signing out, uninstalling or clearing browser data does not delete your account or collection. Use the removal controls before losing access to a guest session, or contact us for help.

Service providers

We use providers of website hosting, data storage, account authentication, account email delivery, maps and images, and website analytics. Hosting, storage and authentication providers process account information, collection records and claim locations to operate the service. Email providers receive your email address and account messages to deliver them. Map and image providers can receive your IP address and the requested resource. Website analytics providers receive visit and link activity without your Plaque Hunt account ID. Sign-in providers process the sign-in service you choose. Opening directions in another app is subject to that app’s privacy policy.

Our main database is hosted in Sweden. Hosting, email delivery and provider support can process information in other countries, including the United States. For restricted international transfers, our hosting, database and email providers’ data-processing terms include standard contractual clauses and the UK addendum. Contact us for information about the applicable safeguards.

We use cookies and storage on your device to keep you signed in and remember your appearance, route, alert preferences and map view. These support the app’s features.

Your rights and choices

You can ask us for access to your information, correction, deletion, restriction of use or a portable copy, where the relevant right applies. You can also withdraw consent for optional features. Contact [email protected]; we normally respond within one month and will explain if we need more time.

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including our account-linked gameplay analytics. Contact us to exercise this right.

You can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. If we change this policy, we will update this page and its date; material changes will also be brought to your attention in the service.