SemtEra

Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 19, 2025 | Effective date: March 19, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to SemtEra, a location-based social event discovery platform. SemtEra ("we", "us", or "our") is operated by the SemtEra development team. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use the SemtEra mobile application ("App") available on the Apple App Store.

By using SemtEra, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

Contact: support@semtera.app

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

2.1 Account & Identity Information

Full name — required for your profile
Username — your unique @ handle in the app
Nickname — optional display name
Email address — used for authentication and account recovery
Profile photo — uploaded by you
Age — used for age-restricted event filtering
City — used for local event discovery
Bio — a free-text description of yourself
Eye color — optional profile attribute
Interests — up to 12 categories (e.g., Music, Sports, Technology) selected during onboarding

2.2 Location Data

Precise GPS Location: We collect your precise geographic coordinates when the App is in use (foreground location access). This data is used to show nearby events on the map, rank events by distance, and display your location context in the event feed. Location coordinates are stored in your user profile and event records on our Firebase Firestore database.

2.3 User-Generated Content

Photos and videos — images you upload to posts, stories, profile pictures, and event pages
Posts and text content — text posts, tweets, and event descriptions you create
Stories — 24-hour ephemeral photo/video content
Comments and replies — your responses to other users' content
Chat messages — private messages, group chats, and event chats

2.4 Social Graph Data

List of users you follow and who follow you
List of users you have blocked
Events you have joined, created, or saved
Your attendance and RSVP status for events

2.5 Device & Technical Data

Push notification token — to deliver notifications to your device
Device identifiers — used for push notification routing via Firebase Cloud Messaging
App usage data — features accessed, screens visited, interactions (likes, shares)
Crash and diagnostic data — used for app stability improvements

2.6 Subscription & Purchase Data

Your current subscription tier (Participant, Planner, or Organizer)
Subscription status (active, expired, trial)
Payment transactions are processed exclusively by Apple's App Store — we do not receive or store your payment card details

3. How We Use Your Information

Purpose	Data Used
Show nearby events on map and feed	GPS location, city, interests
Personalize event recommendations	Age, interests, past events joined
Enable social features (follow, profile)	Name, username, profile photo, bio
Messaging (DM, group chat, event chat)	User ID, message content
Send push notifications	Push token, device ID
Authenticate your account	Email, user ID
Manage subscription features	Subscription tier, user ID
Improve app stability and performance	Crash data, usage data
Enforce community guidelines	Content, social graph, reports

4. Third-Party Services

SemtEra uses the following third-party services that may process your personal data:

4.1 Firebase / Google

We use Firebase services provided by Google LLC, including:

Firebase Authentication — for account login and session management
Cloud Firestore — to store user profiles, events, posts, and messages
Firebase Storage — to store uploaded photos and videos
Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — to deliver push notifications

Data stored in Firebase is processed in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy. Firebase servers may be located in the United States or other countries.

4.2 Google Sign-In

We offer "Sign in with Google" as an authentication option. When you use this feature, Google shares your basic profile information (name, email, profile picture) with us. This is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

4.3 Apple Sign-In & App Store

Sign in with Apple is available for authentication. Subscription purchases and billing are handled entirely by Apple's App Store. See Apple's Privacy Policy for details.

4.4 Third-Party AI Services (Chat Feature)

Important Disclosure: The chat features in SemtEra utilize third-party artificial intelligence services. Chat message content may be shared with these AI service providers to enable AI-assisted functionality. While we take measures to keep this data secure, you should be aware that your chat messages may be processed by external AI providers. By using the chat features, you consent to this processing as disclosed in our in-app consent screen.

4.5 Apple MapKit

We use Apple's MapKit framework to display interactive maps. Map tile requests are processed by Apple. See Apple's Privacy Policy.

5. Face ID / Biometric Data

SemtEra's Hidden Chats feature uses Face ID (or Touch ID) for local device authentication. Biometric data is processed entirely by Apple's LocalAuthentication framework on your device and is never transmitted to our servers or any third party. We receive only a boolean success/failure result from the biometric check. We do not have access to your biometric data.

6. Device Permissions

Permission	How We Use It
Camera	Taking photos and videos for stories, posts, and profile pictures
Microphone	Recording audio during video capture for stories and posts
Photo Library	Selecting existing photos/videos from your gallery to share in the app
Location (When In Use)	Showing nearby events on the map and personalizing your event feed
Face ID / Touch ID	Authenticating access to Hidden Chats (local device only)
Push Notifications	Delivering event reminders, social interaction alerts, and chat messages

You can revoke any permission at any time through iOS Settings. Revoking location access will disable the map view and nearby event features.

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data to advertisers, data brokers, or any third parties for commercial purposes. We share your data only in the following circumstances:

With other users: Your public profile information (name, username, profile photo, bio, followers/following counts) is visible to other users. You can set your account to private to limit visibility.
With Firebase/Google: As described in Section 4.1, your data is stored and processed on Firebase infrastructure.
With AI service providers: Chat data may be shared with third-party AI services as described in Section 4.4.
Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by applicable law, court order, or governmental authority.
Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale, user data may be transferred as a business asset.

8. Data Retention & Deletion

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time through:

In-app: Profile → Settings → Delete Account
By email: support@semtera.app

Upon receiving a deletion request, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law. Note that content you have shared publicly (posts, event comments) may remain visible in anonymized form after deletion.

9. GDPR — Rights of EU/EEA Users

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right of access — request a copy of your personal data
Right to rectification — request correction of inaccurate data
Right to erasure — request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
Right to restriction — request that we limit processing of your data
Right to data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent

Legal bases for processing: We process your data based on your consent (given at the consent screen), contract performance (to provide the services you requested), and legitimate interests (app security, fraud prevention).

International transfers: Your data is stored on Firebase servers which may be located in the United States. Such transfers are governed by Google's Standard Contractual Clauses.

To exercise your rights, contact: support@semtera.app

10. KVKK — Rights of Turkish Users

For users in Turkey, the processing of personal data is subject to the Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK). Under this law, you have the following rights as a data subject:

To learn whether your personal data is being processed
To request information about the processing of your personal data
To learn the purpose of processing and whether it is being used in accordance with its purpose
To know the third parties to whom your personal data is transferred domestically or abroad
To request correction of incomplete or inaccurate personal data
To request deletion or destruction of your personal data
To request that third parties to whom your data has been transferred be notified of such correction or deletion
To object to a result that is to your detriment arising from analysis of your data exclusively through automated systems
To claim compensation if you suffer damages due to the unlawful processing of your personal data

To exercise your rights under KVKK, please contact: support@semtera.app

11. Children's Privacy

SemtEra is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will delete such information. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us at support@semtera.app.

Users between 13 and 17 years of age must have parental consent to use the App. Age is collected during the profile setup process.

12. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data:

Data transmission is encrypted using TLS/HTTPS
Passwords are never stored in plain text — we use Firebase Authentication's secure password management
Firebase Security Rules restrict data access to authorized users only
Biometric data (Face ID) is processed locally on your device only

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice in the App or by sending a push notification. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: support@semtera.app
App: Profile → Settings → Support
Website: https://alazerekull.github.io/semtera-legal/