Privacy Policy
Last Updated on March 3, 2020
Catchups is a social media messaging app used to interact with friends and family around the world. Catchups provides a fun, unique and creative way to share images, videos, drawings, messages and stickers.
While you are using our service, you’ll share some information with us, so we want to be upfront about the information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with and how you can update and delete your information.
By using our Service, you understand and agree that we are providing a platform for you to communicate with friends and family in the form of images, videos, drawings, messages and stickers.
1. Information we collect
We collect the following types of information in order to provide the Catchups service.
Information you provide us directly:
We collect content, communications and other information when you use our service. Upon registration, we collect and store a profile image, display name, username, email address and date of birth.
This information we collect makes it easier for other users to find you. For example, other users can search for your username and locate you by viewing your display name and profile image.
You will also provide us with whatever information you send through our service, such as messages, images, videos, drawings and stickers.
Please Note: As per our encryption practices, we can’t see anything you send to your friends or family on our server, so don’t worry!
We will also collect any information when you contact customer support or communicate with us in any other way for general issues, reporting issues or any other information that you volunteer to share.
Information we get when you use our services
When you use our services, we collect information on the type of service you used and how you used it.
Usage Information: We collect information about your activity through our services. For example, we may collect information about:
o How you interacted with our services, such as how you communicate with friends, their names, the time and date of your communication, the number of messages you exchange, which friends you exchange communication with the most.
Camera: Capturing images or videos requires us access to your camera. Without this access, you would not be able to send any images or videos.
Photos Library: Sending an image or video from your photo library requires us access to your Photos. Without this access, you would not be able to send any images or videos.
Important Note: When we ask for permission to access your Photos Library, this does not mean we can see every image or video in your gallery. This simply means we require access to your gallery in order for you to send an image or video that you have selected. As per our encryption practices, we are unable to see the contents of the messages you send to your friends.
Microphone: We require access to your microphone when recording a video. Without access to your microphone, you would not be able to record or send videos with sound.
Important Note: When we ask for permission to access your Microphone, this does not mean we can record or hear anything you say. This simply means we require access to your microphone so you can create and send videos with sound to your friends. As per our encryption practices, we are unable to see the contents of the messages you send to your friends.
Location: We require access to your location when you choose to use our location feature. Without this access, you would not be able to send your location to your friends.
Important Note: When we ask for permission to access your Location, this does not mean we can see where your current location is, nor does this mean we track your location. This simply means we require access to your location so we can send it as a message to your friends when you choose to do so. As per our encryption practices, we are unable to see the contents of the messages you send to your friends.
2. How we use information
We use the information we collect to help better our services and create a better user experience for our community. Some ways we do that is by:
Developing new strategies based on current trends
We use the information we collect to conduct research on new trends in the market. For example, we use the information you give us when you Have Your Say to see what new features our community wants and try to implement additional services to our future updates.
Improving our current features
We use information we collect to enhance our current features. For example, we review our feedback forms from our community and tailor our future updates for a more unified experience.
Protecting our community from illegal activity
We use the information we have to remove or report harmful content, detect threats to the community and to help prevent spam and other bad experiences. For example, we use the data collected to investigate suspicious activity or to detect if someone needs help. We take a firm stance on our Community Guidelines and we will not hesitate to remove users who do not follow these guidelines.
Enhancing our safety and security practices
We use information to help verify accounts and reporting activity. For example, we may use the data we have to help verify an investigation into exploitation.
Sending you communications
We use the information we have to respond to reporting issues, general enquiries or any other form of communication. For example, we will communicate with a user via email to respond and/or to update an animal abuse report they made.
Enforcing our Terms of Service and other usage policies
We use the information we have to enforce our Terms of Service and other usage policies. For example, we may suspend or delete a user’s account for violating our Terms of Service.
3. How we share information
We share information about you in the following ways:
With other users and the general public
We may share information such as your display name, username and profile image to the public. This information will be visible when users try and search for you and on another users home page if they have accepted your Catchup Request.
With our service providers
We use third party service providers to help operate our business. For example, we use a service supplier to store our data. We require all service providers to maintain a strict level of confidentiality. Use of your personal information by our service providers is further limited to the information they need to provide services on our behalf.
With Law Enforcement
We may disclose your information to law enforcement for the following reasons:
a) If we believe it is needed to comply with any valid legal process, governmental request (including subpoenas, warrants or court orders), or applicable law, rules or regulation
b) As part of a legal investigation related to a suspected breach of our Terms of Service
c) To protect our, our user’s or others’ rights, property and safety
d) To detect and resolve and fraud or security concerns
Merger or acquisition
We may share your information in connection with a merger, financing, acquisition, dissolution transaction, bankruptcy or proceeding involving sale, transfer, divestiture of all or some portion of our business to another company. If another company acquires our business or assets, that company will have your information collected by us and will assume the rights and obligations regarding your information as allowed by this policy.
4. User Controls
Updating Information
By tapping the My Account Tab on the home screen, you can update your display name, email address, password, date of birth and profile image.
Blocking and Reporting
You can also control information you share with others through safety controls which allow you to block users. You can block a user through Catchup Requests (by tapping on their name and selecting Block) or by opening your chat with a user, tapping on the icon on the top right hand corner and selecting block.
Deleting Account
While we hope you will be part of the Catchups community for many years to come, we understand if you may want to delete your account. Deleting your account will permanently delete all information about your account, including your profile image, your display name, your username, your email address, your date of birth, all of your chats and all of your chat history (We do not store your password). This means, for example, that you won’t get messages or emails from us and your account will not be searchable anywhere within the app. Your username will be released and available to anyone who decides to use it. Once you delete your account, you will not be able to restore any information.
Please keep in mind that while our system is designed to carry out deletion practices automatically, we cannot promise that deletion will occur within a specific timeframe. There may be legal requirements to store your data, and we may need to suspend certain deletion practices if we receive valid legal process asking us to preserve content or if we receive any violation of our Terms of Service. We may also retain certain information in backup for a limited period of time or as required by law.
5. European Users
If you are a user in the European Union, you should know that Catchups is the controller of your personal information. The legal bases for which we collect and use the information described above depends on what the information is and why we collected it. The four bases upon which we typically rely on include:
Contract
We might use your information to perform our contract with you. For example, when you want to send a message, we use information you have provided to carry out your request to send that message to the intended recipient.
Legitimate interest
Another reason we might use your information is because we have a legitimate interest in doing so. When we collect and process information based on our legitimate interests, we do so in a manner that is least obtrusive to your privacy. For example, we need to use your information to provide and improve our services, including safety and security, sending messages, providing customer support, troubleshoot technical problems and to develop new features. It is important to note that our interests don’t outweigh your right to privacy, so we only rely on legitimate interest when we think about the way we are using your data.
Consent
If we have no legal basis for collecting or using your information, we will ask for your consent. If we do have a legal basis, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time.
Legal Obligation
We may be required to use your personal information to comply with the law. For example, we may need to respond to valid legal processes to take action to protect the rights of our users.
EU Users' Rights
You have the right to object to our use of your information. To view personal information Catchups collects about you, please navigate to the home screen and selected the My Account icon at the bottom of your screen. This will present a screen with all the details that are stored on our server. If you do not wish for your data to be processed any longer, we have provided you with the option to delete your account from within the app. Deleting your account will permanently delete all information about your account. This information includes your profile image, your display name, your username, your email address, your date of birth, all of your chats and all of your chat history (We do not store your password). If there are other types of information you don’t agree with us processing, please feel free to contact us.
If you have any complaints, you are able to file one with the supervisory authority in your Member State.
6. Children
Children under the age of 13 are not permitted to create a Catchups account or use our Services. We understand the importance of taking extra precautions to protect the privacy and safety of children, so we don’t knowingly collect, use, store, or disclose personal information from children under 13 (16 for users in the European Union). If we learn that we have inadvertently collected the personal information of a child under 13 (16 in the EU), we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible. If you are aware of a child under the age of 13 using a Catchups account, please report it to us immediately by contact us.
7. Revisions
We may make changes to this Privacy Policy from time to time but when we do so, we will make sure to let you know. When a change is made, we may revise the date at the top of this policy, add a statement to our website stating a Privacy Policy revision or notify users via email.