Privacy Policy
Last updated: April 5, 2026
PaoPao ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you use the PaoPao mobile application and website (the "Service"). This policy complies with the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA).
1. Data Controller
The organisation responsible for your personal data is:
Altbyte Pte. Ltd. (operating as PaoPao)
Email: contact@paopao.sg
2. Data We Collect
2.1 Account Data
When you create an account, we collect:
- Full name — to personalize your profile.
- Email address — for authentication and account recovery.
- Phone number — optional, for account identification.
- Username — your public identifier on the platform.
- Password — stored securely using industry-standard hashing (never in plain text).
- Country — auto-detected from your IP address to pre-fill your phone number country code. You can change it manually.
2.2 Pet Data
When you create pet profiles, we collect:
- Pet name, species, breed, sex, color, and birthday.
- Pet avatar photos.
- Optional: microchip number, license number, allergy notes.
PawPass (Apple Wallet / Google Wallet): You can generate a digital wallet pass for your pet that includes their name, breed, sex, color, birthday, and optionally their microchip number, license number, and allergy notes. The pass is generated on our server and delivered to your device — it is stored locally in your wallet app. Pass data is not used for advertising or shared with Apple, Google, or any third party beyond what is required to display the pass. You can remove it from your wallet at any time.
2.3 User-Generated Content
We store content you create on the Service, including:
- Chat messages (text only).
- Posts, photos, and comments in the Discover feed.
- Events and event details you create.
- Friend requests and social connections.
2.4 Technical Data
We automatically collect:
- IP address (used once to pre-fill your phone number country code, then discarded — not stored).
- Device type and operating system version.
- App version.
- Crash reports and performance metrics (anonymized) via Firebase Crashlytics.
- Push notification token — a device-specific identifier used to deliver push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). This token is stored in your profile and cleared when you sign out or delete your account. It is not used for advertising or cross-app tracking.
2.5 Location Data
If you enable the Playdate Matching feature, we collect your approximate location (latitude and longitude) to find compatible pets nearby. This data is:
- Collected only when you opt in to Playdate Matching in Settings.
- Used solely to calculate distance between you and other users for match suggestions.
- Never shared with third parties or used for advertising purposes.
- Stored in your profile and deletable at any time by disabling the feature.
Only your city name and approximate distance (e.g. "2.5 km") are visible to other users — your exact coordinates (latitude and longitude) are never shared or displayed.
You can configure your match distance radius (5 to 200 km) in Settings. Event locations are entered manually by users and do not use GPS.
2.6 Photos Shared in Group Chats
- Members of event group chats can share photos. Data collected includes the image itself, a thumbnail, and image dimensions.
- EXIF metadata (GPS coordinates, device info) is stripped before upload as a privacy safeguard.
- Photos are visible to all group members (up to 256 participants).
- Photos are automatically deleted with the event group chat, 90 days after the event ends.
- Senders can repost their own photos to the public Discover feed. Reposting creates an independent copy — deleting the chat photo does not remove the Discover post.
- Photos from deleted accounts remain visible in the group chat attributed to "Deleted User" and are cleaned up by the 90-day retention policy.
- Per-event photo limits are enforced to prevent abuse.
- Console administrators do not have access to group chat photos. They can only act on reported content by contacting the event host.
2.7 Data We Do NOT Collect
- We do not collect contacts from your phone.
- We do not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising trackers.
3. Purposes for Collecting and Using Your Data
Under the PDPA, we collect and use your personal data for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Basis |
|---|---|
| Account creation and authentication | Contractual necessity |
| Providing the Service (chat, photo sharing, events, feed) | Contractual necessity |
| Country detection for content relevance | Consent (at signup) |
| Playdate matching and distance calculation | Consent (opt-in in Settings) |
| Notification delivery | Consent |
| Crash reporting and performance monitoring | Reasonable business purpose |
| Enforcing Terms & Conditions | Reasonable business purpose |
4. How We Use Your Data
We use your data to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve the Service.
- Authenticate your identity and secure your account.
- Display your profile and pet information to other users (according to your visibility settings).
- Deliver chat messages and event notifications.
- Show relevant content based on your country and social connections.
- Suggest compatible pet matches for playdates based on location, breed, age, and mutual connections (when you opt in).
- Detect and prevent abuse, fraud, and violations of our Terms.
- Verify your email address to confirm your identity. Email verification may be required to access certain features such as creating posts and social events.
5. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal data. We share data only in the following circumstances:
- With other users — Your profile, pet profiles, posts, and event participation are visible to other users based on your privacy settings (public or friends-only).
- Service providers — We use third-party cloud infrastructure and authentication providers to operate the Service. Data is processed in accordance with their privacy policies and data processing agreements.
- Legal requirements — We may disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety.
6. Data Storage and Security
- Your data is stored on servers located in Singapore.
- All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.3.
- All data at rest is encrypted.
- Passwords are hashed using bcrypt and never stored in plain text.
- Access to production data is restricted to authorized personnel only.
- We implement Row Level Security (RLS) at the database level to ensure users can only access their own data.
6.1 Sign in with Apple / Sign in with Google
If you sign in using Apple or Google, we receive your name and email address from the provider. We do not receive or store your Apple or Google password.
- When you sign in with Apple, you may choose to hide your email address. In that case, Apple provides a private relay email that forwards to your real address. We treat this relay address the same as any other email — we do not attempt to discover your real email.
- We securely store an authentication token from your provider to maintain your session. When you delete your account, we attempt to revoke this token with Apple or Google where possible so they are informed your account no longer exists, and we then permanently delete it from our servers. If revocation with the provider is unsuccessful, this does not prevent deletion of your account or deletion of the token from our servers.
7. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account and profile data | Until account deletion |
| Pet profiles | Until deleted by user or account deletion |
| Chat messages | Up to 6 months, then automatically purged. Conversations remain accessible; only the message content is removed. |
| Posts and feed content | Until deleted by user or account deletion |
| Event data | Until event expiry + 90 days, then automatically purged along with the associated group chat. After an event ends, the group chat remains open for a 7-day grace period before becoming read-only. The deletion date is displayed in the chat so participants know when data will be removed. |
| Group chat photos | Deleted with the event group chat, 90 days after event ends |
| Playdate Matching location data | Until feature disabled or account deletion |
| IP addresses | Not stored (used once to pre-fill phone country code) |
Automatic data purges run when you use the app — no action is required on your part. When you delete your account, your personal data is removed immediately. Some data may be retained longer in encrypted backups, which are purged on a rolling schedule.
8. Your Rights (PDPA)
Under the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act, you have the following rights:
- Access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction — Correct inaccurate or incomplete data (you can do this directly in the app, or by contacting us).
- Withdraw consent — Withdraw your consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal data at any time (e.g., notification permissions in app settings). Note that withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide the Service.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@paopao.sg. We will respond within 30 business days.
9. Children's Privacy
PaoPao is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.
10. International Transfers
Your data is stored in Singapore. If data is transferred outside of Singapore, we ensure that the recipient provides a comparable standard of protection in accordance with the PDPA Transfer Limitation Obligation.
11. Cookies
The PaoPao website does not use cookies. The mobile application uses only essential local storage (for authentication tokens and notification preferences) and does not use tracking technologies.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on the Service and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
13. Supervisory Authority
If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In Singapore, this is the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC):
PDPC — www.pdpc.gov.sg
14. Contact
For any privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at: