Data deletion
Delete your CatFinder account and data
CatFinder is an app developed by Gatiten Software (Chile). This page explains how to delete your account and its associated data, how to erase part of your data without closing your account, what gets deleted, what is retained and for how long.
- Delete my account and all my data Complete and permanent deletion of the account.
- Delete some of my data without closing my account Erase reports, sightings or profile data while keeping the account.
Delete your account and all your data
Option 1 · From the app (immediate)
This is the fastest route: deletion runs instantly, with no intermediaries and no waiting for our team to reply.
- Open CatFinder and sign in to your account.
- Tap the gear icon (Settings) at the top of the screen. It is available from any of the app's main sections.
- Inside Settings, tap Delete account.
- Read the confirmation notice and confirm the deletion.
Deletion is immediate and irreversible. On confirming, your account and its associated data are removed from our systems and your session is closed. This is not a temporary deactivation: there is no way to recover the account or its content afterwards.
Option 2 · By email
If you already uninstalled the app or cannot access your account, you can ask us to delete it for you. Write to support@catfinderapp.com from the email address you registered with, including the following:
- To
- support@catfinderapp.com
- Subject
- Delete my account
- In the message
- Your account's email address and, if you have it at hand, your User ID (visible and copyable on the app's Profile and Settings screens).
To protect your account against third-party requests, we may ask you to confirm from the registered email address before proceeding. We acknowledge receipt within 5 business days and complete the deletion within a maximum of 30 calendar days from the moment we verify the request.
What is deleted with your account
- Your account and its sign-in credentials.
- Your profile data: username, email address, bio and profile photo.
- The cat reports you published, along with their photographs.
- The sightings you recorded on other people's reports.
- The notifications associated with your account.
Delete part of your data without closing your account
If you would rather keep your account, you can erase specific data yourself from the app, at any time and without submitting a request.
Delete a report you published
- Go to Profile › My reports and open the report you want to erase.
- Tap Delete report and confirm.
The whole report is deleted: its description, its location, all its photographs and the sightings other people recorded on it.
Withdraw a sighting you recorded
- Open the report where you tapped I've seen this cat.
- Tap the same button again to withdraw your sighting.
Erase or change your profile data
- Go to Profile › Edit Profile.
- Change or clear whichever fields you want: username, bio, email address or profile photo.
- Tap Save.
Request deletion of other data
If you want us to delete a category of data you cannot manage from the app, write to support@catfinderapp.com from your account's email address, with the subject Delete part of my data, stating which data you want erased. Your account stays active. The same response times apply: acknowledgement within 5 business days and completion within a maximum of 30 calendar days.
Data we retain and retention periods
Whether you delete your whole account or erase specific data, we retain only what is necessary for security, abuse prevention and the technical operation of the service:
| Retained data | Reason | Retention period |
|---|---|---|
| Moderation reports filed by other users | Abuse prevention and community safety. Retained unlinked from your account. | Indefinitely, anonymized |
| System backups | Recovery from technical failure. Overwritten automatically and never used to restore deleted accounts. | Up to 30 days |
Beyond what this table lists, we retain no other data associated with deleted accounts. The full detail of how we handle data is in our privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
I uninstalled the app. Does that delete my account?
No. Uninstalling the app does not delete your account or the data hosted on our servers. You need to use one of the options described on this page.
Can I recover my account after deleting it?
No. Deletion is final and there is no grace period to undo it. If you want to use CatFinder again later, you will need to create a new account.
What happens to reports other people marked as sighted?
The reports you published are deleted along with your account, including the sightings other people recorded on them.