Privacy
Privacy policy
Last updated: September 19, 2026
CatFinder is an app developed by Gatiten Software, based in Chile. This policy explains what personal data we process, for what purpose, who we share it with, how long we keep it and how you can exercise your rights over it.
In short: CatFinder does not sell your data, shows no advertising and includes no analytics or cross-app tracking tools. The data we process is what you need to provide in order to have an account and publish cat reports.
1. Who processes your data
The data controller is Gatiten Software (Chile). For any privacy question or to exercise your rights, write to support@catfinderapp.com.
2. What data we process and why
| Data | Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Email address and password | Create your account, identify you at sign-in and let you recover access. | Performance of the service you request |
| Apple identifier, if you use Sign in with Apple | Authenticate you without creating a password. If you choose to hide your email, Apple gives us a relay address and we never see the real one. | Performance of the service you request |
| Username, bio and profile photo | Show who published each report. These are optional and you can edit or clear them at any time. | Your consent |
| Reports: photos, description, health status, tags and the cat's location | Publish the report so the community can find and help the cat. | Your consent |
| Sightings | Record that you saw an already-reported cat, so others know where and when it was last seen. | Your consent |
| Moderation reports | Moderate inappropriate content and protect the community. | Legitimate interest in the safety of the service |
| Device location | Center the map where you are and suggest a position when you create a report. See section 3. | Your consent, revocable from your phone's settings |
| Device language | Show the app in your language. | Performance of the service you request |
We do not request or process sensitive data, identity documents, payment methods or financial information. CatFinder is free and has no in-app purchases.
3. How we use your location
Location is the most delicate piece of data an app like this handles, so it is worth being precise:
- Only while you are using the app. CatFinder requests location access in the foreground only. We do not track you in the background or when the app is closed.
- Your location is not stored on our servers. It is used on your own phone to center the map and to suggest a position when you create a report.
- The coordinates we do store are the cat's, not yours: the ones attached to a report you publish. You can adjust them before publishing if you would rather not pin an exact spot — for instance, if it matches your home.
- You can use the app without granting location, though the map will not center automatically. The permission can be revoked at any time from your phone's settings.
4. What other people can see
CatFinder is a community app, so part of what you publish is visible to other people with an account:
- Your reports, with their photos, description, status and the cat's location.
- Your username, your bio and your profile photo.
- The number of sightings recorded on each report.
Your email address can be hidden from other people under Profile › Edit Profile. Reports are not visible to people without an account and do not appear in internet search engines.
Keep in mind that a photograph can show more than it seems: a house front, a license plate or a person in the background. Publish with that in mind.
5. Who we share data with
We do not sell or trade your personal data. We only work with the infrastructure providers needed to make the app run:
| Provider | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, authentication and photo storage. This is where your account and reports live. | United States |
| Google Maps (Android only) | Render the map. Google may receive technical data from the map request, under its own policies. | United States |
| Apple Maps (iPhone and iPad only) | Render the map, through the device's operating system. | United States |
| Apple | Sign in with Apple, if you choose that sign-in method. | United States |
| Expo | Deliver app updates. Receives technical device data when checking for a new version. | United States |
International data transfers
Our providers operate in the United States, so your data is stored and processed outside Chile. By creating an account you accept this transfer, which is carried out under the data processing agreements we hold with each provider.
We may also disclose information if a competent authority requires it through a legally valid order.
6. How long we keep your data
| Data | Period |
|---|---|
| Account, profile, reports and sightings | For as long as you keep your account. Deleted when you delete it. |
| Individually deleted reports | Erased immediately, along with their photographs. |
| Moderation reports | Kept indefinitely and anonymized, unlinked from your account, to prevent repeat abuse. |
| System backups | Up to 30 days. Overwritten automatically and never used to restore deleted accounts. |
You can delete your account and all its data at any time. Here is how.
7. Your rights
Under Chile's Law 21.719 on the protection of personal data, and equivalent rules in other countries, you can exercise the following rights over your data:
- Access: find out what data of yours we process and obtain a copy.
- Rectification: correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure: ask us to delete your data.
- Objection: object to a particular processing activity.
- Portability: receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
- Blocking: ask us to temporarily suspend processing.
Several of these you can exercise yourself, instantly, from the app: edit your profile, delete a report or delete your whole account. For the rest, write to support@catfinderapp.com from your account's email address. We respond within 30 calendar days of the request, as the law requires.
If you believe we have not handled your request properly, you may file a complaint with Chile's Personal Data Protection Agency.
8. How we protect your data
- All communication between the app and our servers is encrypted with HTTPS.
- Your password is never stored in plain text: it is handled by Supabase's authentication system, which keeps only a derived, irreversible value.
- Your signed-in session is stored in your phone's secure operating system store, not in an ordinary file.
- The database applies row-level access rules, so each account can only read and modify what belongs to it.
- Photographs are stored in buckets with per-user permissions and limits on file type and size.
No system is infallible. If we detect a breach affecting your personal data, we will inform you and notify the relevant authority as required by law.
9. Minors
CatFinder is intended for people aged 13 or over. We do not knowingly collect data from children under that age. If we identify such an account, we will delete it along with its data. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a minor in your care created an account, write to support@catfinderapp.com and we will delete it.
10. Advertising and tracking
CatFinder shows no advertising, uses no analytics tools and does not track your activity across other apps or websites. We do not use tracking cookies either: the app does not rely on a browser to work.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the date in the header. When a change is relevant to you — for example, if we start processing a new category of data — we will tell you inside the app before it takes effect.
12. Contact
For any question about this policy or about how your data is handled, write to support@catfinderapp.com.