Privacy Policy
Last Updated: November 1, 2025

Company & Project
CatHunter is operated by CatHunter Yazılım Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi (Istanbul, Türkiye). We’re building a public-interest layer for cities and communities: simple infrastructure that gives every cat a visual identity (CatID) so street cats and pets can be seen, cared for, and connected with guardians, neighbors, vets, and municipal services. Our priorities are animal safety, privacy-by-design, and cats-only use.

1. Definitions

“Application” / “App” — the CatHunter mobile software.
“Service” — the App and related services, features, and website(s).
“Company” / “we” / “us” / “our” — CatHunter Yazılım Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi, Istanbul, Türkiye (data controller under GDPR).
“User” / “you” — any person accessing or using the Service.
“Account” — a profile used to access the Service.
“User Content” — photos, videos, captions, tags, and other materials you upload.
“Personal Data” — any information relating to an identified or identifiable person.
“Location Data” — geodata associated with uploads or tagging.
“CatID” — CatHunter’s proprietary concept, schema, identifiers, labels, and related datasets that provide a visual identity for cats.
“Research Partners” — trusted startups, academic institutions, and municipalities working on bona-fide scientific or animal-welfare projects.
“Sublicense” — a limited license we may grant to Research Partners under strict research/welfare terms.

2. Scope & Consent

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you use CatHunter and related services at https://cathunter.app. By using the Service, you acknowledge this Policy.
Where required by law, we will request your consent (e.g., for push notifications or optional analytics). Otherwise, we rely on other legal bases described below.
3. What We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide
  • Account data: name, username, email, optional avatar.
  • Social logins: if you sign in with Facebook/Google/Apple, we receive basic profile info allowed by the platform (name, email, avatar).
  • User Content: images/videos of cats only, captions, tags, and optional metadata you provide.
3.2 Automatically Collected (Usage Data)
  • Device and app info (model, OS/version, app version), IP address, language, crash/diagnostic data, in-app actions (e.g., screens viewed).
  • Location Data only when you photograph/tag a cat (not continuously). See “Location & Safety.”
3.3 Cookies & Similar Technologies
We use essential cookies/ID equivalents for security, log-in, and core functionality. In the future, we may enable optional analytics cookies; where required, we’ll present a consent choice.

4. Location & Safety (Cats-Only)

We design for animal safety:
  • We do not display precise coordinates of cats. We apply location generalization of at least 300 meters and may further obfuscate or delay visibility to reduce risks.
  • Users must not attempt to disclose exact coordinates in captions/comments or circumvent safety features.
  • Location is captured only when you tag/photograph a cat (not in the background).
5. How We Use Personal Data (GDPR legal bases)


Purpose

Examples

Legal Basis

Provide and secure the Service

account, log-in, core features, moderation

Contract (Art. 6(1)(b))

Improve features & quality

diagnostics, UX research, A/B tests (minimal, privacy-respecting)

Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) balanced with safeguards

Communications

service notices, replies to support

Legitimate interests / Contract

Optional notifications/analytics

push, non-essential analytics

Consent (Art. 6(1)(a))

Legal & compliance

fraud prevention, lawful requests

Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c))

6. AI & Image Recognition

We use AI to analyze cat features and scene characteristics to help identify/tag cats and improve search and organization.
  • We do not perform human facial recognition or process human biometrics.
  • Model improvement: we may use User Content to train, evaluate, and improve our models. You can opt out of model-training use in settings at any time; opting out does not affect your ability to use the Service.
7. Research, De-Identification & Sublicensing

To advance scientific research and animal welfare, we may share de-identified or aggregated derivatives of data under limited sublicenses with Research Partners (trusted startups, academic institutions, municipalities) solely for research/welfare purposes (e.g., population studies, vaccination/feeding planning, shelter capacity planning).

These sublicenses are covered by written agreements that:
(i) restrict use to the stated research purpose and prohibit unrelated commercial exploitation;
(ii) prohibit re-identification and precise location disclosure and require measures preventing harm;
(iii) mandate appropriate privacy and security safeguards;
(iv) require deletion/return of data at the project’s end.

Where Personal Data is involved (rare and minimized), we rely on an appropriate legal basis (e.g., legitimate interests balanced with safeguards, or consent where required) and apply transfer safeguards (e.g., EU SCCs) as applicable.

  • CatID & IP: CatID identifiers/schema/datasets are CatHunter IP. Use of CatID outside CatHunter requires our prior written authorization.
8. Sharing & Disclosures

We do not sell Personal Data. We may share information as follows:
  • Service providers (processors): hosting, storage, email delivery, crash/diagnostics, security.
  • Research Partners via de-identified/aggregated data under sublicenses (Section 7).
  • Legal & safety: to comply with law or protect users/animals (e.g., credible cruelty reports).
  • Corporate events: as part of a merger, acquisition, or asset transfer with continued protection commitments.
Social networks: We do not publish to your external social networks without your explicit action/authorization through the relevant platform’s flow.

9. International Transfers

Data may be processed outside your country (including outside the EEA/UK). We implement appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) and require processors/partners to provide adequate protection consistent with this Policy.

10. Retention

We retain Personal Data only as long as needed for the purposes above, then delete or anonymize it. Typical examples:
  • Account & core logs: for the life of the Account + limited period for security/compliance.
  • Support records: for the time needed to resolve the case + a reasonable period.
  • User Content: retained until you delete it or your Account (subject to safety/legal needs).
  • Cat records & research derivatives may be retained in de-identified/aggregated form to protect the ecosystem and support animal-welfare aims.
11. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, object, and data portability, and to withdraw consent (where processing is based on consent).
California residents may have additional rights under the CCPA/CPRA.

To exercise rights, email support@cathunter.app. We may need to verify your identity. Some requests may be limited by law or necessary for safety, fraud prevention, or legal obligations.

12. Deletion & Account Controls

You may delete certain information or your Account within the App or by contacting support@cathunter.app.
  • When an Account is deleted, related cat data may remain in de-identified/aggregated form to sustain the ecosystem and research/welfare goals.
  • If you are a pet owner and want a specific pet entry removed, contact us — we will review and act where appropriate.
13. Children

CatHunter is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child provided Personal Data, contact us to remove it.

14. Security

We use commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect data against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration. No system is 100% secure; use the Service responsibly.

15. Third-Party Services & Maps

We currently rely on essential providers for hosting, delivery, and diagnostics (minimal). In the future we may enable analytics (e.g., Firebase), push (e.g., OneSignal/Firebase), or ads (e.g., AdMob)—any such change will be reflected in this Policy before activation.

Maps: The map layer uses OpenStreetMap data. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Data is available under the Open Database License (ODbL); cartographic styling may be subject to additional terms. Where required, attribution is displayed in-app and on our site.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Updates are effective upon publication in the App or on our website. Your continued use after publication constitutes acknowledgment of the updated Policy.

Language priority: If translations differ, the English version prevails.

17. Contact

CatHunter Yazılım Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi (Data Controller)
Istanbul, Türkiye
support@cathunter.app
https://cathunter.app