Privacy policy

Last updated: 10 November 2026 · applies to the Crossing Paws app and this website. In case of doubt, the German version prevails.

1. Controller

Sebastian Hahn, Leipzig, Germany
Email: hallo@crossingpaws.app

2. Principle

Crossing Paws shows dog owners who is nearby – without anyone learning more about you than necessary. There are no ads, no tracking and no sharing with third parties for their own purposes.

3. Data the app processes

Account: your email address (for signing in with a code).
Dog profile: your dog’s name, breed, year of birth, sex and photo, optionally the “in heat” flag (ends automatically after 21 days) and, if you like, your first name.
Zones: the areas you define yourself.
Location: only while you use the app and only with your permission. It is only sent to and stored on the server while you are inside one of your zones. We store your current position and the positions of the last 120 seconds (to show the direction of movement). When you leave your zones or close the app, your location is deleted.
Contacts: who you are connected with, pending contact requests including the short introduction you write, and invitation codes (valid for 7 days).
Map alerts: places you mark for your contacts, with your short text, and the answers to “Still there?”. An alert is deleted after 7 days (each “yes” extends it by 7 days), as soon as two people report it as gone, or when you delete it.
Chat: messages between you and your contacts and whether they have been read.
On your device: your chosen language and your sign-in.

4. Who sees what

Only contacts you have accepted can see your location – and only while you are both in overlapping zones at the same time. Your dog profile (without location) can be found by searching for the dog’s or owner’s name so that others can send you a contact request. Chat messages are only visible to the two people involved. Dog photos are stored behind links that cannot be guessed.

5. Purposes and legal bases

Providing the app and its features: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract).
Location sharing: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR – your consent via the operating system’s location permission; you can withdraw it at any time in your phone’s settings. While the app is closed, no location is transmitted.
Secure operation (e.g. preventing abuse): Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

6. Service providers

Supabase (Supabase Inc., USA) – database, sign-in and file storage. Data is hosted in Frankfurt am Main (EU) under a data processing agreement with EU standard contractual clauses.
Resend (Resend Inc., USA) – sends the sign-in emails from its EU region (Ireland); your email address and the code are transmitted.
OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap Foundation, United Kingdom) – provides the map images; your IP address is sent to their servers, but not your location from the app. The UK is covered by an EU adequacy decision.
Codeberg e.V. (Berlin) – hosts this website; your IP address is processed when you visit it.
Apple / Google – distribute the test version (TestFlight / installation file) under their own privacy policies.

7. Retention

Location data: see section 3 (at most while you are in a zone; the trail at most 120 seconds). All other data is kept until you ask us to delete your account. Invitation codes expire after 7 days. If you remove a contact, you no longer see each other; the existing chat history remains readable for both.

8. Deleting your account

Email hallo@crossingpaws.app from the address you signed in with. We will delete your account including dog profile, photo, zones, contacts and messages.

9. Your rights

You have the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection, and to withdraw consent (Art. 15–21 and Art. 7(3) GDPR). Contact us at the address above. You may also lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

10. Test phase

Crossing Paws is currently being tested with a small number of invited people. This policy may change before release; we will inform you about material changes.