Privacy notice

1. Who we are

Sniffed Out is the controller responsible for personal information used through this service. For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, email pickle@sniffedout.co.uk.

2. Information we collect

• Account information, including your name, email address, authentication records and account preferences.
• Dog profiles, favourites and any optional profile details or photographs you choose to provide.
• Reviews, ratings, helpful votes, reports, venue suggestions, event submissions, photographs and associated moderation records.
• Business claim and venue-management information, including private verification details.
• Messages you send by email and information needed to respond.
• Technical and security information produced when the service is used, such as IP address, device/browser information and server logs.

Please do not submit special-category information, private information about another person, or material you do not have permission to share.

3. Why we use it and our lawful bases

• To provide your account and requested features: performance of our contract with you.
• To publish contributions you ask us to publish: performance of our contract and our legitimate interest in operating a useful community guide.
• To check submissions, prevent fraud and abuse, resolve disputes and keep audit records: our legitimate interests in safety, accuracy and protecting users and venues.
• To answer enquiries and handle rights requests: our legitimate interests and, where applicable, compliance with a legal obligation.
• To establish or defend legal claims and comply with law: legal obligation and legitimate interests.

Where we specifically ask for consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.

4. What becomes public

Approved reviews, public dog profiles, display names, ratings, uploaded public photographs, venue replies and approved event or venue submissions may be visible to anyone. Your login email, private identity, business verification, reports, evidence and internal moderation notes are not intended to be public.

5. Sharing and service providers

We use trusted providers to run the service, including Supabase for database, authentication and file storage, and Vercel for website hosting and delivery. Google Places may be used by administrators to enrich venue listings; Sniffed Out does not send user reviews or user-uploaded photographs to Google for this purpose.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to protect legal rights or safety, or in connection with a properly managed business transfer. We do not sell personal information.

6. International transfers

Some suppliers may process information outside the UK. Where UK adequacy regulations do not apply, we require an appropriate safeguard such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism. Contact us for further information about relevant safeguards.

7. How long we keep information

• Account information is normally retained while the account is open and then deleted or anonymised, subject to backups and any legal need to retain limited records.
• Published contributions are retained while useful to the service, until removed, anonymised or made outdated, or until a valid deletion request applies.
• Rejected or incomplete submissions are normally removed within 12 months.
• General correspondence is normally retained for up to 24 months after the matter closes.
• Moderation, dispute and security records may be retained for up to six years where reasonably needed to prevent abuse, resolve complaints or establish legal claims.

Shorter or longer retention may apply where law, safety, an active dispute or a rights request requires it.

8. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct or erase your information; restrict or object to its use; receive portable data; and withdraw consent. You also have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that has a legal or similarly significant effect. Sniffed Out does not currently make such decisions.

Email pickle@sniffedout.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity and will normally respond within one month.

9. Complaints

Please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113, or write to the ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

10. Cookies and changes

Sniffed Out uses essential technologies needed for sign-in, security and saved functionality. We will not use non-essential analytics or advertising cookies without providing appropriate information and consent controls. We may update this notice as the service changes; material changes will be highlighted and the date above will be revised.