Privacy Policy

Effective date: November 9, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information the Sharky app and website ("Sharky", "we", "us") collect, how we use it, who can see it, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. Sharky is operated from Port Royal, South Carolina, through iswimsafe-sharky.com.

The short version: your sightings, photos, comments, profile and points are public to other Sharky users. Your email, saved location and private messages are not. We use your location to send you nearby shark alerts. You can delete your account at any time from inside the app. We never sell your personal information.

1. Information we collect

What	Examples	Why
Account details	Email address, password (stored scrambled; nobody can read it), sign-in method	To create and secure your account
Profile	Display name, profile photo, bio, beach status (e.g. Surfer), points, followers and following	Shown to other users
Location	Your device location (only while you use the app, with your permission), your saved location, the location of sightings you report	To show and alert you about sightings within your chosen radius, and to place your reports on the map
Content you post	Sightings, photos, descriptions, tags, comments, "Seen it too", Expert Notes	Shared with other users to keep beaches safe
Messages	Direct messages and Ask an Expert questions	Delivered to the people in the conversation (see section 4)
Safety actions	Reports you file, people you block	Moderation and safety
Device and sign-in information	Sign-in times, IP address, device/browser type	Security, preventing abuse, and investigating safety issues
Notifications (when enabled)	A push-notification token for your device	To send shark alerts

We do not collect your contacts, and we only access your camera or photo library when you choose to add a photo.

2. How we use your information

To run Sharky: show sightings near you, send alerts, display your profile and posts, and deliver messages.
To let verified Experts review sightings, and to award points.
To keep Sharky safe: moderate reports, prevent spam and abuse, and enforce our Terms of Use.
To comply with the law and respond to valid legal requests.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

3. What other users can see

Public to signed-in users: your display name, photo, bio, beach status, Expert/Admin badge, points, followers/following, sightings (including photo, description and the approximate place it was reported), comments, "Seen it too", and Expert Notes.
Private: your email address, password, saved location, alert radius, the people you've blocked, and your private messages (except as described in section 4).
The location of a sighting you report is shown on the map so others can stay safe. Your own live location is never shown to other users.

4. Who at Sharky can see your information

Experts are verified volunteers (such as marine biologists). They can see sightings, Ask an Expert questions, and conversations they take part in.

Admins moderate Sharky and must sign in with two-factor authentication. For safety and legal reasons, Admins can see account details (including email, sign-in times, IP addresses and saved location), all public content, reports, and the deletion record described in section 6.

Private messages are private. Admins cannot read your direct messages, except:

conversations with a verified Expert (including Ask an Expert), and
a conversation that someone in it reported to us from inside the chat.

The app tells you when a conversation may be reviewed.

5. Service providers

We use trusted providers to run Sharky. They process data only on our behalf:

Supabase: database, sign-in and photo storage.
Cloudflare: hosting for this website and our moderation dashboard.
Apple and Google: maps, place search, app delivery, and push notifications; and sign-in if you choose "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google".
Expo: app updates and delivery of push notifications.

We may also share information if required by law, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a business transfer (in which case this policy will continue to apply).

6. How long we keep information

We keep your information while your account is open.
When content or an account is deleted, it disappears from the app immediately. For safety and legal purposes, a private deletion record (the account details, deleted sightings with photos, comments and Expert Notes) is kept for 30 days, visible only to Admins, and is then permanently erased automatically.
We keep a history of changes Experts and Admins make to a sighting's status, so mistakes can be traced and corrected.
We may keep information longer if required by law or to resolve an active safety or legal issue.

7. Your choices and rights

Edit your profile, bio, photo and alert settings at any time in the app.
Location: you can turn location access off in your phone's Settings. Nearby alerts won't work without it.
Notifications: you can turn them off in your phone's Settings.
Block and report other users from their profile, a post, or a chat.
Delete your account in the app: Profile → Delete account. See how to delete your account.
Depending on where you live (for example California or the EU/UK), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or get a copy of your information. Contact us using the details below and we'll respond within the time the law requires.

8. Children

Sharky is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Security

We protect your information with encryption in transit, scrambled password storage, database rules that limit who can see what, and two-factor authentication for Admins. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password.

10. Safety disclaimer

Sightings are reported by the public and may be inaccurate. Sharky is not a substitute for lifeguard warnings or official beach closures. In an emergency, call 911.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. If we make significant changes, we'll let you know in the app before they take effect. The effective date at the top shows when it was last updated.

12. Contact us

Questions or requests: admin@iswimsafe-sharky.com
Sharky (iswimsafe-sharky.com), Port Royal, South Carolina, United States