Privacy Policy | GoExploring

This Privacy Policy covers personal data used by the GoExploring website, mobile app, and related services (together, GoExploring or the Service).

Javier Iglesias Garcia operates GoExploring personally in Spain and is the data controller. You can contact us at [email protected].

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to GoExploring users and website visitors worldwide. You must be at least 16 years old to use the Service. We do not knowingly provide the Service to anyone under 16 or collect their account data. If you believe a person under 16 has provided personal data, contact us so we can investigate and delete it where appropriate.

2. Data we handle

The data we process depends on the features you use.

Account and authentication data

When you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your provider account identifier, name, and email address. Google may also provide a profile image URL. Apple may provide a relay email address instead of your personal email. We also create internal user and session identifiers and store sign-in and account update times.

We use the authentication tokens supplied during sign-in to verify your identity. GoExploring stores hashed session refresh tokens. When needed to revoke Apple tokens on account deletion, we store an Apple refresh token in encrypted form. The app stores the active GoExploring session and basic profile details on your device.

Exploration and progress data

We store the expeditions you create, including titles, selected missions, optional planned dates, private mission notes, status, sharing-link identifiers, and related timestamps. We also store completed mission identifiers, completion times, and whether a completion was recorded automatically or manually.

Shared expeditions

If you create and share an expedition link, anyone with the link can view its title, selected missions, planned dates, and archive status without signing in. Shared views do not include your private mission notes, account identity, or completion history. Recipients can forward the link or keep copies of what they see. Archiving an expedition does not disable its shared link. Deleting the expedition or your account makes the link unavailable through GoExploring, but does not remove copies already held by others.

Connected apps and assistants

If you authorize an external app or assistant through our Model Context Protocol (MCP) connection, we store the client identifier, granted permissions, authorization times, and token records needed to provide that connection. Depending on the permissions you grant, the client may search missions, read expedition titles, missions, and planned dates, or create and change expeditions and their mission schedules. The current MCP tools do not expose private mission notes.

The connected service receives the information returned by the tools you authorize. Its own privacy policy governs how it handles that information. Disconnect through that service's connection settings to stop using the connection, or contact us to request removal of the GoExploring authorization. Disconnecting does not erase information the service has already received. Deleting your GoExploring account removes its connection authorizations.

Location data

If you grant location permission, the app uses precise device location to show your position, request the relevant map area, check proximity to missions, support optional background mission tracking, and record eligible completions. Your device checks proximity and monitors geofences. GoExploring does not send or store a history of your raw precise location coordinates on its server.

When you request a map area, the request includes the geographic bounds you are viewing. That area may be based on your current position. As with any internet request, the server and network providers also receive technical connection information such as your IP address.

The app stores your last selected map viewport, nearby mission data, revealed missions, and tracking preferences locally on your device so these features can work between sessions.

Calendar connection

If you connect an expedition to your iOS calendar, the app requests calendar permission and creates a dedicated calendar containing scheduled mission titles, dates, locations, and links. It stores the calendar identifier on your device and updates that expedition calendar as its schedule changes. Calendar access lets the app manage these expedition calendars. It does not upload your other calendar events to GoExploring.

Depending on the calendar account used, these events may sync through Apple or another calendar provider under that provider's policies. Withdrawing calendar permission stops the app from updating the calendar. Deleting your GoExploring account does not automatically remove events already written to your calendar; you can remove the expedition calendar in your calendar app.

Content reports and communications

If you report incorrect mission content, we store your account identifier, the mission, selected reasons, any optional details you write, the report status, and timestamps. If you contact us by email, we receive your email address and the content of your message.

Waitlist data

If you join the website waitlist, we store your email address and the time you joined.

Notifications and device settings

If you enable notifications, the app may schedule local mission-completion notifications on your device. We do not currently use a GoExploring server to send remote push notifications or store an Apple push-notification token.

The app also stores preferences such as selected language, map filters, and whether automatic tracking is enabled on your device.

Website cookies and browser storage

The website uses cookies and browser storage to maintain sign-in, secure authorization requests, and remember preferences such as language, temperature units, location-feature settings, and the last expedition you selected. The stored location setting contains no coordinates. Your browser still controls location permission.

You can clear cookies and site storage through your browser settings. Doing so may sign you out and reset preferences. Blocking storage needed for authentication or security may prevent those features from working. The website analytics described below are separate from these authentication and preference features.

Technical data

When you connect to the Service, our server, reverse proxy, and infrastructure providers may process standard request information such as IP address, request time, requested path, response status, and device or browser headers for delivery, reliability, and security.

On the public website, OneDollarStats processes page paths, referring URLs, UTM campaign parameters, visit times and durations, country, device type, operating system, and browser so we can understand aggregate website use. It derives a short-lived session identifier from the IP address, user-agent header, and the start of the current hour. We do not send your GoExploring account identity, email address, or precise location to OneDollarStats, and this integration does not use advertising cookies or track you across third-party websites.

3. Why we use your data

Where the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, our legal bases are as follows.

Performing our contract

We use your data to create and authenticate your account, provide maps and missions, synchronize expeditions and progress, provide private notes, shared links, optional calendar synchronization and destination weather, support connections you authorize, and handle account deletion.

We rely on your consent to process location for optional location features, including background mission tracking, and add your email to the waitlist. Device permissions control access to location, calendars, and local notifications. These prompts are separate from the information in this policy. You can withdraw device permissions in system or browser settings and withdraw waitlist consent by contacting us. Optional features requiring a withdrawn permission will stop working, while other features remain available.

Legitimate interests

We use your data to secure, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the Service; prevent misuse; respond to support requests; review content reports; and establish or defend legal claims where necessary. We balance these interests against your rights and expectations.

Legal obligations

We use your data to comply with applicable legal obligations and binding requests from competent authorities.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

4. Services that receive data

The following services and recipients receive data when you use the relevant feature:

Apple or Google processes authentication data when you choose its sign-in service. Its own privacy terms also apply.
Cloudflare proxies website and API traffic and processes technical connection and security data.
OneDollarStats provides aggregate analytics for the public website and processes the technical and usage data described above. Its service infrastructure is hosted in Finland.
Our server and PostgreSQL database infrastructure host the Service and its stored data.
Viator receives mission-related search terms when GoExploring requests relevant third-party activities. GoExploring does not include your account identity in that search request. If you open or book an offer, Viator and the relevant provider handle that interaction under their own policies.
Apple WeatherKit receives mission coordinates and language when our server requests destination forecasts. These requests do not include your account identity or live device location.
Calendar providers may receive expedition event details when your system calendar synchronizes them.
Apps and assistants you authorize receive the data available through the MCP permissions you grant, as described above.
People with your expedition link can access the shared expedition information described above.
Apple Maps processes map and place-search requests made through Apple's mapping services. If you choose an external Google Maps link, Google handles the request after you open it.

We may also disclose data if required by law, to protect legal rights or safety, or as part of a future business reorganization. We do not sell personal data. We do not share personal data for cross-context behavioural advertising.

5. International transfers

Some providers may process data outside Spain or the European Economic Area. Where GDPR requires it, transfers must use a valid legal mechanism, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual safeguards. You can contact us for information about the safeguards applicable to a transfer of your data and how to obtain a copy where available. Provider privacy notices also explain their locations and transfer arrangements.

6. Retention

We keep account, expedition (including notes and sharing identifiers), completion, and content-report data while your account remains active. Deleting your account through the app deletes your GoExploring account, identities, sessions, connected-app authorizations, expeditions and notes, completion records, and content reports from the active database. The app also clears its locally stored account data.

Connected-app authorizations are kept while needed for the authorized connection, subject to token expiry, removal, and account deletion. Expired or revoked session and authorization records may remain until routine database cleanup. Temporary sign-up details are removed when account creation completes or is cancelled, and may otherwise remain until operational cleanup. Waitlist email addresses remain until the waitlist purpose ends or you ask us to remove yours.

Support emails, limited security or server logs, and aggregate website analytics are retained only for as long as reasonably needed for the relevant communication, security, troubleshooting, service-improvement, or legal purpose. OneDollarStats derives website sessions within one-hour windows. It does not assign a persistent visitor identity. Copies may remain temporarily in backups until they rotate. We may retain limited information longer where required by law or reasonably needed to establish or defend legal claims.

7. Security

We protect personal data with measures that include encrypted network connections, restricted database access, hashed session refresh tokens, and encryption for stored provider refresh tokens where used. No system can guarantee absolute security.

8. Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to our handling of your personal data, receive a portable copy, and withdraw consent. Withdrawing consent does not make earlier processing unlawful.

You can:

delete your account and associated active GoExploring data from the app;
change location and notification permissions in device settings;
stop background mission tracking in the app;
manage calendar permissions and remove exported expedition calendars;
disconnect an external app or ask us to remove its authorization; and
ask to access, correct, export, or delete other data by emailing us.

We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Where GDPR applies, we normally respond within one month of receiving your request. If the complexity or number of requests requires more time, we will explain why within that month. The extension may be up to two additional months. If GDPR applies and you are dissatisfied with our response, you may complain to the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) or your local data-protection authority.

Last updated: 1 October 2026