This privacy policy aims to give you information on how we, Darlington Borough Council, collect and process your data through your use of the Darlington Trails app (herein referred to as ‘app’). This free app is provided by us at no cost and is intended for use as is.

Collecting and using your information

By using this app you are consenting to us collecting/sharing information as described in this Privacy Policy.

What personal information does the app platform obtain and how is it used?

This app does not require you to provide any personal information and neither is any collected nor shared.

What anonymous information does the app platform obtain and how is it used?

For a better experience, while using our app, we may collect and share anonymous data related to crash logs and app usage e.g. interactions with app features. The app uses third-party services to collect this data anonymously.

The privacy policies of third-party service providers used by the app are:

• Our developer AT Creative [link to https://at-creative.co.uk/privacy-policy]
• Google Play Services [link to https://www.google.com/policies/privacy]
• Google Analytics for Firebase [link to https://www.google.com/policies/privacy]
• Firebase Crashlytics [link to https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy/]
• Flurry Analytics [link to https://privacy.oath.com] [Apps targeted at under 18s do not use Flurry]

Analytics are saved to AT Creative’s accounts and may be accessed by those working on any aspect of the app’s development. However, location is turned off, so whilst the IP address of the device can be used to assign a country to the anonymised data the users precise location is not sent.

What permissions does the Application ask to access?

The app asks your permission to use your device’s location to give location-based services, such as the ability to locate yourself on the map, identify how far the device is from points of interest listed within the app, and to trigger rich content pages when the device falls within the trigger zone (a pre-determined distance) of a point of interest. The app may also request to send notifications to alert you when you at a place of interest. This data is not stored or shared and permissions can be changed via your device’s Settings app at any time.

[The app may also ask your permission to access the camera if using one of the camera-based functions [i.e. souvenir photo, photo filter, SUPERimpose, Augmented Reality]. In this instance the app needs to access the camera in order to perform that function within the camera view. You may also be asked to allow access to media storage in order for any files you create to be saved them to your device. Photos generated by the app are not transmitted off the device except by the user explicitly sharing the generated image using the share sheet and other apps they have installed on their devices.]

[This app contains a survey that you may wish to complete. The questions are designed to provide anonymous answers however, the final question provides a free text field to populate. We recommend you do not provide personal information here unless you are happy to do so. If you provide personal information or are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, and would like this deleted please contact us so that we will be able to undertake the necessary actions.]

[Heat mapping uses the users precise location to create an anonymised heat map of app users within the app’s project area. The data is sent every 5 minutes along with a randomly generated ID that is not connected in anyway with the user’s device. The ID is regenerated at least every 12 hours.]

External links

The app contains links to external digital platforms e.g. a website. If you open a third-party link the content will display within the app. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of these sites. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Controlling your data

You can stop all collection of information by the app by simply uninstalling it from your device(s). You may use the standard uninstall processes available as part of your mobile device or via the mobile application marketplace or network.

Changes to this policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time for any reason. We will notify you of any changes to our Privacy Policy by posting the new Privacy Policy here. You are advised to consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any changes, as continued use is deemed approval of all changes.

This policy is effective as of 01/09/2023.

Sharing data

We will not sell, distribute or lease any data to third parties, outside of the reasons stated in this Privacy Policy, unless we are required by law to do so.

Contact us

If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us at towncentreteam@darlington.gov.uk.