Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to the privacy policy for Meridian, also referred to as “Meridian Camping,” developed by Meridian Software Development. This policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our app. Your privacy is of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to protecting your personal data. By using the Meridian app, you explicitly consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. Please take a moment to read this policy to understand how your information will be handled in connection with your use of the Meridian app.

Information We Collect

When you create an account on Meridian, we collect certain personal information to enhance your user experience. This includes your email address, display name, username, and profile image.

In addition to account information, Meridian allows you to create and share user-generated content, specifically campsites. When you create a campsite, we collect various details, including the campsite name, its exact location (stored as longitude and latitude coordinates), and additional information such as a description, available facilities, access difficulty, and capacity. You can also upload images from your device’s photo gallery to be associated with the campsite.

Furthermore, metadata related to your campsites, such as the date of creation and the last updated date, is automatically collected and stored to help manage and organise your content effectively. This information is used to provide you with a seamless and personalised experience while using the Meridian app.

Information Generated From App Use

As you use the Meridian app, we automatically collect certain information to help us understand and improve your experience. This includes session data, such as analytics related to screen load times and the duration of time spent on each screen. These analytics help us optimise the app’s performance and usability.

In addition to session analytics, Meridian also utilises crash reporting services. If the app experiences a crash, the app will send reports that include device data, usage data, and activity data leading up to the crash. This information is vital for identifying and resolving issues to ensure a stable and reliable app experience for all users.

Security of Personal Data

We take the security of your Personal Data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

How We Use Your Data

The data we collect is essential for providing the core functionality of the Meridian app and enhancing your overall experience. Specifically, your data is used in the following ways:

App Functionality: Your account information and user-generated content, such as campsites, are stored and used to enable key features of the app. This includes allowing you to connect with other users, share and discover campsites, and personalise your interactions within the app.

Campsite Data: The information you provide when creating a campsite, including location, descriptions, and images, is stored to allow other users to view and explore these campsites. This helps build a community of users who can share their experiences and discover new places to visit.

Analytics and Usage Data: We use analytics and usage data to continually improve the app. This data helps us understand how users interact with different features, identify areas where performance can be optimised, and make informed decisions about future updates. Additionally, usage data and crash reports are crucial for diagnosing and resolving bugs, ensuring that Meridian remains stable and reliable.

By using your data in these ways, we aim to create a seamless and engaging experience that allows you to fully enjoy all the features that Meridian has to offer.

Tracking Technologies

While the Meridian app does not use cookies, we may use similar tracking technologies to collect and store information about your usage of the app. These technologies help us understand user behaviour, improve performance, and enhance your experience. For example, we may use unique device identifiers or analytics SDKs to gather data on how you interact with the app.

Sharing and Disclosure of Data

In certain situations, we may share your Personal Data with third parties without additional notification, unless required by law. Below are the circumstances under which your data may be shared:

Vendors and Service Providers: To support our business operations and provide essential services, we may share your Personal Data with trusted vendors and service providers. This includes providers of hosting and cloud services, such as Firebase, which is used for data storage and authentication, as well as Mapbox, which powers our mapping functionality. Other services include email communication platforms, analytics services, customer relationship management tools, and security services. These third parties process or store your Personal Data only as necessary to perform their functions according to our instructions.

Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your Personal Data may be disclosed to parties involved in the transaction and transferred to the new entity as part of the assets being transferred.

Legal Requirements: We may disclose your Personal Data if we believe such action is necessary to comply with legal obligations or requests from public authorities, including national security or law enforcement requirements. Additionally, this disclosure may occur to protect our rights or property, prevent fraud, ensure the safety of our users or the public, or protect against potential legal liabilities.

Other Users: Information you share through Meridian, including your profile and user-generated content, may be visible to other users of the service. This visibility extends to all users depending on your privacy settings. For example, if you make certain campsite data public, other users can view, collect, or use this information. Please be aware that this information may also be cached, copied, or stored by others, including search engines, and we are not responsible for how others use this data.

Data Retention

We retain your Personal Data for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, as described in this Privacy Policy. This includes maintaining your account, providing you with the services offered by Meridian, complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements.

Account Information: We retain your account information, such as your email, username, and profile data, for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services.

User-Generated Content: Content you create, such as campsites and related metadata, is retained until you delete it or your account is deleted. Even after deletion, residual copies of this content may remain in our systems for a limited period.

Analytics and Usage Data: We retain analytics and usage data to help us improve our services and for statistical purposes. This data is generally kept in aggregate form and is not linked to your personal identity after a reasonable period.

Legal Obligations: We may retain certain data for longer periods if required to do so by law, such as for tax, legal reporting, or auditing obligations.

Once the retention period expires or the data is no longer needed for its original purpose, we will securely delete or anonymise your Personal Data to prevent unauthorised access or use.

UK Users and EEA

If you are a user located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom (UK), the following additional provisions apply to you:

Legal Basis for Processing: We process your Personal Data based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Your consent, where required by law.
• The necessity to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
• Our legitimate interests, such as improving our services, ensuring the security of our app, or preventing fraud.
• Compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

User Rights: Under the GDPR and UK GDPR, you have certain rights regarding your Personal Data, including:

• Right to Access: You can request a copy of the Personal Data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your Personal Data under certain conditions.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can request that we restrict the processing of your data in specific circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to have it transferred to another data controller.
• Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your Personal Data in certain situations, including where it is processed for direct marketing purposes.

Data Transfers: We may transfer your Personal Data outside of the EEA or UK to provide our services. When we do so, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as entering into Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission or UK authorities.

Contact for Data Protection Queries: If you have any questions or concerns about how your Personal Data is handled, please contact us at support@meridiandevelopment.au

Complaints: If you believe that we have violated your privacy rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority or the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK.

Requesting to Update Information

You have the right to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate and up-to-date. If you believe that any of your Personal Data is incorrect or incomplete, you can request that we update or correct this information.

To request an update to your information, please contact us at support@meridiandevelopment.au. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before making any changes and promptly update our records to reflect the corrected information.

We are committed to maintaining the accuracy of your data and encourage you to regularly review and update your profile information to ensure it remains current.

Children

Meridian is not intended for use by minors, and we do not knowingly collect or store Personal Data from individuals under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected Personal Data from a minor, we will take steps to delete such information as soon as possible.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with Personal Data without your consent, please contact us at support@meridiandevelopment.au. We will promptly investigate and address the situation to ensure the privacy and protection of minors.

International Data Transfers

Meridian Software Development is based in Australia, but to provide our services effectively, your information may be processed by our partners, vendors, and service providers in other countries. These countries may have different data protection laws than those in your jurisdiction.

By using the Meridian app, you consent to the transfer of your Personal Data to countries outside your home country, including Australia. We take all necessary measures to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy, regardless of where it is processed. This includes implementing appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, to protect your Personal Data.

Third-Party Privacy Policies

Meridian uses third-party services to enhance the functionality and user experience of our app. Specifically, we use Firebase for data storage, authentication, and other backend services, and Mapbox for map display and location-based services. These third-party providers may collect, store, and process your Personal Data as part of their service offerings.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services to understand how they handle your Personal Data:

Firebase: Firebase is a service provided by Google LLC. You can view Firebase’s privacy policy at Firebase Privacy Policy.

Mapbox: Mapbox is a location data platform for mobile and web applications. You can view Mapbox’s privacy policy at Mapbox Privacy Policy.

By using the Meridian app, you acknowledge that your information may be processed by these third parties in accordance with their respective privacy policies.

Links to Other Websites

The Meridian app may contain links to other websites or services that are not operated or controlled by Meridian Software Development. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site.

Please note that we do not have control over these external websites and are not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or any data they may collect. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every website you visit to understand their data collection, use, and sharing practices.

Your use of these third-party sites is at your own risk, and Meridian Software Development is not liable for any issues that may arise from your interaction with these external sites.

Contact Details for Complaints

If you have any concerns or complaints about how we handle your Personal Data, we encourage you to contact us directly so that we can address your concerns promptly. You can reach our data protection team by emailing us at support@meridiandevelopment.au

We are committed to resolving any issues you may have and ensuring that your privacy rights are upheld.

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe that we are processing your Personal Data in violation of applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom (UK), this may be the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK or another relevant supervisory authority.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. When we make changes, we will revise the ‘Effective Date’ at the top of this policy and may provide additional notice, such as by sending you an email notification or through the app. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about our data protection practices.