Privacy Policy
Birga works with location data — among the most personal information there is. This page sets out exactly what we collect, why, and how long we keep it.
Overview
Birga is a mobile app that lets family members and friends see each other's location on a map. This policy covers the Birga app and the birga-app.uz website.
Your data is processed by the team that builds Birga. Questions: support@birga-app.uz.
In short: only people whose friend request you have accepted can see your location. We do not sell your data, we do not share it with advertising networks, and there are no ads in the app.
What we collect
We collect only what the app needs in order to work.
| Category | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Name, Birga ID (username), email address, profile photo (optional) | To identify you and show you to your friends |
| Location | Latitude and longitude, accuracy, speed, heading, device battery level, timestamp | To show you on your friends' map |
| Location history | Previous location points (up to 60 days) | To suggest saved places and show recent movement |
| Saved places | Name, category and coordinates of places you save | So the map shows “Home” or “School” instead of raw coordinates |
| Connections | Friend list, sent and received requests | To determine who can see whom |
| Messages | The text of messages you send to friends | To deliver and display your conversations |
| Technical | Device push token, session records | To deliver notifications and keep your account secure |
We do not collect your phone number, contact list, calendar, SMS, or call history. Camera and photo library access is requested only when you choose a profile picture.
Background location
We have given this its own section because it is the most important thing to understand.
Birga collects and transmits your location even when the app is closed or running in the background. Without this, your family would see you at a stale position and the app would serve no purpose.
For this reason the app requests the “Always Allow” level of location permission. The app explains this clearly before the permission prompt is shown.
Battery notice. Continued use of location in the background will decrease battery life.
Background location is governed by exactly the same rules as the rest of this policy: only friends you have accepted can see it, and history is never retained beyond 60 days.
You can revoke the permission at any time in your device settings. The rest of the app keeps working, but you will no longer appear on your friends' map.
How we use your data
- Showing you and your friends on the map
- Sending and accepting friend requests
- Delivering messages
- Suggesting and naming saved places
- Sending notifications
- Protecting your account and preventing abuse and spam
- Fixing bugs and improving reliability
We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.
Who can see your location
Only users whose friend request you have accepted. The relationship is mutual: if you can see someone's location, they can see yours. Birga has no one-way or hidden tracking mode.
- Creating an account does not expose your location to anyone.
- Removing a friend stops them seeing you immediately.
- If you revoke location permission, friends see your last known position marked as stale.
We may disclose data where required by law — for example, in response to a validly issued request from a court or law enforcement authority under the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
How long we keep data
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Current (latest) location | Until replaced by a newer fix |
| Location history | 60 days, then deleted automatically |
| Messages | Until you or the recipient deletes them |
| Saved places | Until you delete them |
| Account data | For as long as your account exists |
| Session records | Up to 14 days |
| Deleted account | Personal data is closed off immediately; full erasure after 30 days |
Third-party services
We rely on the services below to operate the app. Each receives only the data it needs to perform its function.
| Service | Purpose | What is shared |
|---|---|---|
| Yandex MapKit | Maps and address search | Coordinates needed to render the map (sent from your device) |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) | Push notifications | Device token and notification content |
| Amazon Web Services (S3) | Profile photo storage | The profile picture you upload |
| Google / Apple / Telegram | Sign-in, if you choose that method | Sign-in identifier and email address |
Our servers and database run on rented infrastructure that we administer.
We use no advertising networks and no analytics services. The birga-app.uz website sets no cookies and runs no tracking scripts.
Children's data
Birga is built for families, and we expect children to use it.
- Creating an account and sharing location for anyone under 18 requires the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
- A parent or guardian may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child's data.
- A child sees exactly who can view them, just as an adult does. There is no hidden monitoring mode.
- Children's data is never used for advertising or profiling.
If you believe a child's data was collected without your consent, write to support@birga-app.uz and we will investigate and delete it.
Your rights
- Access — ask what data we hold about you
- Correction — change your name, Birga ID and photo in the app
- Deletion — delete your account and all associated data
- Restriction — revoke location permission or remove friends
- Portability — request a copy of your data
To delete your account, open the app and go to Profile → Delete account. Details: deleting your account.
For anything else, write to support@birga-app.uz. We normally respond within 30 days.
Security
Data is transmitted between your device and our servers over an encrypted connection (HTTPS/TLS). Access tokens are stored on your device in the operating system's protected storage (iOS Keychain / Android Keystore).
No system is perfectly secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact support@birga-app.uz immediately and we will revoke all sessions.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the new version number and date will appear at the top of this page. We will notify you in the app about material changes.
The current version is shown at the top of this page.