Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 7, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Zaagster, a brand of Zaags, operated by RUDLU ULDA (NIF: 516730304), a company registered in Lisbon, Portugal ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our progressive web application (PWA) and website.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the application.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you:

  • Register for an account (email, username, display name)
  • Sign in with social providers (Google, Apple, Discord)
  • Add your phone number for friend discovery
  • Create or update your profile
  • Save places, create trips, or write reviews
  • Communicate with us or other users

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access our application, we may automatically collect:

  • Device information (browser type, operating system)
  • Usage data (features used, time spent, interactions)
  • Location data (only when you explicitly grant permission)
  • IP address and approximate location

2.3 Information from Third Parties

If you choose to link your account with third-party services (Google, Apple, Discord), we receive:

  • Your name and email address
  • Profile picture (if available)
  • Unique identifier from the service

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Provide and maintain our service
  • Create and manage your account
  • Enable social features (friend discovery, sharing places)
  • Send important notifications about your account
  • Respond to your inquiries and provide support
  • Improve and optimize our application
  • Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
  • Comply with legal obligations

4. Friend Discovery and Contact Storage

Zaagster offers a contact-based friend discovery feature:

  • When you import your contacts (via Google Contacts or manual entry), we store them to enable friend matching and invite features
  • What we store: First name, last name, email address, and phone number of your imported contacts
  • Encryption: Contact emails and phone numbers are encrypted at rest using AES-256-CBC encryption. We also store a one-way hash (SHA-256 with salt) for matching purposes
  • Purpose: Contacts are used solely to (a) match against registered Zaagster users so you can find friends, and (b) allow you to send invites to contacts not yet on Zaagster
  • No sharing: Your contacts are never shared with other users, sold, or used for advertising
  • Deletion: You may request deletion of your stored contacts at any time by contacting privacy@zaagster.com. Contacts are also deleted when you delete your account
  • Your phone number is only visible to users you have added as friends
  • There is no public user directory - you can only find friends through contact matching or username search

4b. Push Notifications

Zaagster can send push notifications to your device:

  • Opt-in only: Push notifications require your explicit permission via your browser
  • What we send: Notifications about new friend requests, messages, and activity on places you've saved
  • Subscription data: When you enable push notifications, we store your browser's push subscription endpoint (provided by your browser vendor, e.g. Google for Chrome) to deliver notifications
  • Opt-out: You can disable push notifications at any time in Settings or in your browser settings

5. Direct Messaging

Zaagster provides direct messaging between friends:

  • Friends Only: You can only send messages to users who are mutual friends (you follow each other)
  • Encryption: All message content is encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption. This means your messages are stored in an encrypted format on our servers
  • Message Storage: We store messages to enable delivery and conversation history. Messages are retained until you delete your account or request message deletion
  • Email Notifications: If you have unread messages, we may send you an email notification to friends@zaagster.com to inform you. These notifications do not contain the full message content
  • Message Content: While messages are encrypted at rest, authorized Zaagster administrators may access message content if required for legal compliance, to investigate abuse reports, or to enforce our Terms of Service

6. Sharing Your Information

We may share your information in the following situations:

  • With Friends: Places you save with "friends" visibility are shared with your connections
  • Service Providers: We may share data with third-party vendors who help us operate our service (hosting, analytics)
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights
  • Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
  • Encryption of direct messages at rest (AES-256)
  • Encryption of imported contact data at rest (AES-256-CBC) with salted hashing for lookups
  • Encryption of sensitive API keys and credentials
  • Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
  • Regular security assessments
  • Access controls and authentication (JWT tokens)

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. You may request deletion of your account at any time, and we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal purposes.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

  • Access: Request a copy of your personal data
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your data
  • Portability: Request transfer of your data
  • Objection: Object to certain processing of your data
  • Withdrawal: Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@zaagster.com

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for users under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this privacy policy.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please contact us at:

  • Email: legal@zaagster.com
  • Abuse reports: abuse@zaagster.com

Zaags - RUDLU ULDA
NIF: 516730304
Lisbon, Portugal