Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how PathMates collects, uses, shares, and transfers information when you use the app, including optional AI trip-generation features.

1. Information we collect

Account information such as email, name, username, and profile picture URL (if provided).

Trip and collaboration content you create, store, or share in PathMates, including trips, stops, notes, comments, and invites.

If you use AI features, the prompts and trip context you submit for generation or regeneration, such as destination ideas, dates, budget, travel style, interests, and related generated output.

Technical, security, and limited usage information such as device type, app version, request metadata, error logs, and feature events needed to operate and protect the service.

2. How we use information

To provide the core service, including authentication, trip planning, collaboration, and support.

If you choose to use AI features, to generate or regenerate itineraries by sending the relevant prompt and trip context to third-party AI providers. These providers include Groq, OpenAI (via GPT-OSS), Google Gemini, Anthropic, and OpenRouter. We do not need or want special category data or other highly sensitive personal data for this feature.

To keep the service secure and reliable, prevent abuse, debug issues, comply with legal obligations, and communicate with you about service or support matters. Under applicable EU/UK data protection law, our legal bases generally are performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and compliance with legal obligations. AI outputs are assistive only and are not used to make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects about you.

3. How we share information

With other users when you choose to share a trip, invite collaborators, or publish content within the authenticated PathMates community.

With service providers that help us operate the app, such as hosting, analytics, email, and AI providers. Our primary AI providers include Groq and OpenAI (via GPT-OSS). When routing services such as OpenRouter are used, your request may also be routed to the underlying model provider selected for that request.

Data submitted to AI features or other service providers may be processed outside the EEA (including in the US) under Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or other lawful transfer mechanisms. Our primary providers are configured with zero-retention policies where possible and do not use your data for model training.

4. Data retention

We retain account and trip data while your account is active and for as long as needed to provide the service. We may keep limited records for up to 10 years where required for legal, tax, accounting, security, or dispute purposes. AI request logs and technical logs are minimized and retained only as long as reasonably necessary for security, debugging, abuse prevention, and audit needs. Third-party AI providers may apply their own short-term retention under their policies.

5. Your choices

Using AI features is optional. Do not include health information, government identifiers, payment card data, passwords, confidential business information, or other sensitive personal data in AI prompts or in trip content that you intend to submit to AI generation.

Subject to applicable law, you may ask to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or export certain personal data, and you may ask about AI generation logs. Shared trip content may remain visible to the users you invited until access is removed. For privacy requests, contact pathmates.travel@gmail.com.

6. Contact

If you have privacy questions or want to exercise data protection rights, contact: pathmates.travel@gmail.com