Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 2026
HivePulse is an open-source beekeeping app. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have — including how you control whether your apiary appears on the public map.
1. Data we collect
When you register: your email address, chosen display name, and preferred language. When you use the app: apiary names and GPS coordinates (if you enter them), hive details, and inspection records you log. We do not collect device identifiers, advertising IDs, or precise location data without you explicitly entering coordinates in the app. If you set a region for the beekeeping year: the country and postal code you enter. The postal code is looked up once and only the resulting position is kept, never an address.
2. Public map — opt-in
The public map shows anonymised apiary pins to help visualise global beekeeping activity. Participation is strictly opt-in. By default every apiary you create is private — it never appears on the map and is never exposed via the public API. You can enable 'Show on public map' per apiary in the app settings at any time and disable it again just as easily. When enabled, the pin shows your apiary name, GPS coordinates, and hive count. No user identity or inspection detail is ever shared publicly.
3. How we use your data
Your data is used solely to run the app (authentication, storing and displaying your records) and, only if you opt in, to show your apiary pin on the public map and contribute aggregate counts to the global statistics (total apiaries, hives, inspections). We do not sell, trade, or rent personal data. We do not use it for advertising.
4. Service providers
Running HivePulse involves a few companies that process data on our behalf, under a data processing agreement in each case. Hosting and the website: Vercel. Database: Neon (servers in the EU). Password reset emails: Resend. Crash reports: Sentry (servers in the EU, see the next section). Push notifications, only if you switch reminders on: Google Firebase for Android devices and Apple for iPhones, which receive a device token and the text of the notification. Map tiles come from the OpenStreetMap Foundation, so your IP address reaches them when you open a map. Fonts are served from our own servers, so no third party learns anything from them. The icon set Font Awesome is still loaded from Cloudflare's cdnjs, whose servers therefore see your IP address; we intend to serve it ourselves too. Visitor statistics: Umami Cloud, which according to its operator uses no cookies, no advertising identifiers and does not store full IP addresses; it records page views, the referring site, the country and the type of device. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in knowing whether the site is used at all (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Looking up a postal code (and an address you enter for an apiary): the OpenStreetMap Foundation’s search service Nominatim, which receives only that postal code and country or that address and none of your account data.
5. Crash reports
When the app or the server hits an unexpected error, a report goes to Sentry so it can be fixed. It contains the place in the code, the version, and the kind of device. It deliberately contains none of your content: no inspection notes, no passwords, no email address, no IP address, no screenshots and no record of what you typed. A report identifies your account by its internal number only. Reports are stored in the EU and kept for 30 days. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in a working, secure application (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
6. Legal basis (GDPR and Swiss FADP)
For EU/EEA users, we process your data on the basis of contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) for the core app features, and on the basis of your explicit consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) for public map participation. You can withdraw consent at any time by toggling the 'Show on public map' switch off. We operate from Switzerland, so the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) applies to this processing as well; where the two differ, we follow whichever gives you the stronger right.
7. Data retention
Your account data is kept for as long as your account is active. You can request full deletion by contacting us at the address below — we will delete your account and all associated records within 30 days. Anonymised aggregate statistics (total counts) that have already been served publicly cannot be retracted.
8. Your rights
Under GDPR you have the right to access, rectify, erase, and port your personal data, and to object to processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at hivepulse@multihead.de. If you believe your rights have not been respected, you may lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority.
9. Security
Passwords are hashed with bcrypt and never stored in plain text. API access requires a signed JWT token. Data in transit is encrypted via TLS. We review security practices regularly.
10. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data? Write to hivepulse@multihead.de. The controller is Benjamin Müller, Sonnhaldenweg 5D, 4450 Sissach, Switzerland.