Privacy Policy

In short: we collect what's needed to run a lost & found board, which means your account details, what you post and the messages you send. Posts are public so the right person can find them. Your phone's location is only used when you ask it to drop a pin. We don't sell your data and we don't use tracking or analytics services.

Who we are

Lost Items Community runs this website (lostitemscommunity.com) and the app at app.lostitemscommunity.com, plus the iPhone and Android apps once they're released. This policy covers all of them. When we say "we" or "us", that's who we mean.

What we collect

Your account. Your email address, username, display name and password when you sign up. Passwords are stored by our sign-in provider in hashed form; we can't read them. We also record when you accepted the safe meetup rules.

Your posts. When you post something as lost or found, we store the title, category, description, the place and date you enter, the map pin you drop and any photo you add. Each post gets a reference number like LOST-1031.

Messages. The chats you have with other members about a post, so both of you can see the conversation.

Forum activity. Threads and replies you write, and which posts you mark as helpful.

Support conversations. What you ask the Community Assistant, and anything you send to our team through Help and support.

Notifications. A record of the alerts we send you, such as new messages, claims on your post and moderator decisions, and whether you've read them.

Moderation records. If you flag a post, or one of yours is flagged, we keep a record of the report, the reason and what the moderator decided. If an account is suspended, we record when and by whom.

Location

Every post needs a map pin so people nearby can find it. You can drop the pin by searching for a street or landmark, by tapping the map, or by tapping "Use my location". Only that last option asks your device for its location, and only at that moment. We store the pin you choose, not your ongoing location. We never track where you go.

Photos

Photos are only uploaded when you add one to a post. Before you post, check that the photo doesn't show anything you'd rather keep private, like an address, an ID number or a card number. If you found a wallet or a document, it's best to photograph the outside only and keep identifying details for the chat.

Who can see what

• Everyone: your posts (title, category, description, place, date, pin and photo), your forum threads and replies, and your username and display name next to them.
• The person you're chatting with: the messages in that conversation.
• Moderators: content that's been flagged, so they can decide whether to keep it or remove it, and support messages you send to the team.
• Nobody else: your email address and password are never shown to other members.

Flagged posts are hidden from the registry while a moderator reviews them.

How we use it

• To show your posts in the registry and in Nearby search.
• To let you message people about a post and to tell you when something happens on yours.
• To keep the community safe: reviewing flagged posts, removing ones that break the rules and suspending accounts.
• To answer your support questions.
• To stop spam and abuse, for example by limiting how many posts an account can make in a short time.

We don't sell your personal information, and we don't share it with advertisers. The app has room for clearly labelled sponsored placements; if we ever run them, advertisers won't get access to your account or your posts.

Services we use

We rely on a few outside services to run the app. Each one only gets what it needs to do its job.

• Supabase hosts our database, sign-in and photo storage. Your account, posts, messages and photos are stored there.
• OpenStreetMap (Nominatim) handles place search. When you search for a street or landmark, the text you type is sent to it.
• OpenFreeMap provides the map images. Your device loads them directly, so that service sees your IP address and which part of the map you're looking at.
• GitHub Pages hosts this website.

Cookies and browser storage

This website doesn't use cookies or tracking. The web app stores a sign-in token in your browser so you stay logged in, plus a few app settings. Signing out removes the sign-in token.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and posts while your account is open. You can delete your own posts at any time. If you want your whole account deleted, ask us through Help and support in the app and we'll remove your account and the content tied to it. We may keep moderation records about rule-breaking for longer, so a suspended person can't simply sign up again and carry on.

Your choices

You can ask us for a copy of your information, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Send the request through Help and support in the app and a person on our team will reply.

Children

Lost Items Community isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly let them sign up. If you think a child under 13 has an account, let us know and we'll remove it.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also tell you in the app.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Open Help and support in the app at app.lostitemscommunity.com. The Community Assistant will pass your message on to a person on our team.