Privacy Policy

If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use our services. "Personal information" means information about an identified person or someone reasonably identifiable (or similar definitions under applicable law). If local laws provide stronger protections, we apply those protections to the extent required.

1) What this Policy covers

This Policy applies to our website (unepal.com) and mobile application (collectively, the "App" or "Services"), including: Profiles, Posts, Circles, Pages, Business Directory, Marketplace, Rentals, Jobs, Services, Events, Blogs, Recipes, Hamro TV, Discussions, Rewards, notifications, contact forms and admin banners.

2) What we collect

A. You give us

• Account & profile: Name, email, phone, password, profile photo, suburb or postcode, bio and any additional information you add.
• Listings, posts & interactions: Details and media for Marketplace, Rentals, Jobs, Services, Events, Blogs, Recipes, community Circles, and Discussions, including your comments and upvotes/downvotes.
• Rewards & Gamification: Information related to your participation in the Rewards system, including point accumulation from your actions within the App.
• Pages & directory: Page name, category, logos, contact details, service area and hours.
• Messages & reports: Content you send to other users or to us (support, safety reports).

B. Collected automatically

• Usage & device: App actions (screens, taps, video view durations on Hamro TV, session duration), crash logs, IP address, model, OS, app version and diagnostics.
• Approximate location: Based on the network or suburb you provide to power local discovery. We do not collect precise GPS unless you deliberately include an address in a listing.
• Website requests & cookies: When you visit our website (unepal.com), our hosting and delivery providers may process standard technical request data such as IP address, browser type, device information and requested pages to serve and secure the site. We do not use Google Analytics or other third-party website analytics tags on the website.

C. From service providers

• Firebase (Google): Authentication, messaging and storage for app features, including technical identifiers, tokens and service logs.
• Website hosting & delivery providers: Technical request processing needed to deliver, cache and secure the website.
• Payments (future): If added later, processors (e.g., Stripe/PayPal) will share billing status and transaction references.

D. Sensitive information

We do not seek sensitive information deliberately. If you include it in content, you consent to us handling it under this Policy.

3) Why we use it

• Run the App: Create and manage accounts, profiles, listings, Pages, posts, messages, notifications, Rewards tracking and saved alerts.
• Safety & moderation: Detect and prevent scams, fraud and abuse, review reports and enforce Policies.
• Personalisation: Recommend relevant Circles, Pages, listings, videos, and events based on your interactions.
• Service improvement: Fix crashes, improve performance and build features based on support, moderation, reliability and product feedback.
• Legal & compliance: Handle complaints and respond to lawful requests.
• Marketing (optional): Product updates or promotions with consent and easy opt-out (Spam Act compliant).

4) How we share information

A. With other users

Your name, photo and content are shown according to the audience you choose (public, followers, Circle members, etc.).

B. With service providers

We rely on trusted vendors to operate the App (e.g., Firebase). They process data under their terms.

C. Legal & safety

We may disclose information to comply with law, protect people from harm, investigate breaches, or answer regulator requests.

D. Business changes

If our company is sold or restructured, information may transfer as part of the process, subject to this Policy.

E. Aggregated insights

We may share de-identified or aggregated statistics (e.g., feature usage, video views, popular vote discussions) that do not identify any individual.

5) Cross-border disclosure

Our providers may process or store data internationally (e.g., Google’s global infrastructure). We take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients handle personal information in line with applicable privacy laws, and we remain accountable where those laws require.

6) Your choices & rights

• Access: Ask for a copy of your personal information.
• Correction: Ask us to fix inaccurate or outdated info.
• Privacy controls: Choose audiences for posts and listings; manage alerts and push notifications.
• Marketing opt-out: Unsubscribe from emails or SMS and turn off push notifications in device settings; we action opt-outs promptly.
• Delete account: Request deletion in-app (where available) or by email. We remove data from active systems and then from backups within reasonable timeframes, except where we must keep it (e.g., legal, security, dispute).
• Regional rights: Depending on where you live, you may also have rights to object to or restrict processing, withdraw consent, request data portability, or appeal decisions about your data.

To exercise any right, email hello@unepal.com with "Privacy Request" in the subject, or use our contact form.

7) Security

We use technical and organisational measures – encryption in transit (TLS), restricted access, Firebase Authentication and App Check, logging and monitoring. No system is 100% secure, so keep your device and credentials safe.

8) Children & young people

The App is for people aged 16 and over. If you are 16 or 17, you confirm a parent or guardian has consented. If we learn that someone under 16 has an account, we will close it and delete personal information from active systems where practical.

9) Payments & premium features (future)

The App is currently free. If we introduce payments, subscriptions or paid placements, we will:

• Use a PCI-compliant processor for billing data;
• Update this Policy and our Terms; and
• Ask for any extra consents that are needed.

10) Retention

We keep personal information while your account is active and as needed for safety, legal obligations and disputes. When you delete your account, we remove data from active systems and then from backups within reasonable periods, keeping only what we must.

11) Data breach notifications

If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, we will assess it promptly and notify affected individuals and regulators as required by law (including Australia’s NDB scheme where applicable).

12) Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy if our practices or the law change. For material changes, we will give reasonable notice in-app or by email. Using the App after the new effective date means you accept the updated Policy.

13) Complaints & contact

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact your local privacy regulator. In Australia, this is the OAIC (oaic.gov.au), and similar regulators exist in other countries and regions.