Privacy Policy — El Camino Meeting (mobile app)

Effective date: 15 September 2026

This Privacy Policy covers the El Camino Meeting mobile app only — not this website. It explains what personal data the app collects, why, and your rights under GDPR.

1. Who We Are

El Camino Meeting is a free mobile app that helps Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago find each other and exchange contact details. Contact: camino.meeting@gmail.com

2. No Identity Documents Required

El Camino Meeting does not collect, store, or process government-issued identity documents. Account registration uses only your Google or Apple account. Only an approximate location is ever shown — never your exact position.

3. Registration Photos (Selfie & Pilgrim Credential)

During setup, every user takes a selfie and photographs their Credencial del Peregrino. Both photos are stored on your own device. When you send a connection request to another Pilgrim, your selfie and Credencial photo are temporarily transmitted to our servers so the recipient can verify your identity before accepting. As soon as the request is accepted, declined, cancelled, or ended, these server copies are permanently deleted. Neither photo is ever reviewed by us or any third party.

4. What Other Pilgrims Can See About You

While location sharing is on, Pilgrims within roughly 55 km of you can see your public name (or, until you set one, the first name of your sign-in account), initials, your Camino, and whether you walk or cycle — never your photo or exact position. Two separate, off-by-default options let you contribute to anonymous pilgrim-density counts (by area or by declared stage); these show numbers only, never names or positions, and only once at least 5 Pilgrims are counted. Your profile photo, age, and gender are shown only to Pilgrims you are connected with, and age/gender only if you've chosen to display them. The legal basis for all of this is your explicit consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a); you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Personal Data We Store on Our Servers

- Email address and the name from your sign-in provider

- Profile details you fill in: display name, nationality, age, gender, languages, bio, your Camino, travel mode, travel dates, display preferences

- Profile photo (shown only to your connections; deleted when you replace it or delete your account)

- WhatsApp number and/or Telegram username (kept while your account exists; shown only to a Pilgrim you've connected with)

- Your approximate location, rounded to a cell of roughly 55 km — never your exact coordinates

- Your declared stage for the current night (used only for the anonymous density count; replaced daily, removed when you clear it)

- Connection records (request sent/accepted/declined/cancelled — never message content)

- Pilgrims you've blocked or reported, and why

- Your diary entries and photos, and your Sello Album (visible only to you)

6. Data Stored Only on Your Device

- Your selfie and Credencial photos (see Section 3 for the temporary exception)

- Emergency contacts

- Downloaded Camino route packages (GPX data), sourced from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors — ODbL)

7. Data Export and Your GDPR Rights

You can export your data at any time with "Download my Camino" in your Profile. You have the right to access, rectify, erase, or port your data, and to object to its processing. To exercise any of these rights, contact camino.meeting@gmail.com. Requests are processed within 30 days.

8. Age Requirement

El Camino Meeting requires all users to be at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email to your sign-in account's address.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy: camino.meeting@gmail.com