Privacy

Who we are

Dobdob is run by Northcube Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales and registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). We decide how your data is used (we're the "controller"). Contact us at hello@dobdob.app.

The short version

• We use your data to run Dobdob, and nothing else. We don't sell it, and we don't use it for adverts.
• Your own promises are private. Only your snitch hears about them, and only if you flop (or, in the app, if you keep them).
• On a board, the other members see your name, the board's promise, how you did and your photo proofs (for 24 hours).
• Photos are deleted once they've been checked, unless you choose to share one with your mates (then it's kept for a week). We never keep where you were, only whether you were at the place.
• Close your account in Settings and everything is deleted 30 days later.

If someone made you their snitch

Someone you know uses Dobdob to keep a promise, like going to the gym. They either sent you a link or picked your @username, or (with Supergrass) typed in your name and mobile number and asked us to invite you to be their "snitch"; in that last case we send you one text inviting you. If you get the Dobdob app and say yes, you see their flops (and when they keep a promise) in the Mates tab; these messages are kept for 30 days. If they have Supergrass and you'd rather not use the app, you can say yes to texts instead: then we text you when they break a promise they picked you for, and once when they add a new promise for you to watch. Saying yes to one person never lets anyone else text you: each person has to ask, and nobody can ask you more than 3 times a month between them.

What we hold about you: the name and mobile number your friend typed in; whether you said yes or no, or stopped the texts, and when; a scrambled (hashed) form of your internet address and your browser type from when you answered, kept as proof you agreed (we can't turn it back into your address); and the texts we sent you and whether they were delivered.

Every text is one of our fixed messages. The only parts your friend chooses are their first name and the short title of their promise, and we filter both.

Our reasons: we only text you about your friend's promises if you agree. That's your consent, and you can take it back at any time. We send one invite before you agree, and nothing after that unless you say yes. We keep a record of your answer, and of any request to stop, because we have a legitimate interest in proving we asked and in making sure we never text you again after you say stop.

Stopping the texts: every text has a link with a stop option. One tap and your number goes on a permanent block list: nobody on Dobdob can text you through us again.

How long: while your friend has you as a snitch. If they remove you, or close their account, we delete your details within about 30 days. If you stop the texts, we keep only your number on the block list, so we never text you again.

If you use the app: what we collect

• Your account: your email address (the one you sign up with, or the one Apple or Google gives us, which may be Apple's private relay address), a password if you sign up with email (stored scrambled, so nobody can read it, us included), the first name and @username you choose, an optional profile photo, your date of birth, and your timezone. Your username is shown to people you use Dobdob with (mates, snitches, boards). Older accounts may also have a mobile number confirmed with a code. We never show your number, email or date of birth to other users.
• Your promises: what you promised, when, on which days, how you'll prove it, and every result (kept, flopped, appealed), with the times we received them.
• The people you pick: your snitches' names, and their usernames or (for Supergrass texts) numbers (see above), promises you send to or get from friends, your mates, and people you've blocked.
• The Mates feed and replies: posts about your streaks and level-ups, your results for promises you've chosen to show on the feed, proof photos you choose to share, and your flops on boards you're on; plus the likes and comments on them (comments are up to 300 characters, checked by Anthropic's AI before they're posted) and the replies you send and get.
• Photos, screenshots, location, contacts and Health: only if you use them; see below.
• Boards: the boards you make or join, your results on them, votes and challenges, and any photo reports.
• Supergrass: whether you have Supergrass and when it renews or ends. Apple or Google take the payment; we never see your card.
• Your phone: a push notification address, and on iPhone the addresses for the lock-screen countdown; the app version; and a check from Apple or Google that the app hasn't been tampered with (used to spot cheating).
• Things you send us: feedback and bug reports (with your app version and phone type), and reports you make about other people.
• Your set-up answers: your answers to Dobdob's set-up questions. Only you see them; Dobdob uses them for its jokes.
• Crash reports and how the app is used: if the app crashes, a report of what went wrong (with names, numbers and photos stripped out). We also keep a short, fixed list of things you do in the app (for example making a promise, starting a proof, opening a notification or the Supergrass page) and which days you used it, in our own database, so we can see which parts work. Never what you typed, names or numbers. We don't track you across other apps or websites.
• Sign in with Apple: if you use it, a token from Apple, kept only so we can tell Apple when you close your account.

If you use the app: who sees what

• Your snitch sees your first name and the promise you picked them for, and is told when you flop (and in the app, when you keep it). If Dobdob can't tell whether a photo proves your promise, a snitch who uses the app may see it and decide.
• Board members see your first name, the board's promise, your results on it this week, when you joined or left, and your photo and screenshot proofs for 24 hours so they can vote on or challenge them. Your flops on the board also show in their Mates feed.
• Your mates see your first name, your best current streak, which boards you share, and your posts on the Mates feed: streaks, level-ups, results only for promises you've switched on for the feed, and proof photos you choose to share (with that promise's name). They can like and comment on your posts. Not your other promises.
• Replies are private: a reply goes only to the person whose post or flop it's about. Nobody else sees it.
• Mates, board members and snitches can open your profile: your name, @username, profile photo, level, and totals (promises kept and flopped, streaks). Never what the promises are.
• If you report someone, they aren't told who reported them.
• Friends who know your username can ask to be mates; they only find you by your exact username. Only mates and people on a board with you can send you a promise. You choose who can send you requests in Settings ("Who can send me requests").
• People who have your number or email in their contacts can see that you're on Dobdob (your name, @username and photo) when they use Find mates. Turn off "Let people find me" in Settings to stop this. If you're 16 or 17 it starts switched off.
• Nobody else on Dobdob sees your promises or results.

If you use the app: photos

Profile photo: optional. You take it or pick it; Hive checks it for unsafe content before anyone sees it. It's shown to people you use Dobdob with, and deleted when you remove it or close your account.

Photo proof: only for promises you choose to prove with a photo. The app takes it with the camera (never from your gallery), except for "Forgot to tap" (below). Hive checks it for unsafe content, and Anthropic's AI checks whether it matches your promise (it gets the photo and the promise's title, never your name or number). If we can't tell, your snitch (if they use the app) or your board decides. Once a photo is decided we delete it. Board photos are shown to the members for 24 hours, then deleted. After a photo passes, the app asks whether to show it to your mates; nothing is shared unless you say yes. While you decide (an hour at most) we keep it; if you share it, your mates see it on their feed for a week and can like and comment on it, then it's deleted. You can take it down sooner, and anyone who sees it can report it, which hides it until we've looked. A photo members report is kept until we've looked at it. If a photo breaks the law or our rules, we keep it and may report it to the authorities, as the law requires.

If you use the app: location

Only for promises you choose to prove by being somewhere. You pick the place by searching (the search words go to Google) or by using where you are, and we keep that place with the promise. When you tap Prove it, the app reads your location once and sends it to us; we work out how far you are from the place and keep only the result (for example "within 100 m"). We never keep where you actually were, and we never read your location in the background.

If you use the app: Apple Health and Health Connect

Only for a promise you choose to have proved by Health (for example 8,000 steps, or a 30-minute workout), and only after you say yes on your phone. The app reads today's step count or today's workouts on your phone, nothing else, and never writes to Health. When your goal is met it sends us the number (for example "8,412 steps") to prove that promise; we keep that number with that day's result so you, and your snitch if they look at your history, can see how it was proved. We never use Health data for anything else, never use it for ads, and never share it with anyone else. You can turn it off for a promise, or take Dobdob's access away in your phone's Health settings, at any time.

If you use the app: contacts

Only if you give the app access. Two things use it:

• Finding mates: if you tap to find people you know, the app sends the phone numbers and email addresses in your contacts (no names) so we can tell you which belong to Dobdob users. We don't keep the numbers or emails you send, only a count of how many checks you've made that day, to stop misuse. People who turn off "Let people find me" are never matched.
• Picking a snitch (Supergrass, for texting a snitch who isn't on Dobdob): you pick one contact and we keep only the name and number you choose.

Nothing else from your contacts is read or sent to us. You can turn access off at any time in your phone's settings.

Screenshot proof: only for promises you choose to prove with a screenshot (a run, a form, anything on a screen). You pick one from your phone. The app reads when it was taken, on your phone only, to check it's from today, then saves a clean copy with everything else stripped out (including any location) before sending it. Hive checks it for unsafe content, and Anthropic's AI reads it and writes a line or two about whether it matches your promise and the day (it gets the screenshot, the promise's title and the date, never your name or number). Your snitch (if they use the app) sees the screenshot, that line and the time your phone gave, and decides; on a board, the members vote. Once it's decided we delete it, as with photos.

Forgot to tap: if you flop but did it, you can pick a photo or screenshot from your phone within 12 hours. Hive checks it for unsafe content and your snitch (if they use the app) decides whether it counts. It's deleted once they decide, or after 24 hours.

If you use the app: decisions made automatically

Dobdob decides some things without a person: whether you proved a promise before the deadline, and (for photos) whether a photo looks like it matches, using Anthropic's AI. When the AI isn't sure, a person decides (your snitch or your board). For screenshots, the AI only gives its opinion and a person decides, unless your snitch doesn't use the app. Replies you type are checked by Anthropic's AI before they're sent, to block slurs, threats, sexual content, links and phone numbers; a blocked reply isn't sent or kept. If you think a result is wrong, you can appeal from the app, and you can always email us to have a person look at it.

Promise titles are checked for slurs, links and phone numbers. If a promise looks like it's about something sensitive (for example staying sober), Dobdob switches it to a gentle tone automatically: no jokes, and your snitch gets a kind message instead.

Dobdob's jokey lines are also written by Anthropic's AI, and a person checks the ones used in notifications. It's given the situation only (for example "the user kept their promise"), never anything about you.

Our reasons (lawful basis)

• To run the app you signed up for (our contract with you): your account, promises, results, snitches, boards, mates, photos, location checks, Supergrass and notifications.
• Our legitimate interests: keeping Dobdob safe and fair (spotting cheating and misuse, rate limits, reviewing reported photos, blocking), fixing crashes, checking your age and protecting under-18s, understanding which parts of the app are used, and helping you find contacts who use Dobdob. We've checked these don't outweigh your rights; you can object (see Your rights).
• Consent: texts to snitches (above), the step and workout numbers from Health (your explicit consent, as they count as health data), and your phone's permissions for notifications, camera, location, contacts and Health, which you can turn off at any time.
• Legal obligations: dealing with illegal content, and keeping records the law requires.

Who handles it for us

These companies process data on our behalf, only on our instructions:

• Supabase stores our data and runs our servers (EU, Ireland).
• Twilio sends texts and confirms your mobile number (USA).
• Expo delivers push notifications and app updates (USA), with Apple and Google, who also handle sign-in, payments and the app checks.
• Hive checks photos for unsafe content (USA).
• Anthropic checks whether photos and screenshots match the promise, checks typed replies for abuse, and writes Dobdob's lines (USA).
• Google provides place search and map pictures for location promises.
• RevenueCat manages Supergrass subscriptions (USA; it gets an account number, never your name or number).
• Sentry collects crash reports (EU, Germany).
• Resend sends our emails: confirm-your-email, password reset, welcome and account-closed emails (USA).
• Cloudflare runs our website, delivers photos inside the app (and scans them for known child abuse images), and forwards feedback and reports to our inbox.

Where data goes outside the UK, we use the safeguards UK law requires, such as the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum or a UK adequacy decision. Email us for details.

How long we keep it

• Your account and history (including your date of birth): while you have an account. Close it in Settings and everything (including any photos) is deleted 30 days later; until then you can change your mind by signing back in.
• Photos and screenshots: deleted once decided (board ones after 24 hours), unless reported or unlawful.
• Mates feed posts and their replies: 90 days. Messages to snitches and their replies: 30 days.
• Snitches you remove: deleted about 30 days later.
• Feedback and reports: up to 2 years, or until the account involved is deleted.
• Crash reports: up to 90 days. Rate-limit counts: 3 days.
• App usage events: up to 400 days. Notification records: 90 days.
• Records of texts sent and security logs: 2 years. Payment records: 7 years, as tax law requires.
• Stopped numbers: kept on the block list for good, so they're never texted again.

Age

Dobdob is for people aged 16 and over (18 and over in the United States, for now, which we work out from your phone's region setting). We ask for your date of birth when you sign up, to check that, and to switch on extra protections if you're 16 or 17. It's never shown to other users and we don't use it for anything else. We keep it while you have an account and delete it with the account. If you're under 16 we close the account and delete it. If you think someone under 16 is using Dobdob, tell us and we'll close the account.

If you're 16 or 17: "Let people find me" starts switched off. Adults you aren't already connected to (on a board with you, already your mate, or invited by you) can't look you up by your @username or ask to be your mate or snitch. You can still add other under-18s by @username. More on our safety page.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of what we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, ask us to limit how we use it, take it elsewhere, or object to how we use it. You can take back any consent at any time. Email hello@dobdob.app; we'll reply within a month. If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk.

Changes

If we change this notice in a way that matters, we'll tell you in the app before it takes effect.