Privacy

Last updated 26 September 2026. This covers everyone: people who use the Dobdob app, and people who get texts from Dobdob because a friend picked them as their snitch.

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 privacy@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. 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 Dobdob Pro) 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 your Snitching inbox; these messages are kept for 30 days. If they have Dobdob Pro 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, 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 or email 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 Pro texts) numbers (see above), promises you send to or get from friends, your mates, and people you've blocked.
• Photos, location and contacts: 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.
• Pro: whether you have Pro 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.
• Crash reports and one usage count: if the app crashes, a report of what went wrong (with names, numbers and photos stripped out), and a count each time the app is opened. Nothing else about how you use the app is tracked, and we don't track you across other apps or websites.

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 proofs for 24 hours so they can vote on or challenge them.
• Your mates see your first name, your best current streak and which boards you share. Not your promises.
• 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 send you a promise or ask to be mates; they only find you by your exact username, never by searching.
• 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). 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. 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: contacts

Only if you're on Pro and choose to text a snitch who isn't on Dobdob: the app lets you pick their number from your contacts. Nothing else from your contacts is read or sent to us. You can turn this off at any time in your phone's settings.

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). 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.

Dobdob's jokey lines are also written by Anthropic's AI. 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, Pro and notifications.
• Our legitimate interests: keeping Dobdob safe and fair (spotting cheating and misuse, rate limits, reviewing reported photos, blocking), fixing crashes, counting app opens, 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), and your phone's permissions for notifications, camera, location and contacts, 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 match the promise, and writes Dobdob's lines (USA).
• Google provides place search and map pictures for location promises.
• RevenueCat manages Pro subscriptions (USA; it gets an account number, never your name or number).
• Sentry collects crash reports (EU, Germany).
• PostHog counts app opens (EU).
• Resend sends our emails: confirm-your-email, password reset, welcome and account-closed emails (USA).
• Cloudflare runs our website 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: 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: deleted once decided (board photos after 24 hours), unless reported or unlawful.
• 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.
• Stopped numbers: kept on the block list for good, so they're never texted again.

Age

Dobdob is for people aged 16 and over. If you think someone younger is using it, tell us and we'll close the account.

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 privacy@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.