Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SpokeWatch is a research and prevention prototype that maps reported bicycle thefts, sightings and related incidents in and around Adelaide, South Australia. The project is run by an independent researcher and community contributor, not by South Australia Police or any government agency. References to legislation in this policy are provided as a transparency standard, not as legal advice.

2. What we collect

Incident reports. When you submit a stolen or spotted bike, we collect the details you provide: bike make, model, colour, frame number (optional), approximate location, date and time, a short description, and any photos you choose to attach.

Account information. If you create an account to manage your reports, we collect the email address you sign up with and a securely hashed password (or, where you use a third-party provider, an account identifier from that provider). We do not see your password.

Technical data. Standard server logs (IP address, user-agent, request path, timestamp) are retained briefly for security, abuse prevention and debugging. We do not use third-party advertising or behavioural-tracking cookies.

What we deliberately don't ask for. Please do not submit your home address, full legal name, phone number, registration plate, driver licence details or other sensitive personal information in report descriptions. If you do, we may redact it before publication.

3. How we use information

• Display incidents publicly on the map and analytics dashboards so cyclists can make informed decisions.
• Allow you to manage, edit, claim and resolve reports you create.
• Detect spam, fraud, abuse and other policy violations.
• Produce aggregated, de-identified insights about theft patterns for community awareness and research.
• Communicate operational updates about your reports (e.g. when a bike you claimed is marked spotted).

4. Location data

Map coordinates attached to incident reports are intentionally fuzzed to a coarse neighbourhood-level point before being shown publicly. The exact pin you set is retained server-side only to support potential de-identified analysis and any future, consented authority-facing exports. We do not continuously track your device location.

5. Sharing

Public report content (bike description, fuzzed location, photos, status) is visible to anyone who visits the site — that is the point of the community map. Beyond that, we do not sell personal information. We share data with third parties only in these limited cases:

• Infrastructure providers (hosting, database, authentication, email delivery) acting as processors under contract.
• Law enforcement where we are legally compelled or where you have explicitly asked us to assist with a case relating to your own bike.
• Successors in the event the project is transferred to another operator, with notice posted on this page.

6. Retention

Public incident records are retained indefinitely so the historical map remains useful, unless you ask us to remove a specific report you submitted. Account records are retained for as long as your account is active, and removed within a reasonable period after deletion. Server logs are typically rotated within 30 days.

7. Security

Data is stored on managed cloud infrastructure with encryption in transit (HTTPS) and at rest. Access controls restrict the underlying database to authenticated, role-based queries. No online service can be guaranteed 100% secure; please use a unique, strong password and notify us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised.

8. Your rights

Consistent with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete your account and associated personal data. Contact us at the address below and we will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

9. Children

SpokeWatch is not directed at children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will remove it.

10. Changes

We may update this policy as the project evolves. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

11. Contact

Privacy questions, access requests or takedown requests can be sent via the contact details on the About page.