Privacy Policy

App: To Be Free
Effective date: 2026-07-19
Contact: tigerjkms@gmail.com

This Privacy Policy explains what information the To Be Free mobile application ("the App", "we", "our") collects, how we use it, and what choices you have. By using the App, you agree to the practices described below.

1. Information we collect

1.1 Precise location (GPS)

• What: Your device's latitude and longitude while you use the App.
• Why: The core gameplay is revealing a fog-of-war map at your current physical location.
• When: Only while you have granted location permission and the App is in use. If you enable background tracking (off by default), the App can also receive your location while it's not on screen.
• Where it goes: Stored locally on your device. If you sign in with Apple, anonymized progress (the "revealed area" bitmap) can be backed up to Firebase Cloud Storage if you tap "Sync to Cloud" in Settings. We do not transmit raw coordinates to our servers.

1.2 Nickname

• What: A nickname you choose during sign-up (2–16 characters, your choice).
• Why: Displayed on the global leaderboard so other players can see who's exploring.
• Where it goes: Firebase Realtime Database (Google).

1.3 Apple Sign In data

• What: A stable identifier ("Firebase User ID") tied to your Apple ID, generated when you tap "Sign in with Apple". Apple can optionally share your name; if you choose to share it, we don't store it.
• Why: Required to associate your nickname, leaderboard score, and cloud backup with you across devices.
• Where it goes: Firebase Authentication (Google).

1.4 Exploration progress (fog-of-war data)

• What: A set of small PNG images that represent which parts of the map you've revealed.
• Why: So your progress persists across sessions and (if you sign in) across devices.
• Where it goes: Stored locally. If you opt in via "Sync to Cloud", uploaded to Firebase Cloud Storage (private to your account).

1.5 Advertising identifiers (AdMob)

• What: A device identifier used for ad delivery and frequency capping, plus basic ad interaction data (impressions, clicks).
• Why: Google AdMob shows banner and rewarded ads inside the App to support the free version.
• Tracking: The App does not request App Tracking Transparency permission and does not access Apple's Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). Ads are therefore non-personalized — they are not targeted using your activity in other companies' apps or websites.
• Where it goes: Google AdMob.

2. Third-party services

The App uses the following Google services. Their own privacy practices apply:

• Firebase Authentication — sign-in.
• Firebase Realtime Database — nicknames and leaderboard scores.
• Firebase Cloud Storage — optional fog progress backup.
• Firebase Analytics — aggregated, non-personalized usage statistics (e.g. how many users open the App, which difficulty is chosen) used to improve the App.
• Google AdMob — advertising. See Google's Privacy Policy.

3. How we use the information

• Provide the core gameplay (revealing the map at your location).
• Sync your progress across devices when you sign in.
• Display the global leaderboard.
• Show ads that support the free version of the App.
• Improve app stability via Apple's standard crash diagnostics.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Your choices

• Location permission — you can grant, restrict, or revoke at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
• Background tracking — toggle in the App's Settings screen (off by default).
• Ad personalization — no action needed. The App never asks to track you and never reads your IDFA, so the ads you see are already non-personalized.
• Account and cloud data — sign out in Settings to stop syncing. To delete your account and all associated data (nickname, leaderboard score, cloud-synced fog), email us at tigerjkms@gmail.com with your nickname and we'll remove it within 14 days.
• Local data — uninstalling the App removes all on-device data.

5. Data retention

• Local data: kept until you uninstall the App.
• Cloud data (when signed in): kept while your account exists. Removed within 14 days of an account-deletion request.
• AdMob data: governed by Google's retention policies.

6. Children's privacy

The App is rated 4+ but is not specifically directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please email us.

7. International data transfers

Firebase and AdMob are operated by Google and may process data on servers located in the United States and other countries. By using the App you consent to this transfer.

8. Security

We use Firebase's built-in security rules to ensure that only you can write to your own user record, leaderboard entry, and cloud fog backup. All data is transmitted over HTTPS.

9. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy we will update the "Effective date" above and, where appropriate, notify users in the App.

10. Contact

Questions or requests: tigerjkms@gmail.com