Overview
IsleHop ("we", "our", "us") is a mobile application for discovering and planning travel across the Greek islands. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you use the IsleHop app on iOS or Android.
By creating an account or using the app, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.
We are committed to compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Greek data protection law.
Data We Collect
Account Information
When you create an account you provide:
- Email address and password (or sign in via Google / Apple)
- Display name (optional)
- Profile photo (optional)
Content You Create
- Trip itineraries and saved places
- Island ratings and reviews
- Community-submitted spots and comments
- Favourite islands and preferences
- AI-generated trip plans you save (see §5)
Usage & Technical Data
| Type | What we collect | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| App events | Screens visited, features used, search terms | Improve the app experience (opt-in, see §7) |
| Device info | OS version, device model, app version | Debug and compatibility |
| Crash reports | Stack traces, device state at crash time | Fix bugs (Crashlytics, opt-in, see §7) |
| Push tokens | Anonymous FCM token | Send notifications (if enabled) |
| Location | Approximate or precise (see §4) | Nearest island, map features |
How We Use Your Data
We use personal data for the following purposes, each grounded in a legal basis under GDPR:
- Providing the service — account management, saving trips, syncing content across devices (Contract)
- Personalisation — showing island recommendations based on your preferences and saved places (Legitimate Interest)
- App improvement — analysing usage patterns to prioritise new features, only if you have consented to analytics (Consent)
- AI trip planning — forwarding your prompts to Anthropic to generate itineraries (Contract / Consent)
- Payment processing — passing booking details to Stripe to complete transactions (Contract)
- Safety & integrity — detecting abuse, enforcing our community rules (Legitimate Interest)
- Notifications — sending travel tips or alerts you explicitly enable (Consent)
- Legal obligations — complying with applicable law (Legal Obligation)
Location Data
Location access is entirely optional. The app requests location permission only for features that clearly benefit from it:
- Finding which Greek island you are closest to
- Displaying your position on the interactive island map
- Sorting nearby businesses or points of interest
You can deny or revoke location permission at any time in your device settings. The app continues to work without location access, though map centering and proximity features will be unavailable.
AI Trip Planner
The AI Trip Planner feature generates personalised Greek island itineraries using large language model technology. When you use this feature, your prompt text is sent to Anthropic, PBC (the developer of the Claude AI model) for processing.
- The text prompt you type (e.g. "plan 5 days in Santorini for a family")
- Any travel preferences you have saved and chosen to include
- A system instruction from IsleHop describing the task (no personal identifiers)
What is NOT sent to Anthropic
- Your name, email address, or account identifier
- Your location (unless you include it in your own prompt text)
- Payment information
Anthropic's data handling
Anthropic processes your prompt under the terms of the IsleHop API agreement. Anthropic may use API inputs and outputs to improve model safety (not model training for commercial use by third parties). You can review Anthropic's privacy practices at anthropic.com/privacy.
Saved AI itineraries
If you save an AI-generated plan, the resulting itinerary text is stored in your IsleHop account on Firebase Firestore, subject to the same retention and deletion rules as all other user-created content.
Legal basis
The legal basis for forwarding your prompt to Anthropic is performance of the contract (providing the AI Planner feature you requested) and, where applicable, your consent. You can stop using this feature at any time without affecting the rest of the app.
Payments (Stripe)
When you make a booking or purchase within IsleHop, payments are processed by Stripe, Inc., a PCI DSS-certified payment processor. IsleHop does not handle or store your payment card details.
- Card number, expiry date, and CVV (entered directly in Stripe's secure element — never seen by IsleHop)
- Billing name and email address
- Transaction amount and currency
- Device fingerprint (for fraud prevention)
What IsleHop receives from Stripe
- A payment confirmation or failure status
- A Stripe customer ID (anonymous reference)
- Last 4 digits of the card and card brand (for display purposes only)
Data retention by Stripe
Stripe retains transaction records for as long as required by financial regulations (typically 7 years). You can request deletion of your Stripe data by contacting IsleHop; we will forward the request to Stripe subject to their legal retention obligations.
Stripe's privacy policy: stripe.com/privacy
Legal basis
Payment data is processed on the basis of performance of contract (completing your booking) and legal obligation (financial record-keeping requirements).
Analytics & Crash Reporting
Firebase Analytics (opt-in)
IsleHop uses Firebase Analytics (Google) to understand how the app is used in aggregate — which features are popular, typical navigation patterns, and session lengths. This data is pseudonymous and never linked to your name or email.
Analytics is disabled by default. On first launch, the app asks for your consent. You can change your choice at any time via Settings → Privacy → Anonymous usage analytics.
If you decline, no analytics events are sent and Firebase Analytics collection is disabled on your device. The app works fully without analytics.
Firebase Crashlytics (opt-in)
Firebase Crashlytics collects crash reports when the app unexpectedly closes — stack traces, device model, OS version, and the app state at the time of the crash. These reports help us fix bugs quickly. No personal data or content you created is included in crash reports.
Crashlytics is enabled when you consent to analytics. Declining analytics disables Crashlytics as well.
Other Third-Party Services
The following services are used by IsleHop and process data on our behalf:
| Service | Provider | Purpose | Data processed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firebase Authentication | Google LLC | Account sign-in & management | Email, UID, provider token |
| Cloud Firestore | Google LLC | Database: trips, ratings, businesses | All user-created content |
| Firebase Storage | Google LLC | Profile photos, uploaded images | Image files |
| Firebase Analytics | Google LLC | App usage analytics | Pseudonymous events (opt-in) |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Google LLC | Crash reporting | Stack traces, device info (opt-in) |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Google LLC | Push notifications | FCM device token |
| Claude AI API | Anthropic, PBC | AI Trip Planner (see §5) | Prompt text only, no personal identifiers |
| Stripe | Stripe, Inc. | Payment processing (see §6) | Card & billing info via Stripe's SDK |
| Google Sign-In | Google LLC | OAuth login (optional) | Email, Google UID |
| Sign in with Apple | Apple Inc. | OAuth login (optional) | Email or relay address, Apple UID |
| OpenStreetMap Overpass API | OpenStreetMap Foundation | Map POI data (places, hours) | No personal data — anonymous tile/query requests |
All Firebase services are governed by Google's privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy
Data Retention
We keep your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service:
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Account data (email, profile) | Until you delete your account |
| Trips, favourites, ratings | Until you delete them or your account |
| AI-generated itineraries (saved) | Until you delete them or your account |
| AI prompt history (unsaved) | Not stored by IsleHop; Anthropic's retention: see anthropic.com/privacy |
| Analytics events | Aggregated, up to 14 months (Firebase Analytics default) — only if you consented |
| Crash reports | 90 days (Crashlytics default) — only if you consented |
| Payment records | As required by financial regulations (Stripe retains up to 7 years) |
| Push notification tokens | Until you disable notifications or delete your account |
When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data stored in IsleHop within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain it longer (e.g. financial records via Stripe).
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data:
- All data in transit is encrypted via TLS/HTTPS
- Firestore data is encrypted at rest by Google
- Payment data is handled exclusively by Stripe's PCI DSS-certified infrastructure — IsleHop never touches raw card numbers
- AI prompts are transmitted to Anthropic over encrypted HTTPS using API key authentication
- Access to the Firebase project is restricted to authorised developers only
- Firestore Security Rules enforce that users can only access their own data
No system is perfectly secure. If you discover a security vulnerability, please contact us at the address below rather than disclosing it publicly.
Children's Privacy
IsleHop is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Your Rights (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
How to exercise your rights — directly in the app
- Delete your account & all data — Settings → scroll to bottom → "Delete my account & data"
- Export your data — Settings → Data → Export data (JSON file with your trips, favourites, and visited islands)
- Toggle analytics — Settings → Privacy → Anonymous usage analytics
- Disable notifications — Settings → Notifications (device level) or your phone's system settings
- Revoke location access — your device's Settings → Privacy → Location → IsleHop
For requests that cannot be completed in-app (access, rectification, restriction, portability, objection), contact us at the address in §15. We will respond within 30 days.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) at contact@dpa.gr.
Policy Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you via an in-app notification or email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the app after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
The date at the top of this page always reflects when the policy was last revised.
Contact Us
For privacy questions, data requests, or to exercise your rights, please reach out:
We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 5 business days, and in any case within the 30-day period required by GDPR.