--- title: "Privacy Policy" url: "https://vino.cy/privacy/" markdown_url: "https://vino.cy/privacy.md" type: "page" date_published: "2026-10-01T14:40:43+00:00" date_modified: "2026-10-01T14:40:43+00:00" language: "en-US" renderer_version: "3" --- # Privacy Policy ## Content [EN](/privacy.md?lang=en)[RU](/privacy.md?lang=ru) # Privacy Policy **Last updated:** October 1, 2026 ## 1. Who we are Vino.cy, Cyprus (“we”), operates vino.cy and the Vino.cy mobile app, including registration on the website and the Wine Club. Contact for privacy questions: [webmaster@vino.cy](mailto:webmaster@vino.cy). ## 2. What we collect and why DataWhyLegal basis (GDPR)Account data: username, e-mail, first and last name, password (stored as a hash)To create and run your accountContract**Check-in data**: when you tap “Check in” we receive your precise location, its accuracy, whether the phone reports a simulated (mock) location, your platform and app version, the time, and a salted hash of your IP addressTo confirm you are at the winery, award corks and keep the leaderboard and rewards fairContract; legitimate interest (fraud prevention)Activity: corks, achievements, Wine Passport entries (wine, rating, note), reviews, saved routes, leaderboard positionTo provide the game and the routes featuresContractReward requests: name, phone, delivery noteTo hand over the prize you requested; shared with the partner winery that delivers itContractDevice data: a random install ID, push token, platform, app version, languageTo send notifications you agreed to and to keep the app workingConsent (push); legitimate interest (service)**Recommendations and route planning**: a taste profile computed on our server from your own Wine Passport ratings (grapes and styles you rate high or low), and — only when you choose “near me” or “start from my location” — your current position, used for that one request and not storedTo suggest wines and wineries and to plan a day route (opening hours, driving time); no third party receives this data and there is no advertising profilingContract; consent (location)**Onboarding and reminders**: your answer to “white / red / not sure” and an on/off choice for reminders; reminders are sent by e-mail or push notification (at most 2 per week, 10:00–20:00 local time) and are based on your passport, saved routes and — for friends’ places — your friends who share their activityTo personalise first suggestions and to remind you about places and wines you may like; you can switch reminders off in My Cellar at any time; no third party receives this dataConsent; legitimate interest**Visit notes**: the short text you may write after a check-in (“what did you like?”), stored with the winery and the dateTo thank you with corks and to give the team feedback about wineries; visible only to the Vino.cy team, never published unless you post it yourself as a review; deleted when you delete your accountConsent**Friends and groups**: a personal invitation code, your friendships, membership in route groups, and your progress on a shared routeTo let you compare corks with friends, see a friends activity feed and walk a route together; friends see your public name, grade, corks, check-ins (winery name, not coordinates), finished routes, achievements and approved photos unless you switch “Show my activity to friends” offContract**Photos** you choose to upload (camera or gallery), with winery, optional caption and time. Photos are re-encoded on our server (size reduced, camera metadata incl. GPS removed)Wine Passport / check-in photos, reviewed by us before friends can see them; approved photos earn corksContract; consent (you choose to upload); legitimate interest (moderation)E-mail notifications about achievements and rankingTo keep you informed; you can switch them off in My Cellar or with the link in any e-mailConsent / legitimate interest ## 3. Location, in plain words - Your location is sent to us **only when you tap Check in**. - If you turn on **nearby-winery alerts**, your phone compares its position with a list of wineries **on the device** and shows a notification when you are close. This position **is not sent to us and is not stored**. You can turn this off at any time in your phone's settings. - We do not build movement profiles and do not sell or share location data with advertisers. ## 4. Who receives data - **Your friends and group members** (people who accepted your invitation): as described above. Group members see each other's first name, initial and progress on the shared route. - **Partner wineries**: only the details of a reward you request (name, phone, delivery note). - **Service providers**: hosting; e-mail delivery; Google Firebase Cloud Messaging and Apple Push Notification service to deliver push messages (they receive your push token and message content); translation service (DeepL) that receives the text of a public review to show it in another language; map/routing services used by the route builder receive stop coordinates of the route you build, not your live position. - **Authorities** if required by law. We do not sell personal data. The app contains no advertising or analytics SDKs. ## 5. International transfers Push delivery through Google/Apple can involve processing outside the EEA under the providers' standard contractual safeguards. ## 6. Retention We keep your data while your account exists. When you delete your account (My Cellar → Delete my account) we delete your profile, check-ins, corks, achievements, passport, photos (files and records), friendships, group memberships, saved routes and registered devices; reward records that we must keep for the winery are retained **without** your name, phone or address. Server logs are kept for a limited period needed for security and troubleshooting. ## 7. Your rights You can access, correct, export and delete your data, object to processing, withdraw consent, and complain to the Cyprus Commissioner for Personal Data Protection ([www.dataprotection.gov.cy](https://www.dataprotection.gov.cy)). Write to [webmaster@vino.cy](mailto:webmaster@vino.cy); in-app deletion is immediate. ## 8. Photos and community rules Upload only pictures you took yourself of wine, bottles, glasses, food or the view at a winery. Do not upload pictures of other people without their consent, minors, nudity, advertising or anything unlawful. Every photo is reviewed by us before friends see it; we may reject or remove photos and suspend accounts that break these rules. Friends can report a photo, you can block a person and you can delete your photos at any time. Report problems to [webmaster@vino.cy](mailto:webmaster@vino.cy). ## 9. Children and alcohol The service is for adults (18+) because it concerns alcohol. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. ## 10. Security HTTPS everywhere, hashed passwords, rate limits and fraud checks. No system is perfectly secure. ## 11. Changes We will post updates here and, for material changes, notify you in the app or by e-mail.