Heritage ItinerariesPrivacy Policy
Last updated: October 15, 2026
This policy explains what data is collected when you use the heritage-itineraries.com website and the Heritage Itineraries iOS app, what it is used for, and how you control it.
1. Who we are
The website and app belong to the FEF-R project “Heritage Tourism Itineraries in the City of Hanoi”, led by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (USSH-VNU). It is a non-profit project for cultural research, education and heritage tourism. Privacy contact: heritagetouristitineraries@yahoo.com.
2. Using it without an account
You can browse the map, sites, journeys, photos and documents and listen to the audio guides without signing in. In that case we collect no personal information; site and journey views are counted anonymously.
3. Data when you have an account
- Account details: username, email, full name and gender (optional), profile picture (optional), password (stored as a one-way hash we cannot read).
- Sign in with Google or Apple: the account identifier, email and name provided by Google / Apple. With Apple you can choose to hide your email (Apple creates a relay address).
- Heritage passport: the stops you stamped, when, and the (rounded) distance to the stop. When you tap “Get stamp”, the app sends your current position so the server can check you are near the stop; your coordinates are not stored.
- Saved places and your festival-reminder preference.
- Memories and feedback you submit: photos, title, story, year, place, credit name; feedback text. Photos are converted and stripped of EXIF data (including GPS location) before being stored. Memories become public (with the credit name you chose) only after the editors approve them.
- Push notifications (iOS app): the device token issued by Apple (APNs), your language and the notification types you enabled.
- Technical data: a sign-in session cookie; IP addresses are used temporarily to prevent abuse (rate limiting) and appear in verification-code emails sent to administrator accounts.
4. Location
The app uses your location on your device to show where you are, give directions, guide you along a journey and offer a stamp when you are near a stop. When you tap “Start”, the app keeps using your location with the screen locked so it can tell you when you arrive (iOS shows the location indicator); this stops when you end the journey. Your location is not sent to our server except when stamping, as described above. On the website, location is used only if you allow it in your browser.
5. How we use data
- To provide the features: account, Heritage passport and certificates, saved places, memories, feedback.
- To send emails you ask for (password reset) and festival reminders for your saved places (you can turn them off at any time).
- To send the notifications you enabled in the app, moderate community content and protect the service from abuse.
We do not show ads, do not sell or rent data, do not use advertising or tracking tools, and do not track you across other apps or websites.
6. Third-party services
- Google: Sign in with Google; base map on the website.
- Apple: Sign in with Apple; Apple Maps for directions in the app; Apple Push Notification service. Widgets, Spotlight and Live Activities run on your device.
- An email provider to send password-reset and festival-reminder emails.
- YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook when you play an embedded video (under their own policies).
7. Storage and security
Data is stored on the project’s server until you delete your account. Connections are encrypted (HTTPS); passwords are hashed with bcrypt; administrator accounts use two-step verification.
8. Your rights and account deletion
- View and edit your details in your Profile; turn off festival emails and notifications; withdraw memories awaiting review.
- Delete your account directly in the app (Me → Delete account) or on the website (Profile → Delete account), or email us. Deletion is permanent: your account, stamps, saved places, memories (including approved photos), feedback and notification devices are deleted, and Sign in with Apple access is revoked.
9. Children
The service is not intended for children under 13 to create accounts. If you believe an account belongs to a child under 13, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes
If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.