Privacy Policy
Last updated: 3 October 2026
PurseMe ("PurseMe", "we", "us", "our") is a women-only community app for personal safety and sharing everyday essentials. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and the rights you have. It applies to the PurseMe mobile app and purseme.co.uk.
PurseMe is intended only for women aged 18 and over in the United Kingdom.
1. Information we collect
Information you provide
- Account details — name, email address, and (optionally) phone number and profile photo.
- Identity verification — a photo of your ID (UK passport, UK photocard driving licence, BRP, EU/EEA national ID card or PASS proof-of-age card), a selfie, and your date of birth and gender. We check these using AI and a manual review by our trained verifiers, to confirm you are a woman aged 18 or over. Your ID and selfie are stored securely and deleted automatically 30 days after review. We don't keep them permanently, and we never sell or share them.
- Content you create — item listings and photos, messages you send to other members, community posts, comments, and ratings.
- Emergency contacts — names and phone numbers you choose to add for safety features.
- Support communications — information you send us when you contact support.
Information collected automatically
- Precise location — with your permission, to show nearby items and members, to share your live location with people you choose, and to power safety features such as the Panic Button and Check-Ins.
- Device & usage data — device model, operating system, app version, and a push notification token, plus basic diagnostics needed to operate and secure the service.
- Error reports — if something goes wrong in the app or on our servers, we automatically record a diagnostic report so we can fix it: what went wrong and where in our code, the screen you were on, the app version, your device's operating system, the time, and your account ID if you are logged in. We remove personal details such as email addresses, phone numbers, locations and passwords from these reports before they are stored, and only our development team can see them.
Payment information
PurseMe PRO is a paid subscription. Payments are processed by Apple (in-app purchase on iOS) or Stripe (on Android and the web). We do not receive or store your full card details; we receive only the subscription status needed to grant PRO features.
2. How we use your information
- To create and manage your account and provide the app's features.
- To verify that members are women aged 18+ and to maintain a safe, trusted community.
- To operate safety features (Panic Button, Safety Check-Ins, Live Location, SOS) and notify your emergency contacts when you trigger them.
- To enable sharing and discovery of essentials, messaging, and community interaction.
- To process subscriptions and manage PRO access.
- To send service and safety notifications, and to respond to support requests.
- To find and fix errors and keep the app working reliably.
- To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues, and to comply with our legal obligations.
3. Legal bases (UK GDPR)
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Providing the app and your account | Performance of a contract |
| Identity & age verification; community safety; fraud prevention | Legitimate interests, and compliance with legal obligations |
| Processing an ID document and selfie (special-category / biometric data) | Your explicit consent, which you give before you start verification |
| Precise location and safety features | Your consent (device permission) |
| Subscriptions and payments | Performance of a contract |
| Error reports to find and fix problems | Legitimate interests (keeping the app safe and working) |
You can withdraw consent at any time (for example, by turning off location permission or deleting your account); this does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal.
4. How we share your information
We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as described here:
- Other members — your profile, listings, posts, ratings, and messages are shared with members you interact with. Your live location is shared only with people you choose.
- Emergency contacts — notified with relevant details (including location) when you trigger a safety feature.
- Service providers (processors) who host and operate the service on our behalf, listed below.
- Legal & safety — where required by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our members or the public.
| Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS S3, EU – London) | Secure file and image storage |
| Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging) | Push notifications |
| Google Maps | Maps and location display |
| Pusher | Real-time messaging and updates |
| Stripe | Subscription payments (Android/web) |
| Apple | Subscription payments (iOS in-app purchase) |
| Microsoft 365 | Transactional and support email |
5. International transfers
We store data primarily in the United Kingdom / European Economic Area. Where a provider processes data outside the UK/EEA, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Standard Contractual Clauses.
6. How long we keep your data
We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, it is scheduled for permanent deletion after a 30-day grace period during which you can reactivate by logging in. After that period, we delete or anonymise your data, except where we must retain limited information to comply with legal obligations or to resolve disputes.
Your ID and selfie images are deleted automatically 30 days after review. We keep only the result.
The details of each error report (including your account ID and device information) are deleted automatically after 30 days. A summary of the error itself, without those details, is kept until the problem is fixed and then deleted within 90 days.
7. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data, to restrict or object to certain processing, and to withdraw consent. To exercise any of these, email hello@purseme.co.uk. You can delete your account at any time from within the app (Settings → Privacy → Delete Account). If you have a concern you can also complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
8. Security
We use technical and organisational measures — including encryption in transit, access controls, and private storage for sensitive documents — to protect your data. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and to promptly address any issues.
9. Children
PurseMe is only for women aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have, we will delete it.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will revise the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.
11. Contact us
PurseMe Limited, 16 Cutter Lane, London SE10 0XW, United Kingdom — hello@purseme.co.uk.