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Privacy policy

ShopNav helps you build grocery lists, compare prices across nearby stores, plan multi-stop trips, and (optionally) scan receipts to improve local price accuracy. This policy explains, in plain English, what ShopNav collects, why, who processes it, and how you can delete it. If anything here is unclear, email edgarbirlew@gmail.com.

1. Who runs ShopNav

ShopNav is operated by Edgar Birlew, sole proprietor, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. There is no separate legal entity. All questions and rights requests go to edgarbirlew@gmail.com.

2. What ShopNav collects

2.1 ZIP code

Required for the core feature: finding nearby stores and pulling weekly ads. You can type a ZIP or (see §2.2) grant a one-time location fix. The ZIP is stored on your device in localStorage and, if you sign in, is saved with your profile on the ShopNav server.

2.2 Location (optional, foreground only)

Only requested if you tap "Use my location" to auto-fill your ZIP, or start a route. When you do, the operating system prompts you and, if you consent, ShopNav takes one foreground GPS reading, uses it to look up the enclosing ZIP, then discards the raw coordinates. ShopNav does not read location in the background. The Android manifest declares ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION and ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION; on iOS the same is covered by NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription. You can deny the prompt and type a ZIP instead — the app still works.

2.3 Camera and photos (optional)

Only used when you tap Scan receipt or Scan barcode. The image is sent to the ShopNav server, which forwards it to Anthropic's Claude API for text or barcode extraction. On Android the manifest declares CAMERA. On iOS the same is covered by NSCameraUsageDescription and NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription. If you never scan anything, no image data leaves your device.

2.4 Receipt data (only if you scan or email a receipt)

If you upload, scan, or forward a receipt to your ShopNav inbox, the extractor keeps the following structured fields: store chain and branch, purchase date, product descriptions, quantities, package sizes, and unit prices. The following are explicitly discarded before storage: full payment-card numbers (only the last four digits are kept if visible on the printed receipt), full loyalty numbers, cashier names, and home addresses printed on the receipt. Extracted line-item data is used for two things: (a) your personal savings history in-app, and (b) improving aggregate local price signals for other ShopNav users in your ZIP. Aggregates never surface individual receipts.

2.5 Grocery lists, saved stores, saved recipes, preferences

Stored in your browser or app storage under keys like shopnav.mystores.v1, shopnav.myrecipes.v1, shopnav.excluded.v1, shopnav.tripDone.v1, and shopnav.zip.v1. If you sign in, a copy is also stored on the ShopNav server so the same list is available on other devices. If you use the Share list feature, the app generates an opaque share token; anyone with the resulting link can read that snapshot until you disable sharing.

2.6 Authentication data (only if you sign in)

Sign-in is optional — you can use ShopNav without an account. If you sign in, ShopNav stores whichever of these you used:

• Email address, if you used the magic-link method (sent through SendGrid).
• Phone number, if you used the SMS code method (sent through Twilio).
• Google account email and Google subject ID, if you used Sign in with Google.

ShopNav never stores or handles passwords — all three methods use one-time codes or OAuth. When you sign in, ShopNav sets a first-party shopnav_session HTTP-only cookie with a 30-day sliding window; the app then uses that cookie to associate future requests with your profile.

2.7 Client-generated device ID

On first launch, ShopNav generates an opaque random ID (e.g. d_ab12cd34) and stores it in localStorage under shopnav.device.id. It is used to keep your list and preferences continuous across launches before you sign in, and to bucket analytics events. It is not the Android Advertising ID, not the iOS IDFA, and not derived from any hardware identifier. Clearing app storage or web-site data removes it.

2.8 Product-analytics events

ShopNav sends first-party analytics events to its own backend at /api/telemetry/event. Each event contains: an event name (for example pageview, list_add_item, route_computed), the device ID from §2.7, a per-session ID generated at launch, a timestamp, the URL path, and a small properties object populated by the app (never the full contents of your list or receipt). Events are stored in ShopNav's own backend for aggregate reporting and are not forwarded to Google Analytics, Firebase, Meta, Mixpanel, Amplitude, Segment, Sentry, or any other third-party analytics or crash-reporting service.

2.9 Diagnostic error events

When a JavaScript error or unhandled promise rejection occurs, ShopNav writes the error message and stack trace to localStorage on your device only. Those local errors are not transmitted anywhere unless you explicitly open the in-app Send feedback form, in which case the three most recent messages are shown to you and included in the feedback you send. ShopNav does not use Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry, Bugsnag, or any similar third-party crash pipeline.

2.10 Hosting logs

The ShopNav backend runs on Vercel. Vercel automatically records standard HTTP request logs (IP address, user-agent, timestamps, request path, response status). ShopNav does not process or read these beyond what Vercel exposes for debugging; they are subject to Vercel's own retention.

3. What ShopNav does not collect

To make the Data Safety declaration unambiguous, ShopNav specifically does not collect any of the following:

• Android Advertising ID or iOS IDFA.
• Your real name (unless you type it in the profile screen or provide it through Google sign-in).
• Contacts, address book, calendar, SMS/MMS messages, call logs, or on-device files outside the photo you deliberately scan.
• Health, fitness, or biometric data.
• Audio, microphone recordings, or voice input.
• Payment-card numbers, bank-account numbers, or CVVs. ShopNav does not process payments and has no payment integrations.
• Background location. Location is only ever read while you are actively using the app and only after you tap "Use my location".
• Browsing history outside ShopNav.
• Search queries you type into a browser or another app.

4. How ShopNav uses this data

• Finding stores near you: your ZIP (§2.1) is sent to OpenStreetMap Overpass and, where relevant, the Kroger Public API.
• Building a route: your ZIP and the branch IDs you saved are used to compute a driving order.
• Scanning receipts and barcodes: the image (§2.3) is sent to Anthropic for OCR / structured extraction and returned to you as line items.
• Comparing prices: the SerpAPI service is used server-side, with only product-name text — never your identity or location.
• Signing you in and keeping you signed in: SendGrid (email link), Twilio (SMS code), or Google OAuth is used at sign-in time only; a session cookie is set afterward.
• Improving the app: aggregate analytics events (§2.8) tell the developer which screens and features are used. There is no per-user profile of behaviour.

5. Who ShopNav shares data with

ShopNav does not sell personal data and does not share it for advertising or marketing. It does send data to the third-party services below strictly for the purposes above, each acting as a processor:

• Vercel — hosts the ShopNav backend and website. Receives standard HTTP logs (IP, path, timestamps). Vercel privacy policy.
• Anthropic (Claude API) — receives receipt or barcode image bytes plus the extraction prompt. Per Anthropic's API terms, API traffic is not used to train models. Anthropic privacy policy.
• Kroger Public API — receives the Kroger location ID you selected and the product SKUs you look up. Used only for in-store price and availability. Kroger privacy policy.
• SerpAPI — receives product-name text (no user identity) for retailer price lookups. SerpAPI privacy policy.
• OpenStreetMap Overpass and Nominatim — receive the ZIP centroid to locate nearby grocery-store nodes. No user identity is attached. OSMF privacy policy.
• SendGrid — receives your email address only when you request a magic-link sign-in. Twilio/SendGrid privacy policy.
• Twilio — receives your phone number only when you request an SMS sign-in code. Twilio privacy policy.
• Google (OAuth) — only if you use Sign in with Google, and only for the OAuth exchange. Google privacy policy.

6. Retention and deletion

• On-device data (lists, saved stores, saved recipes, device ID, ZIP): kept until you delete them in-app or clear browser/app storage.
• Profile fields on the server (email or phone or Google subject ID, saved stores, saved list state): kept until you delete your account.
• Receipt images: kept until you delete the receipt or your account, up to a maximum of 30 days, after which the image is purged in the batched cleanup even if the parsed line items are retained.
• Extracted receipt line items: kept until you delete the receipt or your account.
• Session cookie: 30 days sliding; deleted when you sign out.
• Analytics events: kept in the daily aggregate bucket for up to 30 days.
• Aggregated non-personal price data: retained indefinitely because it has no user identifier attached.
• Vercel hosting logs: subject to Vercel's own retention.

Delete your account any time from Account → Delete account in-app, or from /delete-account/ on the web. Deletion removes the profile row, all receipt records tied to the profile, saved stores, points, savings, and every sign-in index (email, phone, Google subject ID). Active session cookies for that account are invalidated server-side at the same moment.

7. Security

All ShopNav backend traffic uses HTTPS (TLS 1.2 or higher). Third-party API keys are stored server-side only and are never included in the mobile app bundle or the website JavaScript. Access to production data is limited to Edgar Birlew as the sole operator. ShopNav has not yet been independently audited against MASVS or any other formal standard; report suspected security issues to edgarbirlew@gmail.com.

8. Children's privacy

ShopNav is a general-audience shopping app. It is not directed to children under 13 and it does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. ShopNav does not participate in Google Play's Families program. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, email edgarbirlew@gmail.com and the account will be deleted.

9. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete personal data ShopNav holds about you, to receive a portable copy of it, or to object to certain processing. To exercise these rights, either use the in-app Account → Delete account control or email edgarbirlew@gmail.com from the account's email address. ShopNav responds to verifiable requests within 30 days. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

10. International transfers

ShopNav's servers run in the United States. If you use ShopNav from outside the United States, your data is processed in the United States.

11. Changes to this policy

Any material change to this policy will be posted here and the effective date at the top will be updated. Continued use of ShopNav after the update constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact

ShopNav · Edgar Birlew (sole proprietor) · Atlanta, Georgia, USA · edgarbirlew@gmail.com