Privacy Policy for HELBikes App
Last Updated: April 1, 2025
Introduction
Welcome to the HELBikes App ("we," "our," or "app"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and providing a transparent explanation of our privacy practices. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle information when you use our app to locate and navigate to city bike stations in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa.
Information We Collect
We DO NOT collect or store:
- Personal information
- User accounts or profiles
- Usage history
- Bike rental records
- Your location data history
- Cookies or similar tracking technologies
Location Data
- How we use it: With your permission, we access your device's location data solely to show you nearby bike stations.
- Storage: Your location data is processed in real-time and is never stored on our servers or shared with third parties.
- Permission: You can enable or disable location services for our app at any time through your device settings.
Third-Party Services
HSL API
- We access the Helsinki Regional Transport (HSL) public API to provide you with real-time information about city bike stations, including:
- Station locations
- Available bikes
- Available slots
- This information is publicly available data and contains no personal information.
- Our interaction with the HSL API is governed by HSL's terms of service. No user data is transmitted to HSL through our app.
Data Security
- As we do not collect or store personal data, there is minimal risk regarding data breaches of personal information.
- The app uses standard security measures for the API connections to ensure data integrity.
Children's Privacy
Our app does not knowingly collect any information from children under 13. The app is designed for general audiences and does not target children specifically.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
- We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.
- We recommend checking this page periodically for any changes.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Legal Basis (GDPR Compliance)
Under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- We process the minimal necessary location data based on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of GDPR).
- You can withdraw this consent at any time by disabling location services for our app in your device settings.
- As we do not store your personal data, many GDPR rights (such as right to access, right to erasure, etc.) are automatically fulfilled.
Your Rights
Under the GDPR and Finnish data protection laws, you have the right to:
- Access any personal data we might hold about you (which is none, as we don't store any)
- Withdraw your consent to process your location data at any time
- Lodge a complaint with the Finnish Data Protection Authority (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto) if you believe that we have violated your privacy rights
By using our app, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.