Privacy Policy

Last updated: 25.10.2026

1. Who is responsible

The controller for data processing in the GlobeSwap app and on this website is:

Marcel Eikmeier
Im Regelholze 2
32584 Löhne
Deutschland

Email: info@eiki.tech

2. The short version

• No sign-up: no name, no email address, no phone number, no location.
• Your photos only go to the person you swap with or chat with.
• Location and other metadata are removed from every photo on our server.
• No advertising, no tracking, no analytics, no data sales. Everything runs on our own server in Deutschland.
• You can delete all your data in the app at any time.

3. What data we process

Anonymous account

On first launch the app automatically creates an anonymous account. It consists of a random internal ID, a random public ID (UUID, shown to people you chat with and on the “About” screen) and a secret access key. The access key is stored on your device; our server only stores a cryptographic hash of it. If you create a backup code to restore your account after reinstalling, we also only store a hash of that code. If you choose to set a name in the app, we store it with your account and show it to the people you chat with; you can change or delete it at any time. We also store when the account was created and last used.

Photos

Photos you send, including your edits (text, drawings, stickers, filters). When a photo arrives, our server re-encodes it and thereby removes all metadata, such as GPS location, camera model and date. Photos are shown only to the person you swapped with or are chatting with. The app cannot save photos and blocks screenshots and screen recordings. Still, someone could photograph their screen with another device – only send what you are comfortable sharing.

App version

With every request the app sends its version number and where it was installed from (Google Play, F-Droid or GitHub). We store the version last used with your account to tell you about updates, to block versions that are no longer supported, and to see which versions are still in use. From this information and the time of last use we create anonymous statistics, for example how many people use the app per day and from which source it was installed. If you installed GlobeSwap from GitHub, the app downloads new versions from our server; our server fetches them from GitHub beforehand and checks them, so your app does not contact GitHub.

Country of your photos

When you send a photo, our server determines the country from your IP address, for example “Japan”. The other person sees this country with your photo, and it appears on their world map of countries they received photos from. The IP address is not stored for this; the lookup happens on our own server with the “IP to Country Lite” database (IP Geolocation by DB-IP, CC BY 4.0). You can switch this off in the app settings at any time – the country is then removed from your photos already sent, too. If you choose “near” or “far away” for swapping, we use your continent for this while sharing is on.

Reactions and ended chats

If you react to a photo with an emoji or end a chat, we store this with the conversation; it is deleted with it.

Conversation data

Which (anonymous) accounts exchanged photos, when, and whether a photo has been seen.

Reports and blocks

If you report or block someone, we store the reason, the reported photo and the IDs of the people involved. A reported photo is kept until the report has been reviewed, even if it is deleted in the app.

Log data

Our server records events (for example “photo swapped”, “person reported”) with the public IDs of the people involved. IP addresses are only recorded for administrator logins and when too many accounts are created from one address. The upstream web server records access logs (IP address, time, requested address, browser/app version).

On your device

The app stores your access key and settings on your device. Received photos are only kept temporarily in the app’s private cache and are not saved to your gallery.

4. Permissions

• Camera – to take photos. Photos are only sent when you tap send.
• Notifications (optional) – to tell you about new photos straight away. For this we use Firebase Cloud Messaging, a push service by Google (see section 6). If your device has no Google services, the app checks our server for new photos itself instead.

The app does not access your location, contacts or existing photos.

5. Purposes and legal bases

• Providing GlobeSwap (swapping photos, conversations, notifications): Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR.
• Safety and moderation (reports, blocks, suspensions, protection against abuse, log data): Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR – our legitimate interest is a safe service free of abuse.
• Legal obligations, for example removing unlawful content: Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR.

6. Who receives your data

To find out whether a new version of the app has been released, our server – not your app – regularly checks the public release page of GlobeSwap on GitHub; no data about you is sent there.

Your photos are received by the people you swap and chat with. The operator can see photos waiting for a swap and reported photos in order to moderate. Apart from the push service described below we do not use external services: no cloud storage, no analytics, no advertising networks. The server is located in Deutschland. Google provides the app through Google Play; Google’s privacy policy applies to the download.

Push notifications (Google Firebase Cloud Messaging)

So that you learn about new photos immediately, we use Firebase Cloud Messaging by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Your device receives a random push token from Google, which the app sends to our server; we store it with your anonymous account. When a new photo arrives for you and the app is not open, our server sends Google the push token and the message “new photo in conversation X” (a random ID). Photos, your public ID and the other person’s ID are never sent to Google. Google may process data in the USA; Google is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR. You can switch notifications off at any time in your device settings; the push token is deleted together with your account.

7. How long we keep data

• Photos waiting for a swap: deleted after 3 days if nobody swapped them.
• Photos in a conversation: only the latest 10 are kept; older ones are deleted automatically as soon as new photos arrive.
• Conversations and their photos: deleted 90 days after the last photo.
• Anonymous accounts without conversations: deleted after 90 days without use.
• Reports: until they have been reviewed, then up to 90 days.
• Server log files: deleted after 91 days; web server access logs: deleted after 14 days.
• Suspended accounts are kept so the suspension remains effective.

You can delete your own photos in a conversation, or a whole conversation; they are deleted immediately, for the other person too. When you delete your data in the app, your account, all your conversations (for the other person too) and all related photos are deleted immediately. Photos from reports that have not yet been reviewed are kept until the review.

8. Age

GlobeSwap may only be used by people aged 16 or older.

9. Your rights

You have the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and to object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 15–21 GDPR). Because we do not know who you are, please include your public ID (shown in the app under “About”) when you contact us at info@eiki.tech. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

10. Changes

We will update this policy if the app or the legal situation changes. The current version is always available at this address.