MotoKin Privacy Policy

Effective November 7, 2026

MotoKin is an app for motorcyclists to find riders, rides and places on a map, message friends, share their location with people they choose, and ask for help on the road. This policy explains what we collect, why, who can see it, and how to delete it. MotoKin is run by Timothy Oulette, an individual based in Alberta, Canada ("we"). Questions go to timmoulette@gmail.com. Using MotoKin is also covered by our Terms of Use.

The short version: we collect what the app needs to work, nothing for advertising. We don't sell your data, share it with data brokers, or track you across other apps and websites. Your live location is shared only with the friends, groups and rides you pick, and you can turn it off at any time with Ghost Mode.

What we collect

Account

Your email address and password (stored hashed by our hosting provider), or the identifier Apple or Google gives us if you sign in with them. We use it to sign you in and to send account emails such as password resets.

Profile

Your handle, display name, bio, profile photo, the motorcycles you add to your garage, and your profile privacy setting (public, riders only, or only me). Photos are resized on your phone and their location metadata is removed before upload.

Location

• While you use the app: to center the map, show nearby places, plan routes and calculate local sunrise and sunset. Daylight calculations stay on your phone.
• Live location sharing: if you turn it on, your most recent position (with accuracy, heading and speed) is stored so the friends, groups or rides you chose can see it. Only your latest position is kept, not a history. Ghost Mode hides it from everyone.
• In the background: only during Riding Now or when you choose to keep sharing with a group ride. This counts your distance and keeps your shared position current while the app is closed. You can stop at any time, and the app asks iOS for "Always" permission only when you start one of these.
• Recorded routes: if you record a ride with Riding Now, the route points are saved so you can see the ride later under My Rides. You can delete them.
• Rider in Need alerts: if you turn on alerts, we store only a rough area (about 5 km across), not your exact position, so we can tell you when someone nearby needs help. When you ask for help, the spot you choose is shown to signed-in riders until the alert closes (6 hours at most).

Things you post and send

Messages and group messages, photos and videos you post on your profile with their captions, likes and comments, rides you organize or join, groups, help requests, and map places or speed trap reports you add. Messages are deleted automatically after the period you choose in Settings (30 days, 90 days, 1 year, or forever).

Camera, photos and microphone

Used only when you choose a profile photo or record or pick a photo or video to post. The microphone records sound only while you film a video to post. We never access your library or camera in the background.

Push notifications

If you allow notifications, we store your device's push token to send Rider in Need alerts and replies to your alerts.

Activity and safety

Whether you're online (if you leave "Show when I'm online" on), the distance you ride with Riding Now for friends' rankings (you can opt out), your friends and blocked riders, and reports you file or that are filed about you.

Crash detection

If you turn on crash detection, your phone's motion sensor is read during Riding Now to notice a hard impact. Those readings stay on your phone. If a crash is detected and you don't cancel within the countdown, or your iPhone reports a crash when you've connected iPhone Crash Detection, your location is posted as a Rider in Need alert that signed-in riders can see, without you confirming it. It stays until you mark yourself OK, or for 6 hours. MotoKin does not contact emergency services.

What we don't collect

No advertising identifiers, no analytics or tracking SDKs, no contacts, no health data, no payment information.

Who can see your information

• Other riders see your profile and posts according to your profile privacy setting, minus anyone you block. Your live location is never on the public map; only the people you choose see it.
• Moderators can see reported messages, posts, comments and profiles, so they can review reports and act on them.
• Service providers that run parts of the app for us, under their own privacy terms:
  • Supabase: hosts our database, sign-in and file storage (United States).
  • Mapbox: map tiles, place search and directions. Map searches and route requests include the places and coordinates involved. Mapbox's map software may also send it anonymous usage and location data to improve its maps.
  • Expo and Apple Push Notification service: deliver push notifications using your push token.
  • RainViewer: rain radar map tiles. It receives which map area you are looking at, not your account.
  • Apple and Google, only if you use them to sign in.
• Legal reasons: we may disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety.

License plate reader camera locations on the map come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Showing them does not send your data to OpenStreetMap.

Where your information is stored

We use the service providers listed above to host the app, run maps and directions, and deliver notifications. They store and process your information outside Canada, mainly in the United States. It is then subject to the laws of those places, and authorities there may be able to obtain it.

You can ask for written information about our policies on service providers outside Canada, or ask questions about how they collect, use, disclose or store your information. Timothy Oulette will answer them at timmoulette@gmail.com.

How long we keep it

• Messages: for the period you choose in Settings.
• Live location: only your latest position, replaced each update; it stops updating when you stop sharing.
• Help requests: close after 6 hours at most.
• Everything else: until you delete it or delete your account.
• Reports: kept after an account is deleted, including a copy of the reported message or post text, so we can deal with abuse.

Your choices

• Change or delete your profile, photos, posts, comments, bikes and recorded routes in the app.
• Turn on Ghost Mode, stop sharing, or change who can see you in Settings. You can also change location, camera, photo, microphone and notification permissions in iOS Settings at any time.
• Opt out of friends' rankings and online status in Settings.
• Delete your account in the app: Profile → Account → Delete account. This permanently deletes your account, profile, photos, posts, messages, friendships, location data, rides you organized and groups you own. Map places you added stay on the map without your name.
• Email us to ask for a copy of your data or for help with anything above.

Depending on where you live (for example Canada, California, the EU or the UK), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or port your data and to object to some uses. We honor these requests from anyone, wherever they live.

Canadian riders

We handle personal information under Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act and Canada's federal and other provincial privacy laws where they apply. Timothy Oulette is the person responsible for privacy at MotoKin, and you can reach them at timmoulette@gmail.com.

• You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you and have it corrected. We'll answer within 30 days.
• You can withdraw your consent at any time by changing the setting or deleting your account. Some features need certain information to work.
• If a privacy breach creates a real risk of significant harm, we'll tell you and the privacy regulator.
• If you aren't happy with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. In Quebec, you can complain to the Commission d'accès à l'information.

Children

MotoKin is not meant for anyone under 17, and we don't knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has an account, contact us and we'll delete it.

Security

Data is sent over encrypted connections. Access is controlled per rider in the database, so riders can only read what the app allows them to see. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.

Changes

If we change this policy, we'll update the date above, and tell you in the app if the change is significant.

MotoKin may be transferred to a company that the current operator controls, or sold or merged. Your information would go with it, for the same purposes as this policy. We'll tell you in the app and update the name above before that happens.

Contact

Timothy Oulette · timmoulette@gmail.com