Privacy Policy

Overview

Tavira Times is a local news service for Tavira and the Eastern Algarve, available as a website and an iOS app. We aim to collect as little personal data as possible, and you can read all content without an account. This policy explains what we collect, why, and your choices. It applies to both the website and the app.

Information we collect

• Reading is anonymous. You can read all news, alerts, events, weather, tides and other content on the website and in the app without creating an account or giving us any personal details.
• Account information (optional). If you choose to sign in — only to save favourites and manage notification preferences — we use Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple. We receive and store your name and email address from that provider (with Sign in with Apple you may choose to hide your email, in which case we receive a relay address). We also store the authentication tokens needed to keep you signed in. You can delete your account and all associated data at any time from within the app.
• Saved content and preferences (signed-in users). If you sign in, we store the restaurants you mark as favourites and your notification preferences, linked to your account.
• Push notification token (app only). If you allow notifications in the iOS app, Apple issues a device token that lets us send you alerts and updates. We store this token to deliver push notifications. If you are signed in, the token is linked to your account so we can honour your notification preferences; if you are not signed in, it is stored without being linked to any account.
• Basic technical data. Like most websites and apps, our servers and hosting provider process standard technical information (such as IP address and device/browser type) to serve pages, keep the service secure and diagnose problems.

How we use your information

• To sign you in and keep you signed in, if you choose to create an account.
• To save your favourites and apply your notification preferences.
• To send push notifications — mandatory critical safety alerts to all app users, and optional categories (breaking news, new events, the weekly briefing and the daily weather) to those who have them enabled.
• To operate, secure and improve the website and app.
• We do not sell your data, and we do not use your information for advertising or for tracking you across other apps or websites.

Push notifications and your choices

Notifications are optional. You are asked for permission the first time, and you can turn them off at any time in your device Settings under Notifications for Tavira Times. Within the app, signed-in users can also choose which optional categories to receive. Critical safety alerts are sent to all app users to keep you safe.

When you disable notifications, we stop using your token and it is deactivated. Tokens that Apple reports as no longer valid are removed automatically.

Deleting your account

If you have an account, you can delete it at any time from the app under Account & Notifications. Deleting your account permanently removes your profile, your sign-in details, your saved favourites, your notification preferences and your device push tokens from our systems. This cannot be undone.

Third-party services

We use Sign in with Google and Sign in with Apple for optional account sign-in; those providers process your sign-in under their own privacy terms. Push notifications on iOS are delivered through Apple’s Push Notification service. Weather and tide information is provided by third-party data providers. News content links out to the original publishers, whose sites have their own policies.

Data retention

We keep account information for as long as your account exists, and remove it when you delete your account. We keep push tokens only while they remain active; inactive or invalid tokens are deactivated and may be deleted. Technical logs are kept for a limited period for security and troubleshooting.

Contact

For any privacy question or request, please contact us at privacy@taviratimes.com.