Privacy policy

Last updated: 2026-09-26

Zeta Hanzo ("we", "our", or "us") operates the Treasure Hunt mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use the App.

Information we collect

Account information. When you sign in using Google authentication via Firebase, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture.

Location data. The App uses your device's GPS to provide location-based gameplay features. Location data is used in real time to determine your proximity to game waypoints and is not stored beyond what is necessary for gameplay.

Camera. The App may access your device's camera to allow you to take photos during gameplay (for selfie verification and QR-code scanning). Photos are uploaded to our servers only when you choose to submit them as part of the game.

Bluetooth and NFC. The App may access your device's Bluetooth Low Energy and NFC reader to detect waypoint markers. We do not read, store or transmit any nearby device data beyond what is needed to identify the marker you scan.

Prize delivery country (optional). If you choose to set it, we store the country your prizes should be delivered to (the country only, never an address, postcode or region). It is used to work out whether a hunt creator is able to get a prize you have won to you: when that question is asked, our servers compare the two countries and return only a yes or no, so neither you nor the creator learns the other's country.

It is hidden by default. It is never included in search results, and it is never disclosed as part of the check described above. The only way it becomes visible to anyone else is if you turn on “show my country on my profile” in your privacy settings, which displays a country flag on your profile page and nothing more. You can turn that off again at any time.

Prizes won in a hunt. When you win a real-world prize by completing a hunt, we record that the hunt's creator owes it to you and whether it was marked as sent and confirmed as received. The creator and the winner arrange the handover between themselves; the App does not collect, store or pass on delivery addresses. Anything you choose to share directly with another user in a message is stored with your other messages.

For each prize won, the creator and the winner also get a handover chat in the App. It is part of the prize record: its messages are stored on our servers, cannot be edited or deleted, and are kept with the record of that prize. Treasure Hunt staff can read a handover chat only after the creator or the winner reports a problem with that handover in the App. Both of them are told when that happens, and every time staff open the chat it is logged.

How we use your information

To provide and operate the Treasure Hunt game experience.
To authenticate your identity and manage your account.
To determine your position relative to game waypoints.
To allow photo capture and submission during gameplay.
To send notifications about selfie reviews, queue admissions and end-of-hunt warnings.
To tell you, before you join a hunt, whether its prizes can be sent to your country, and to track that a prize you won was sent and received.

Data storage and security

Your data is stored securely on Microsoft Azure cloud services. We use industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and role-based access controls.

Third-party services

The App uses the following third-party services:

Firebase Authentication (Google): for user sign-in and push notifications.
Google Maps: for map display and location features.
Microsoft Azure: for backend services and data storage.

Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing their use of your data.

Data retention and deletion

We retain your account and gameplay data for as long as your account is active. You can permanently delete your account and associated data at any time from the App (Settings → Delete account). See Delete your account for details, including how to request deletion if you can no longer sign in.

Some data is removed on a schedule even while your account stays active, because keeping it longer serves no purpose:

In-app notifications: those containing message text are deleted after 30 days; all others after 180 days.
Name and username change records: kept only long enough to enforce how often those can be changed, then deleted.
Message evidence attached to a report: removed once the report is closed, and in any case after one year. The report itself is kept as a safety record.

Children's privacy

The App is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy within the App and on this page.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to request data deletion, see the Contact page. We're setting up public support channels and will publish them there.