Privacy policy
1. The short version
- We collect what it takes to answer your messages, and no more.
- Your trip, positions and messages are deleted after the trip ends, unless you choose to keep the trip. Messages and positions not tied to a trip are deleted after 30 days, unless you turn on "Keep my history". Keeping is always your choice, and off unless you turn it on.
- We never sell your data or share it for anyone's marketing.
2. What we collect
- Account: your name, email address, and phone number if you use text messaging; your plan and payment status. Card details go to our payment processor, never to us.
- Your messages to Trail Pony and our replies.
- Location: only when your device sends it with a message, or when you set one yourself. Satellite messengers usually include your coordinates with each message.
- Trip details you give us: dates, area, activity, party, and the places you pin on the map.
- What you write to us: email you send to hello@trailpony.com, and the reason you give if you cancel (always optional).
- Consent records: when you agreed to these terms and to receive text messages.
- Technical data: error reports and service logs, with coordinates removed.
3. How we use it
Only to run Trail Pony: answering your messages, sending replies and the messages you turn on (such as the morning briefing), billing, support, keeping the service secure, and meeting legal obligations.
What you write to us, by email or as a reason for cancelling, is also read to improve Trail Pony. What we note from it carries no name or address.
4. Who else handles it
We use service providers to run Trail Pony. Each gets only what its job needs:
| Provider | What it does | What it gets |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Writes the answers (AI) | Your message, recent conversation and trip context, your first name at most |
| Weather providers (Open-Meteo, the US National Weather Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada) | Forecasts | Coordinates only, never who you are |
| Garmin, and your satellite or mobile carrier | Carry messages to and from your device | The messages, as with any text you send |
| Twilio | Text messaging (SMS) | Your phone number and the messages |
| Cloudflare | Our website, and receiving email | Messages that arrive by email; the website hosting and backup storage |
| Resend | Sending email (sign-in links, account emails) | Your email address and the email |
| Railway | Hosting our servers and database | Everything we store, kept on its servers |
| Stripe | Payments | Your name, email and payment details |
| Sentry | Error reports | Technical details of errors, with coordinates removed |
No mobile numbers or SMS consent records are shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. We disclose information to authorities only when the law requires it.
5. How long we keep it
- Trip data (positions, pins, conversation and messages from the trip): deleted 7 days after the trip ends. When a trip ends we email you once to ask whether to keep it; if you don't answer, it is deleted. A kept trip stays until you delete it or stop keeping it.
- Messages and positions not tied to a trip: deleted after 30 days, unless you turn on "Keep my history" in your account. Turn it off and the 30 days start again from then.
- Kept data is used only to run Trail Pony for you, such as starting next year's trip from this year's.
- Email to hello@trailpony.com and the text of a cancellation reason: deleted after 90 days.
- Backups keep a copy of deleted data for up to 14 more days.
- Account, billing and consent records stay while you have an account and afterwards as long as the law requires (for example, tax records).
6. Your choices and rights
- Keep or delete a trip, and turn "Keep my history" on or off, in your account at any time.
- Email hello@trailpony.com to see the information we hold about you, correct it, or delete your account and its data.
- Text STOP to stop text messages.
- Depending on where you live (for example Canada, California or the EU), the law gives you rights over your information. We honour them for everyone. If you are unhappy with how we handled your request, you can complain to your privacy regulator; in Canada that is the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
7. Security
Information travels encrypted, backups are encrypted, and access is limited to what running the service needs. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach puts you at risk, we tell you, as the law requires.
8. Where it's stored
Our service providers may store and process information outside your province or country, including in the United States, where it is subject to local law.
9. Children
Trail Pony is for adults. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
10. Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we email you before it applies.
11. Contact
Trail Pony, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada ยท hello@trailpony.com