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Privacy Policy

Current version Version 2.1.0 · Effective Date ⁦21 October 2026⁩

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 2, 2026
Last Updated: October 21, 2026

1. Introduction

Persian Arena ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you register, create a profile, or use features of the Service, you may provide us with:

  • Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, password
  • Profile Information: Display name, profile picture, biographical details
  • Service Listings: Business name, description, images, location, contact details, service items, pricing
  • Reviews and Ratings: Written reviews, star ratings, and associated content
  • Communications: Messages, feedback, and correspondence you send to us or other Users through the platform
  • Payment Information: If applicable, payment method details (processed by third-party payment providers; we do not store full payment card details)
  • Verification Data: Information provided to verify your identity or business
  • How You Heard About Us: When you sign up, we may ask you to choose, from a short fixed list, how you heard about Persian Arena (for example a Telegram group, Instagram, a friend, or a flyer). You can pick "Other" or "I don't remember". We store your choice with your account. It cannot be changed afterwards.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Service, we automatically collect:

  • Device Information: Device type, model, operating system, version, device identifiers (such as your push-notification token), browser type and version. We do not use advertising identifiers to track you across other companies' apps or websites.
  • Usage Data: Features accessed, pages viewed, search queries, time spent on the Service, interaction patterns, referring URLs
  • Activity Dates: For each signed-in user we keep the calendar dates (days only, no times and no description of what you did) on which you used the app or website. We keep them for as long as your account exists.
  • How You Arrived: The first campaign link, UTM tag (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign) or Google Play install referrer through which you reached Persian Arena. We store only the first one, with your account. On the website we read and keep the UTM tag only if you have allowed analytics.
  • Location Data: Approximate location based on IP address; precise GPS location only with your explicit permission (used for nearby service search and map features). When you create your account we also record, once, the city and country you had set (or, for the country only, inferred from your device time zone) as your "sign-up city" and do not change it later.
  • Network Information: IP address, internet service provider, mobile carrier
  • App Performance Data: Crash reports, diagnostics, performance metrics, error logs
  • Staff and Test Accounts: We mark accounts belonging to our team or used for testing, so that they are excluded from our statistics.

2.3 Information from Third-Party Sources

We may receive information from:

  • Authentication Providers: If you sign in using Google, Apple, or other third-party authentication services, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture as authorized by you
  • Maps and Location Services: Google Maps API and Google Places API provide address, geocoding, and place information for service locations
  • Analytics Services: Aggregated usage and performance data
  • Public Sources: Publicly available business information

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

3.1 Providing and Operating the Service

  • Creating and managing your account
  • Displaying service listings and search results
  • Enabling location-based service discovery
  • Facilitating reviews and ratings
  • Processing transactions (if applicable)

3.2 Improving and Personalizing the Service

  • Analyzing usage patterns to improve features and functionality
  • Personalizing content and recommendations
  • Conducting research and analytics
  • Understanding which channels bring new users to Persian Arena, how many people use the Service in each city and how many come back, using the survey answer, arrival information, sign-up city and activity dates described above. We report these only as aggregate figures (counts per day, per city or per group of sign-ups) and do not use them to make decisions about you individually.
  • Testing new features and functionality

3.3 Communication

  • Sending transactional notifications (account verification, listing updates, review notifications)
  • Responding to your inquiries, requests, and support tickets
  • Sending push notifications related to the Service (with your consent)
  • Sending promotional communications and marketing messages (with your consent, and with the option to opt out at any time)

3.4 Safety and Security

  • Detecting, preventing, and investigating fraud, abuse, and security incidents
  • Enforcing our Terms of Service and other policies
  • Verifying user identity where necessary
  • Protecting the rights, property, and safety of Persian Arena, our Users, and the public
  • Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes
  • Responding to lawful requests from government authorities
  • Establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

  • Contractual Necessity: Processing necessary to perform our contract with you (e.g., providing the Service, managing your account)
  • Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests (e.g., improving the Service, preventing fraud, ensuring security, and producing aggregate statistics about how people find and use the Service, including the survey answer, arrival information, sign-up city, activity dates and the staff/test flag), where these interests are not overridden by your rights. You may object at any time (see Section 8.2)
  • Consent: Processing based on your explicit consent (e.g., marketing communications, precise location data, push notifications, Firebase Analytics and Google Analytics measurement, and storing an identifier on your device when you answer or dismiss our one-time survey card as a visitor). You may withdraw consent at any time
  • Legal Obligation: Processing necessary to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

5.1 With Other Users

  • Your public profile information (display name, profile picture) is visible to other Users
  • Service Provider Listings (business name, description, location, contact details, images) are visible to all Users
  • Reviews and ratings you post are publicly visible and associated with your display name

5.2 With Service Providers (Third-Party Vendors)

We use third-party service providers to operate and improve the Service, including:

  • Firebase and Google Cloud (Google): Authentication, database (Firestore), cloud storage, cloud messaging (push notifications), analytics, crashlytics, cloud functions, and a BigQuery data warehouse located in the European Union where we keep aggregate statistics (no names, emails or account identifiers)
  • Algolia: Search indexing and search functionality
  • Google Maps / Google Places: Map display, geocoding, and location services
  • Cloud Hosting: Server infrastructure and content delivery

These service providers process data on our behalf and are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation, court order, or legal process
  • Protect and defend our rights, property, or safety
  • Protect the personal safety of Users or the public
  • Investigate potential violations of our Terms of Service
  • Prevent fraud or other illegal activity

5.4 Business Transfers

If Persian Arena is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.

We may share your information with third parties when you have given us your explicit consent to do so.

We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

6. Data Storage and Security

6.1 Data Storage

Your information is primarily stored on servers provided by Google Cloud Platform (Firebase) and may be processed in data centers located in the European Union, the United States, or other regions where our service providers operate. Our aggregate statistics are stored in the European Union.

6.2 Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
  • Secure authentication mechanisms
  • Access controls and authorization policies
  • Regular security assessments and monitoring
  • Incident response procedures

6.3 Security Limitations

Despite our efforts, no method of electronic storage or transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

  • Provide the Service and maintain your account
  • Comply with our legal obligations
  • Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements
  • Maintain business records as required by applicable law

Specific retention periods:

  • Account data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account deletion to comply with legal obligations
  • Service Listings: Retained while the listing is active; may be retained in anonymized form after deletion for analytical purposes
  • Reviews and Ratings: Retained as long as the associated account and service exist; may persist after account deletion if they relate to active service listings
  • Usage and Analytics Data: Retained in aggregated or anonymized form for analytical purposes. Analytics collected through Firebase Analytics / Google Analytics follow Google's retention settings (currently 14 months).
  • Survey Answer, Arrival Information, Sign-up City and Activity Dates: Stored with your account until you delete your account. Aggregate statistics derived from them contain no account identifier and are kept without a time limit.
  • Visitor Survey Record: If you answer or dismiss our one-time survey card without being signed in, we store your answer with a random code (no name, no email, no IP address) for up to 400 days. If you later create an account on the same device, the record is linked to your account and then deleted.
  • Communication Records: Retained for a reasonable period to provide support and resolve disputes

When personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

8. Your Rights

8.1 Rights for All Users

Regardless of your location, you may:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Update or correct inaccurate personal information through your account settings
  • Delete your account through the app settings or by contacting us
  • Opt out of marketing communications at any time
  • Disable push notifications through your device settings
  • Revoke location permissions through your device settings

8.2 Additional Rights for EEA/UK Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have the following additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we process about you
  • Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data
  • Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal exceptions
  • Right to Restriction of Processing: Request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances
  • Right to Data Portability: Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and transmit it to another controller
  • Right to Object: Object to the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests (including our statistics described in Section 3.2) or for direct marketing purposes
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent
  • Right to Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country of residence

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@persianarena.com. We will respond within 30 days (or as required by applicable law). The data described in Section 2 is included when you request a copy of your data and is deleted when you delete your account. Aggregate statistics that no longer identify you are not deleted.

8.3 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

  • Know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
  • Request deletion of your personal information
  • Opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information)
  • Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age (or 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these age thresholds. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

If you believe that we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us at privacy@persianarena.com.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including countries that may have different data protection laws. When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
  • Adequacy decisions by relevant data protection authorities
  • Other appropriate transfer mechanisms as required by applicable law

11. Push Notifications and Communications

We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send push notifications to your device. These may include:

  • Transactional notifications (e.g., new reviews on your listing, account updates)
  • Service updates and announcements
  • Promotional messages (with your consent)

You can manage your notification preferences in the app settings or disable push notifications through your device's operating system settings.

12. Analytics and Crash Reporting

We use the following analytics and crash reporting services:

  • Firebase Analytics / Google Analytics: To understand how Users interact with the Service, including feature usage, session duration, and user engagement metrics. This runs only after you have allowed it (in the app, when you accept our terms; on the website, through the analytics consent choice), and you can turn it off at any time in settings.
  • Firebase Crashlytics: To collect crash reports and diagnostic data to identify and fix technical issues
  • Algolia Analytics: To analyze search queries and improve search relevance

These services collect data in accordance with their respective privacy policies. You can limit analytics data collection through the analytics setting in the app, the analytics consent choice on the website, and your device settings.

Our own statistics. Separately, we count signed-in users per day and per city, and the channels they came from, using the data described in Section 2. These are our own records, not a third-party service, and we publish and review them only as aggregate figures. We exclude staff and test accounts.

13. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our web services may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:

  • Maintain your session and authentication state
  • Remember your preferences
  • Analyze usage patterns
  • Improve the Service

On the website, if you allow analytics, we remember the first campaign link or UTM tag you arrived through in your browser's local storage for up to 30 days. If, as a visitor who is not signed in, you answer or dismiss our one-time "How did you hear about Persian Arena?" card, we generate a random code, store it on your device so that we do not ask again, and send it with your answer. It is not linked to your identity unless you later create an account on that device.

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Service.

14. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will:

  • Notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach (where required by GDPR)
  • Notify affected Users without undue delay when the breach is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms
  • Document the breach and the measures taken in response

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications. This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through the Service. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will:

  • Post the updated Privacy Policy on this page
  • Update the "Last Updated" date
  • Notify you of material changes through the Service (for example, a notice in the app or on the website) or by other reasonable means

Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the Service.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

We will make our best efforts to respond to your inquiries within a reasonable timeframe.

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