Privacy Policy
Walk and Hear lets organisations build narrated walking tours and lets people listen to them. We collect only what we need to run the service, we do not sell personal information, we do not show ads, and we do not use analytics or advertising trackers.
Who we are
Walk and Hear (the "Service", at walkandhear.com, walkandhear.app and in our iOS and Android apps) is owned, operated and published by Top Level Code LLC ("we", "us"). Address: 14 3rd St, Waterford, NY 12188. Contact: support@toplevelcode.com.
For the personal information of tour makers and listeners described here, Top Level Code LLC is the "controller" (GDPR) or "business" (CCPA/CPRA). When an organisation (for example a town or historical society) uses Walk and Hear to publish its own tours, that organisation decides what its tours contain and who may view them; for content it uploads about other people, it is responsible for having the right to share it.
What we collect and why
Account and sign-in
You sign in with your Google account. Google tells us a unique account identifier and your email address; we do not receive your Google password. We use them to recognise you, to apply the role you were given on a tour (owner, editor or viewer), and to match invitations sent to your email address.
People you invite
If you own a tour, you can invite collaborators or viewers by email address. We store that email address, the role, and whether the invitation is pending, accepted or revoked.
Tour content you create
Tour titles, stop names, stories and narration scripts, source citations, the map positions of stops, trigger radii ("geofences") and trails you draw. Trail points you draw are sent to a routing service to snap them to walkable paths (see "Who we share with").
Voice recordings
If you use dictation or record your own narration, the app uses your microphone only while you are recording. The recording is uploaded and stored with the tour so it can be played back or used as that stop's narration. The current release does not transcribe recordings into text; if we add that, we will update this policy before it is turned on.
AI-generated narration
When you ask the Service to narrate a stop, the narration script (text only) is sent to ElevenLabs, which returns synthetic speech in the selected stock voice. We store the resulting audio so the same script is generated once and replayed from our storage.
Your device's location
When you start a tour, Walk and Hear asks for permission to use your device's location (in the app, or in your browser on the website). We use it to show where you are on the tour map, to show the distance and direction to the next stop, and to start a stop's narration automatically when you arrive within that stop's radius.
- On your device only. Your location is compared with the tour's stop positions on your phone or in your browser. It is not sent to our servers or to anyone else, and we do not store, log or share it, or keep a history of where you walked. Because we never receive it, there is no location data for us to anonymize or delete. Any future change (for example, visit statistics) would be optional and described here first.
- No arrival signals. When you start a tour, your device downloads all of that tour's stories at once, so our servers don't learn when you reach each stop. The stories are kept only in your browser's memory or in the app's temporary storage on your device, and are deleted when the tour ends. If a story hasn't finished downloading when it plays, it is fetched at that moment, and our standard request logs record that file request like any other (see "Security records and server logs").
- Only during a tour, while you use the app. Location is used while the app (or the browser tab) is open and you are on a tour, and it stops when you end the tour, leave the tour screen, switch to another app or browser tab, or lock your phone. We never request "Always" or background location access.
- Map tiles. As the map follows you, your device loads map images for the area around you directly from OpenFreeMap, which can therefore infer the general area you are viewing (as with any online map).
- Your choice. Tours work without location: you can tap any stop to listen. You can allow approximate location only, but automatic playback needs precise location.
The positions of tour stops and trails are places, not your location. They are part of the tour content.
Camera
Walk and Hear does not use your camera.
Payments
Paid plans are bought through Stripe's hosted checkout. Stripe collects your name, email, card details and billing address. We do not see or store your full card number. We store the Stripe customer and subscription identifiers, plan, billing status and renewal date for your organisation.
Usage counts
For plan limits we keep monthly totals per organisation: narration characters generated and (when enabled) listener sessions started. These are counts, not a history of what any one person listened to.
Security records and server logs
We keep an internal audit record of changes to tours (which account made the change, which tour, the action and the time). Our hosting provider, Google Cloud, records standard request logs (such as IP address, browser type, the page or file requested and the time) to operate and secure the Service. These logs are deleted automatically after 30 days.
What we do not collect
- No advertising identifiers, no ad networks, no cross-app tracking.
- No analytics or crash-reporting tools. If we ever add them, we will update this policy first.
- No contacts, photos, calendar, health or financial-account data.
- No sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising, as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA.
Legal bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland)
- Contract: to provide your account, tours, narration, playback and paid plans.
- Legitimate interests: to secure the Service, prevent abuse, keep audit records and understand overall usage through counts.
- Consent: for microphone and location permissions, which you control in your device settings and can withdraw at any time.
- Legal obligation: to keep billing and tax records.
How long we keep it
- Account identifier, roles and invitations: while your account or the invitation is active, then deleted on request (see Delete your account).
- Tour content, recordings and narration audio: while the owning organisation keeps the tour. Archiving a tour hides it but does not delete it; published versions are kept so listeners get a consistent tour. They are deleted when the owner asks us to delete the tour or the account.
- Billing records: 7 years, as tax and accounting law requires.
- Audit records: 12 months, then deleted.
- Server request logs: 30 days, then deleted automatically.
- Backups: any copies of your data in backups are kept for no more than 30 days. One exception: a one-time backup of the Waterford demo tour, made when the Service was set up, is kept indefinitely; it holds only that tour's content.
- After deletion: when we delete data at your request, it is fully removed from our systems, including backups, within 30 days.
Your choices and rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to access, correct, export or delete your personal information, and you can turn off microphone or location permissions in your device settings at any time. Depending on where you live (for example the EEA, UK, Switzerland, California and other US states with privacy laws), you may also have the right to object to or restrict processing, to withdraw consent, and to appeal our decision. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.
To make a request, email support@toplevelcode.com from the email address on your account. We will confirm your identity, respond within 30 days (45 days under the CCPA, extendable where the law allows), and tell you if we must keep anything. You can also complain to your local data protection authority. California residents may use an authorised agent.
Account deletion: see Delete your account and data.
Children
Accounts are for adults acting for themselves or an organisation; you must be at least 16 to create one. The Service is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact support@toplevelcode.com and we will delete it.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and stored with Google Cloud, which encrypts data at rest. Every request is checked against your signed-in identity and your role on the specific tour; access to audio is re-checked on every request. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects you, we will notify you as the law requires.
Where the Service is offered
Walk and Hear is offered in the United States. We are based in the United States and our servers are in the United States, so if you use the Service from elsewhere, your information is processed in the US.
Changes and contact
We will post changes here and update the effective date; for material changes we will notify account holders by email or in the app before they take effect. Questions: support@toplevelcode.com, or write to Top Level Code LLC, 14 3rd St, Waterford, NY 12188.