Privacy
Privacy policy
This policy explains how we process personal data when you use Vekara, in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Finnish Data Protection Act (tietosuojalaki 1050/2018).
1. Controller
The data controller is the family that operates Vekara from Vantaa, Finland (“we”, “us”).
Contact for privacy matters: support@vekara.app.
We do not have a designated Data Protection Officer. You may contact us at the address above, or lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto) in Finland, or with your local EU supervisory authority.
2. What we collect
- Account data: display name, email address, password (stored as a hash), optional profile photo, bio and neighbourhood/area.
- Marketplace data: listings, photos, prices, condition, messages, item requests/orders, saved and watched items, and reviews.
- Approximate location: an area label and, if you share it, a rough map point. We do not publish your exact home address or live GPS track.
- Technical data: a sign-in session in your browser, and basic security logs needed to run and protect the service. When you sign in or register we may run an automated check to block spam and abuse.
We do not ask children to create accounts. Vekara is for parents and other adults acting on behalf of a family. You must be 18 or over to register.
3. Why we process data (legal bases)
- Contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)): to create your account, publish listings, send confirmation and password-reset email, enable messages, requests and reviews.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): to keep the service secure, prevent abuse, improve reliability, and show approximate distance on the map. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): to keep records we are required to keep, and to handle notices under the EU Digital Services Act.
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): only where we ask for it (for example optional analytics cookies, if introduced later). You can withdraw consent at any time.
We do not sell your personal data. We do not use it for automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
4. Who we share data with
We use trusted service providers to operate Vekara. They may only process personal data on our instructions, and only as needed for that task:
- hosting and running the service
- sending account email (confirmation and password reset)
- storing and delivering listing photos
- protecting sign-in from spam and automated abuse
A current list of those providers is available on request at support@vekara.app.
Other users see what you choose to publish: your display name, listings, reviews you leave, and messages you send to them. We may disclose data if required by EU or Finnish law, or to protect someone’s vital interests.
5. Transfers outside the EEA
Some processors may store or access data outside the European Economic Area. Where that happens, we rely on an adequacy decision or on Standard Contractual Clauses together with appropriate safeguards, as required by GDPR Chapter V.
6. How long we keep data
We keep account and listing data for as long as your account is open. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymise personal data unless we must keep it longer for legal claims, security, or bookkeeping. Messages and orders tied to another user may be retained in a limited form so the other party’s history still makes sense. Security logs are kept only as long as needed for that purpose.
7. Your rights
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict and port your personal data, and to object to processing based on legitimate interests. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In Finland that is the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto).
To exercise your rights, email support@vekara.app. We will respond within one month, as required by the GDPR.
8. Cookies and local storage
Vekara uses strictly necessary storage in your browser so you can stay signed in. These are not advertising cookies. If we later use optional analytics, we will ask for consent first.
9. Security
We protect Vekara with encryption in transit and industry-standard account security. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure. Please choose a strong password and do not share listing photos that reveal your home address, children’s faces if you do not want them public, or other sensitive details.
10. Changes
If we change this policy in a material way, we will update this page and the effective date. Continued use of Vekara after that date means you have seen the updated policy.
Tietosuoja lyhyesti
Rekisterinpitäjä on Vekaraa Vantaalla pyörittävä perhe. Yhteys: support@vekara.app. Käsittelemme tilitietoja, ilmoituksia, viestejä, tilauksia ja arvioita palvelun tarjoamiseksi (sopimus), turvallisuuden vuoksi (oikeutettu etu) ja lain niin vaatiessa. Emme myy tietojasi. Sinulla on GDPR:n mukaiset oikeudet, ja voit tehdä valituksen tietosuojavaltuutetulle.