Who We Are
NearbyGPT is an AI assistant that helps people in Alexandria, Egypt decide where to eat. We operate the NearbyGPT website, the iOS and Android apps, and the backend service behind them. We are the controller of the personal data described here.
The data controller is NearbyGPT. You can reach us at hello@nearbygpt.app for any privacy question or request.
The Short Version
- You can use NearbyGPT without an account. Signing in lets us keep your conversation history.
- Location is optional. If you say no, the app searches whatever area the map is showing instead, and nothing else changes.
- What you type is sent to an AI provider so it can be understood. Recommendations always come from our own curated Alexandria restaurant database, not from the AI's imagination.
- Nothing you type is shown to other users or published anywhere.
- We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for advertising or cross-app tracking.
- You can delete your account and everything tied to it at any time.
Information We Collect
Account information
When you create an account, we receive your email address from our sign-in provider, Clerk. If you sign in with Google, we also receive the name and profile picture on that Google account. Our own database stores only the account identifier. Your name, email, and password live with Clerk.
Conversations
We collect the questions and requests you type or speak, the replies NearbyGPT gives you, and which restaurants were shown to you in response.
Location
We use your device's location only if you grant permission. See the Location Data section below.
Photos and documents
We receive a menu photo or PDF only if you choose to attach it to a restaurant. We do not access your photo library otherwise.
Voice recordings
If you use the microphone button, the audio clip is sent to be turned into text. It is not kept afterwards.
Diagnostics
We receive crash reports and basic performance data. These include your account identifier, email address, and name so we can follow up on a crash that affected you.
Location Data
We ask for location permission the first time you open the map. We ask only for location while the app is in use. We never track your location in the background. Android lets you grant approximate or precise location, and we treat location as precise. On iOS, we request when-in-use location.
Your coordinates are held in the app's memory for the current session. They are sent with a search request so we can work out which part of the city to search. We do not write your coordinates to our database or attach them to your account. The app saves the last map position on your device so the map opens where you left it. That position stays on your device.
Location permission is optional and costs you nothing. If you decline, pan or zoom the map to the neighbourhood you care about. The app searches whatever area the map is showing, and every feature works the same way.
- We use location to centre the map on you and narrow restaurant results to the area around you.
- We do not store your coordinates or location history.
- Our map SDK is Mapbox. It receives the map area being viewed so it can draw the map.
Your Prompts and AI Processing
When you ask NearbyGPT something, the text of your request and the earlier messages in that conversation are sent to a third-party AI provider so the request can be interpreted. Those providers are Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter. Your query text is also sent to OpenAI to be converted into a numeric representation used for searching our restaurant database.
We send the text of your message, the conversation so far, and the restaurant information we are asking about. We do not send your name, email address, or GPS coordinates.
Recommendations come from our own curated Alexandria restaurant database. The AI's job is to understand what you asked for and phrase the answer. It does not invent restaurants.
We do not train any model on your conversations. We use these providers under their standard API terms, which do not permit your inputs to be used to train their models.
We keep your conversation history so you can come back to it. It is retained until you delete your account or ask us to delete it. Nothing you type is shared with other users or published anywhere.
How We Use Information
We use information to:
- Answer your requests and recommend restaurants.
- Keep your conversation history available across sessions.
- Keep the map centred usefully.
- Let you add a restaurant to your own private collection.
- Investigate crashes and errors.
- Measure which searches and restaurants are popular, in aggregate, to improve the database.
- Respond to support requests.
- Meet legal obligations.
How Long We Keep It
- Account details and conversation history are kept until you delete your account.
- Voice recordings are discarded as soon as they are transcribed.
- Crash reports are kept for up to 90 days by Sentry.
- Aggregated, anonymised statistics about searches and restaurant popularity are kept indefinitely because they can no longer be connected to you.
- Records the law requires us to keep are kept only for as long as the law requires.
Deleting Your Account
In the app, go to Settings → Account → Delete account. If you have lost access to your account, request deletion at https://nearbygpt.app/delete-account. The web request requires no login and no app install.
Deletion is processed automatically and usually completes within 24 hours. In rare cases it may take up to 30 days. Once processed it cannot be reversed.
What is erased
- Your account identity, including the email address and any linked Google sign-in.
- Restaurants you added to your personal collection.
- Your conversation and prompt history.
- Any stored location preferences.
- Device identifiers held in crash reports.
What survives, and why
- Aggregated, anonymised statistics that can no longer be tied to you. These are kept indefinitely.
- Records we are legally required to retain. These are kept only for the period the law requires.
- Routine encrypted backups. These rotate out within 90 days and are never used to restore a deleted account.
Your Rights
We operate from Egypt. Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 151 of 2020) applies to how we handle your data. Because our database is hosted in the European Union and our users may travel, we also honour GDPR rights for everyone, wherever they are.
These rights are access, rectification, erasure, portability, restriction, objection, and withdrawal of consent. Send a request to hello@nearbygpt.app. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to complain to a supervisory authority.
Age Requirement
NearbyGPT is intended for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have, we delete it. If you believe a child has given us data, write to hello@nearbygpt.app.
Security
We use encryption in transit and access controls to protect personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Sign-in credentials are handled by Clerk and are never stored by us.
No system for electronic transmission or storage is perfectly secure.
Where Your Data Is Stored
We operate from Egypt and serve Alexandria. Our database is hosted in the European Union, and our processors operate in the EU and the United States. By using NearbyGPT, your data is transferred to and processed in those places. We rely on our processors' standard contractual clauses for those transfers.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date and provide notice where required by applicable law. We will also announce material changes in the app before they take effect.