bamboo
bamboo Privacy Policy
Last updated: 14 November 2026
bamboo is an app for taking on challenges that help you grow, sharing how they went, and doing them with friends. This policy explains what information bamboo collects, why, who can see it, and the choices you have.
Who we are. bamboo is run by Thomas James Hayes Gaha, New South Wales, Australia ("bamboo", "we", "us"). Contact us at support@bamboochallenge.app.
1. What we collect
Information you give us
- Account details: email address, password (stored scrambled; we can never see it), username, real name and date of birth.
- Profile: profile photo, your region (such as a city or area you pick from a list), and the starting levels you choose for each domain.
- What you make on bamboo: challenges you accept or create, your progress and private log-book entries, posts (text, photos and videos), comments, likes ("big ups"), links you share, and messages in collab chats.
- Friends and collabs: friend requests, your friends list, people you block, and collab requests.
- Reports and feedback: reports you send about content or people, and messages you send with the feedback button.
Information collected automatically
- Push notification address: a code from your phone that lets us send notifications, if you allow them.
- Feedback details: when you send feedback, we also record the screen you were on, the app version and your phone model, to help fix problems.
- Basic service records: our hosting providers keep short-lived technical records (such as the time of a request and an IP address) to keep the service running and secure.
We do not use your phone's GPS location, your contacts or your camera, and we do not use advertising trackers.
2. Why we use it
- To run your account and the app: daily challenges, your progress, streaks and levels.
- To show your posts to the people you choose, and to show you posts from friends and the community (Highlights).
- To suggest collab partners. We match people using their age band (worked out from date of birth; your birthday itself is never shown), their region, and the challenge.
- To send notifications you've allowed, such as your daily challenge and collab messages.
- To keep bamboo safe: checking age (bamboo is for people aged 16 and over), reviewing reports, and removing content or accounts that break our Community Guidelines.
- To answer you and improve the app, using your feedback.
We don't sell your personal information, and we don't use it for advertising.
3. Who can see what
| Information | Who sees it |
|---|---|
| Username, profile photo | Anyone on bamboo |
| Real name | Only your friends |
| Date of birth | No one (used only for age checks and matching) |
| Region | No one. It is used only for Highlights and collab matching |
| Posts | Your friends or everyone, as you choose for each post |
| Log-book entries | Only you, unless you post them |
| Collab chat messages | Only the people in that chat |
| Reports | Only bamboo's admins (the person reported isn't told who reported them) |
People you block can't see your content or contact you.
4. Service providers we use
We share information only with companies that help us run bamboo, and only for that purpose:
- Supabase stores the database, photos and videos, and handles sign-in. The data is stored in Sydney, Australia.
- Expo (650 Industries, USA) delivers app updates and push notifications. Notifications pass through Apple and Google to reach your phone.
- Vercel (USA) hosts our website and admin tools.
These providers must protect your information. We may also share information if the law requires it, for example with police in a case of serious harm, or with authorities about child safety.
5. If you are outside Australia
bamboo is based in Australia, and your information is stored in Australia. If you live in the UK or US, your information is transferred to Australia.
6. How long we keep it
We keep your information while your account is open. When you delete your account, we delete your profile, posts, photos, videos, comments, messages and other information linked to you. Copies in our backups are removed as backups roll over, within about 7 days. We may keep a limited record longer where the law requires it or to deal with serious safety issues, such as a ban for abuse.
7. Your choices and rights
- See and change your details in Settings.
- Choose who sees each post (friends or everyone).
- Turn notifications off in Settings or in your phone's settings.
- Block anyone.
- Delete your account at any time: Settings › Delete account. If you can't sign in, email support@bamboochallenge.app from your account's email address.
- Ask for a copy of your information, or ask us to correct it, by emailing support@bamboochallenge.app.
Depending on where you live, you may have more rights, such as objecting to some uses. You can also complain to a regulator: the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au), or in the UK the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk). Please contact us first so we can try to help.
8. Age
bamboo is only for people aged 16 and over. We check date of birth at sign-up. If we learn that someone under 16 has an account, we will delete it. If you think a child is using bamboo, email support@bamboochallenge.app.
9. Security
Information is sent over encrypted connections. Access is limited by strict rules in our database, so people only see what they are allowed to see. Private photos and videos are only shared through short-lived links. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password that you don't use anywhere else.
10. Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change is important, we'll tell you in the app.
11. Contact
support@bamboochallenge.app · Thomas James Hayes Gaha, New South Wales, Australia