Last updated 13 September 2026

Who we are

Around Me (the app and aroundme.guide) is operated by FTV London Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 07685945. Our contact address is Suite 15, 4 Talbot Road, Bayswater, London W2 5LH. We are the controller of the personal data described here. Contact us about privacy at hello@aroundme.guide.

If you use Around Me to find businesses

You don’t need an account. To show businesses near you, the app sends your device’s position with each search so we can work out distances. We don’t link it to you or build a location history. Our web server logs, which can include those searches, are deleted after 30 days. If you choose a country yourself, that choice is stored only on your device.

If you review a business, you sign in with your email. Your star ratings, your review text and the name you choose to show are public; your email address is never shown. We keep the review until you delete it or your account, and use your account only to let you edit it and to stop fake or repeated reviews (legitimate interests). If you report a review, we keep the report and your IP address.

If you report a listing, we keep the report, your IP address and — only if you give it — your email address, so we can review the listing and prevent abuse.

If you earn referral commission, we keep a record of each commission (the business, amount and dates) and of payouts, for accounting and tax (6 years). To pay you, we keep the account name and bank details you give us, encrypted, and only use them to send your commission; you can change them at any time and they are deleted when you delete your account.

If you accept an invite on our website, we keep the email address you enter and any business details you add, so we can email you a confirmation link and the app download, pre-fill your listing in the app, and credit the person who invited you once you list. If you don’t confirm within 7 days the details are deleted; confirmed details are deleted after 90 days if you haven’t listed a business. We send one reminder at most.

If you ask for the app download link on our Get the app page, we keep your email address, the date, your IP address and how you reached the page (for example a link shared on WhatsApp), so we know who has the test version and can prevent abuse (legitimate interests). If you tick the box, we also email you when the iPhone app is available (consent) — you can ask us to stop at any time.

If you list a business

Data	Why we use it	Lawful basis
Email address and name	Sign-in codes, your account, confirmation and upgrade reminders, service messages	Contract
Your device’s location when you add, confirm or move a listing, with its accuracy and whether it was reported as a simulated location	Placing the listing correctly and checking it is confirmed from the premises	Contract; legitimate interests (preventing fake listings)
IP address, device type and app version at those moments	Security and fraud prevention	Legitimate interests
Business details you publish: name, address, phone, email, website, hours, description, cover photo and PDF brochure	Showing your listing to customers	Contract
Upgrade purchases (amount, tier, date, Stripe payment reference)	Providing Gold or Platinum, accounting and tax	Contract; legal obligation

The app reads your location only while you are adding, confirming or moving a listing, or searching — never in the background. It uses your camera or photo library only when you choose to add a cover photo, and your files only when you choose a brochure. Photos are re-processed when uploaded, which removes hidden data such as where the photo was taken.

Business details, photos and brochures you publish are public: anyone using Around Me can see and download them.

Payments

Card payments are handled by Stripe. You enter card details on Stripe’s secure page; they never reach us. Stripe’s own privacy policy applies to that information.

How long we keep data

Your account and listings: until you delete them. Deleting your account removes it and all your listings straight away; copies in backups are overwritten within 30 days.
Payment records: 6 years, as required for tax. After you delete your account they are no longer linked to you.
Sign-in codes: expire after 10 minutes and are deleted after 30 days.
Web server logs: 30 days.
Contact form messages and dealt-with listing reports: 12 months.
Get the app sign-ups: 12 months after your last visit, or until the iPhone app launches and we have told you, if you asked us to.

Cookies

The website uses a few essential cookies to work (for example to keep forms secure and remember your cookie choice). These can’t be switched off.

With your permission, we also use StatCounter analytics cookies to count visits and see which pages are useful. StatCounter receives the address of the page you’re on, your IP address and basic browser details. It only runs after you choose “Accept” on the cookie banner, and never on pages with one-time links (email confirmations, account deletion, payments). To change your choice, clear this site’s cookies and the banner will ask again. The Around Me app doesn’t use StatCounter or any analytics.

Who we share data with

We don’t sell personal data or use it for advertising. We use these service providers, who process data on our behalf:

Hetzner Online — server hosting in the European Union
Cloudflare — website delivery and security
Queen SMTP — sending sign-in codes and reminder emails
Stripe — card payments
StatCounter — website visit statistics, only if you accept analytics cookies
Google Fonts — the website loads its typeface from Google, which receives your IP address

Some of these providers process data outside the UK. Where they do, the transfer is covered by UK adequacy regulations or the UK’s approved contract terms. Tapping Directions opens Google Maps, and Call opens your phone app; those services’ own terms apply.

Children

Around Me is not aimed at children. You must be 18 or over to create an account or list a business, and we don’t knowingly collect data from children under 13.

Your rights

You can ask to access, correct or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. Email hello@aroundme.guide. We reply within one month.

You can delete your account yourself at any time, in the app (More → Delete account) or on our website.

If you’re unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Changes

If we change this notice we’ll update the date above, and tell account holders by email about significant changes.

Privacy notice