PRIVACY

Privacy, without surprises.

This policy explains what followme.run handles when you explore routes, train as a Runner, contribute to the community or connect a Creator channel.

Last updated:

We designed followme.run around official third-party players, limited data collection and clear Creator attribution. This policy covers our website, API and Android TV app.

1. Who is responsible

followme.run ("we", "us" or "our") operates the service and determines the processing described here. This policy applies to guests, Runners and Creators. It does not replace the privacy terms of Google, YouTube, Bilibili or another service you choose to open.

2. Information we collect

The information we handle depends on what you choose to do:

  • Account and profile data: email address, hashed password, display name, language, account status, email-verification records and session records. Creator profiles can include a display name, bio and channel-verification status.
  • Community data: Wishes, comments, reactions, likes, saved routes, Creator-task participation, submissions, review status and friendship relationships. Public posts and public profile names are visible to other people.
  • Message data: one-to-one message content, participants, timestamps, read positions and each participant's private clear state.
  • Training and TV data: connected-device identifiers, activation, scenes, timestamps and active duration. If you choose to save a training profile, we store height, weight, calibrated step length, display units and optional sex/birth year privately on your account. Workout records retain that profile/settings snapshot and estimated steps, distance, pace and energy; changing or clearing the current profile does not rewrite past workouts. We do not collect health-sensor readings or share your body profile with video providers.
  • Place data: country, city, place name and, when selected from Google Places, Google Place ID and latitude/longitude. Creators or Admins may add route distance. We do not request browser geolocation or save a map viewport.
  • Media data: third-party video provider, canonical video/channel identifiers, public title, author/channel details, thumbnail, duration, route image and related metadata. We do not download, proxy, transcode or store third-party video streams.
  • Technical data: session cookies, language and interface preferences, request/security logs and referral events. A referral event stores campaign, destination type, source and time plus a daily one-way visitor hash used to suppress repeat abuse; the attribution record does not store your user ID, IP address or full Referer.

3. Why we use information

We use information only where needed to operate and protect the product, including to:

  • create and secure accounts, verify email, maintain sessions and provide requested features;
  • show saved routes, workout history, language and non-sensitive form preferences;
  • publish and moderate community contributions, count support and enable friendships and private messaging;
  • verify Creator channel ownership, review submissions, publish attribution and report aggregate followme.run workouts and official YouTube visits;
  • detect abuse, diagnose failures, enforce product rules and protect users and the service;
  • meet legal obligations and respond to valid requests.

4. Google and YouTube user data

When a Creator explicitly chooses to connect a YouTube channel, we use Google's OAuth authorization-code flow for that one purpose.

  • Access: we request only https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly and read the authorized account's YouTube channel ID, title, public URL and thumbnail.
  • Use and storage: we use the result to verify channel ownership and associate that channel identity with the Creator profile. We store the channel identity and verification time.
  • Tokens: after the callback completes, we do not store the Google access token or refresh token and cannot upload, edit or delete YouTube content.
  • Sharing: we send OAuth and channel lookup requests to Google/YouTube. We do not sell Google user data, use it for advertising, or disclose it to unrelated third parties.
  • Control and deletion: you may revoke followme.run access in your Google Account at any time. Revocation stops future authorized access; contact us to request deletion of the saved channel identity and Creator association.

Our use and transfer of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

Review or revoke access in Google Account

5. Maps, media and service providers

Google Maps and Places load only when a map or place-search feature is used. A selected Place ID is sent to Google for place details, normalized display fields and coordinates; the server caches that lookup for 30 days. Google may receive network, browser and device information under its own policy. Manual location entry remains available when Google is unavailable.

Official YouTube or Bilibili players load when you open a route player or explicitly play a Featured route; visits to an official video or channel open that provider's service. The provider may receive your IP address, device/browser details, cookies and interaction information under its own terms. We do not modify the player or skip advertising.

Wish and comment text, together with limited content context, may be sent to our configured AI moderation provider (currently OpenAI) to assess community safety and exercise relevance. We keep the moderation result, reason, confidence/category signals and operational errors for review and enforcement.

Our email delivery provider processes your email address and verification-message content. Hosting, database, cache, monitoring and security providers process only the information needed to operate and protect the service.

6. Visibility and sharing

We disclose information only for the product behaviors described here:

  • Public routes, Creator attribution, Creator tasks, Wishes, comments, reactions and public display names can be seen by anyone or by the community context in which they are posted.
  • One-to-one messages are available to their participants. Authorized operations personnel may access records only when reasonably needed for support, safety, security or legal compliance.
  • Service providers receive the minimum information needed for hosting, maps, media playback, OAuth/channel verification, moderation, email delivery, monitoring and security, subject to their contracts and policies.
  • We may disclose information when required by law, to protect rights and safety, or as part of a business reorganization where appropriate safeguards continue to apply.
  • We do not sell personal information and do not use it for cross-service targeted advertising. Creator referral metrics are aggregate followme.run-attributed visits; they do not prove a subscription, YouTube watch time, advertising revenue or income.

7. Cookies and browser storage

We use necessary HttpOnly session cookies to keep you signed in and a language cookie to remember Simplified Chinese. These support authentication and preferences, not third-party advertising.

Your browser may store theme/interface choices, non-sensitive activity/country/city/category form preferences for up to 180 days, compact-control position, and form drafts in the current tab for up to 24 hours. You can clear these through browser controls; blocking necessary storage may limit sign-in or preference features.

8. Retention and security

We retain account, community, message, workout, Creator and device records while needed to provide the service and for legitimate safety, dispute and legal needs. Sessions and verification/OAuth-state records expire on configured schedules, and Google place-resolution cache entries expire after 30 days. When deletion is requested, we delete or de-identify eligible data, subject to legal, fraud-prevention and backup-restoration constraints.

We use access controls, scoped credentials, encrypted transport, hashed passwords and hashed session/verification tokens, provider allowlists and bounded external requests. No system is perfectly secure; please contact us if you believe your account or data has been compromised.

9. Your choices and rights

You may ask to access, correct or delete your personal information, object to or restrict certain processing, or receive information about your data, subject to applicable law. You can also edit or remove your public contributions where product controls are available, clear browser storage, revoke Google access and stop using the service.

Email us from the address associated with your account so we can verify the request. We may retain limited records where required for security, fraud prevention, disputes or law, and we will explain any applicable limitation.

10. International processing and children

followme.run and its providers may process information in countries other than yours. Where required, we use appropriate contractual or legal safeguards for those transfers.

The service is not directed to children who cannot lawfully consent to this processing in their location. If you believe a child provided personal information without required permission, contact us so we can review and remove it where appropriate.

11. Changes and contact

We may update this policy when the product, providers or legal requirements change. We will update the date above and provide additional notice when a material change requires it.

Privacy enquiries and data requestsprivacy@followme.runInclude the account email and a clear description of the request. Do not send passwords, OAuth secrets or identity documents unless we specifically request a secure verification step.