Privacy policy

Last updated: 7 October 2026. WildPing is operated by Nexarch Limited, New Zealand. This policy explains what we collect, why, who can see it and how long we keep it. Our privacy officer is Lee O'Grady — email info@wildping.co.nz.

The short version

WildPing shares your location with people you choose, and with safety organisations only if you allow it or join one. We collect what's needed to do that and to send an emergency alert when you ask. Your track is not public, we don't sell your data or use it for advertising, and you can delete your account from the app.

What we collect

• Location. Your device's position, with a timestamp, accuracy, battery level and which network carried each point. Collected only while tracking is switched on, including in the background.
• Tracking state. Whether tracking is on, off or paused, and when that last changed.
• Sign-in details. You sign in with Apple or Google. We receive an account identifier and, where you share them, your email address and name.
• Your name. The name you choose in the app.
• Mobile number (optional). If you add it, we don't store the number itself — only a keyed fingerprint of it, the country and the last two digits. It lets an organisation you're visible to find you by that number (see below).
• Share code & password. A short code per device and a password you set (stored as a one-way hash) so the people you share with can view your track.
• Emergency contact. The name, email and/or phone number you enter. Used only to alert that person when you send an emergency alert. Organisations can't search by these details.
• Emergency alert record. When you trigger an alert: the time and your position at the time.
• Device identifier. A random identifier generated by the app to link your points to your account, and a name for the device if you give one.
• Subscription. If you subscribe, an identifier for the purchase from Apple or Google (or a one-way hash of it), so one subscription applies to one account, and its expiry date.
• IP addresses. Used to limit repeated wrong share passwords and failed device-pairing attempts, and recorded with organisation staff actions in their audit log.

How we use it

• To show your live location and recent track to people with your share code and password, or an active emergency-alert link.
• To email and text your emergency contact a live-tracking link when you send an alert.
• To show you to organisations you've allowed or joined (see below).
• To run your free and paid tracking balance and subscription.
• To prevent abuse: limiting repeated alerts, wrong passwords and pairing attempts.

Who can see your track

People you give your share code and password to, or who open an emergency-alert link while that alert is active. Codes and passwords a viewer enters are kept in their own browser. Treat a tracking link like a house key. You can change your share password at any time to cut off access; repeated wrong passwords are locked out for a while.

Organisations

Organisations are vetted by WildPing (ski patrols, park teams, event safety crews, employers, training providers). Their staff use a web dashboard or paired WildRescue devices; both see the same information. They can see you in two ways:

• Inside their boundary (anonymous). The app asks whether to allow vetted organisations to see you inside their boundaries — Allow or Not now. You can change it in Settings at any time. If you allow it, an approved organisation sees you as an anonymous tag while you're inside its boundary: your position and recent track inside it, battery, network type, whether tracking is on, off or paused, whether you've stopped moving, and — if you leave — your last point inside and the direction you were heading. This is kept for 7 days. Switching it off removes you from every organisation straight away.
• On a roster (named). If you enter an organisation's join code, it sees your name, position and track for as long as you stay joined, kept for the period shown when you join (7 days unless stated, at most 90). While joined, the alert button alerts that organisation instead of your personal contact, and it may switch off your share link. You can leave at any time.

Some features go further, and each is logged in the organisation's audit log and reported to WildPing when used:

• Find a person. Staff can search by a tracking link or share code, your mobile number, your sign-in email, or your chosen name. Results only include people who were inside that organisation's boundary in the last 7 days with visibility allowed, or who are on its roster. Each search needs a written reason and searches are limited per day.
• Identify. Staff can ask who an anonymous tag is, with a written reason. The dashboard shows them your name. Limited per day.
• Missing person. If a staff member certifies that you are missing and in danger, the organisation can see your track for up to 24 hours, including outside its boundary, going back to shortly before you were last inside (at most 7 days). Only one certification at a time, a limited number per week, and a renewal needs one of the organisation's administrators.

Organisations sign an agreement limiting use to safety, have no export or download of your track, and sign in with named accounts and two-factor authentication. The approved list is at wildping.co.nz/organisations-safety.

Service providers and where data is stored

Your data is stored with Amazon Web Services in Sydney, Australia, with a standby copy in Singapore so the service keeps running if the Sydney region fails. We also use Apple and Google (sign-in, purchases, maps), map tile providers for the web pages, and others listed on our service providers page. They process data only to provide those functions. Your mobile carrier, and satellite services such as Starlink Direct to Cell, carry your data to us.

How long we keep it

• Location points: 7 days after we receive them. If you're on a roster, points shared with that organisation are kept for its stated period (at most 90 days).
• Organisation boundary presence: 7 days after you were last inside.
• Organisation audit logs: 180 days.
• Emergency alert record: while your account exists, to prevent abuse of alerts.
• Account, profile, share and contact details: while your account exists.
• Server logs: 90 days. These can include the position sent with an emergency alert.
• Backups: 35 days.
• Email sent to wildping.co.nz addresses: 30 days.
• Information provided to Police or a court: kept with the record of that request.

Requests from Police and courts

We disclose personal information to Police or other agencies only where the Privacy Act 2020 allows it — to prevent or lessen a serious threat to someone's life or safety, or for the maintenance of the law — or where a court order, production order or coroner requires it. We verify every request, disclose only what is necessary, record each disclosure, and tell you afterwards where the law allows. If a request arrives after your data has expired, we have nothing to give. While a request is being dealt with we pause automatic deletion of the data it covers.

Deleting your data

Open the app → Settings → Delete account. This deletes your account, profile, share codes, emergency contact, recorded location points and any organisation presence or roster membership. It can't be undone. You can also email info@wildping.co.nz and we'll do it for you.

Some copies remain for a limited time: server logs (up to 90 days), backups (up to 35 days) and organisation audit logs (up to 180 days). If data is under a legal hold because of a Police or court request, deletion of that data waits until the hold ends.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by emailing info@wildping.co.nz. If you're not happy with how we handle it, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (privacy.org.nz).

Safety notice

WildPing is an additional tool, not a rescue system. It is not a personal locator beacon (PLB), a rescue service, or an avalanche transceiver, and satellite delivery depends on your phone, plan and a clear view of the sky. Always carry appropriate safety equipment and contact official rescue services in a genuine emergency.

Children

WildPing is not directed at children under 13 and we don't knowingly collect their data.

Changes

If we update this policy we'll change the date above and, for material changes, tell you in the app or on this page.