Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2026 · Compliant with PIPEDA (Canada)

1. Who We Are

LitterQ is a waste reporting platform operated in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy laws.

Contact: info@litterq.ca

2. Information We Collect

Data Type	What We Collect	Why
Account data	Name, email address, phone number (pickers only)	To create and manage your account
Location data	GPS coordinates at time of report submission	To tag reports to the correct address and municipality
Photos	Images of waste items you photograph	To document reports and enable AI waste identification
Usage data	Reports submitted, points earned, app activity	To operate the points system and provide analytics to municipalities
Device data	Device ID (anonymized)	For fraud prevention and rate limiting

3. How We Use Your Information

• To process and display waste reports to municipal administrators
• To operate the points, rankings, and rewards system
• To enable waste collector (picker) assignment and coordination
• To detect and prevent fraudulent report submissions
• To provide municipalities with anonymized aggregate statistics
• To communicate important service updates

4. Data Storage & Security

All data is stored using Google Firebase, with servers located in Canada and the United States. Firebase is SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified. Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest.

We implement rate limiting, device fingerprinting (anonymized), and perceptual photo hashing to prevent abuse of the platform.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in the following circumstances:

• Municipal partners: Report data (location, photo, waste type) is shared with the municipality in whose jurisdiction the report was submitted. Personal identity is not shared unless required for picker assignment.
• Service providers: Google Firebase for hosting and data storage. These providers are bound by data processing agreements.
• Legal requirements: If required by Canadian law or a valid court order.

6. Children's Privacy

LitterQ does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If you are under 13, you may not use LitterQ. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided personal information, we will delete it promptly.

For users aged 13–17, we recommend parental review of this Privacy Policy. Schools participating in LitterQ programs should ensure student participation complies with their board's data governance policies.

7. Your Rights (PIPEDA)

Under Canadian privacy law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your account and associated data
• Withdraw consent for data processing (note: this may limit your ability to use the Service)
• File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@litterq.ca.

8. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Resolved reports are retained for up to 24 months for municipal audit purposes, after which they are anonymized. You may request deletion of your account at any time.

9. Cookies & Analytics

The LitterQ website (litterq.ca) may use minimal analytics to understand visitor behaviour. No advertising cookies or third-party tracking is used. The mobile app does not use cookies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of significant changes via the app or email. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

11. Contact & Complaints

Privacy inquiries: info@litterq.ca

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca.