Privacy Policy
Last updated: 15 May 2026 · Effective date: launch date
BarkGuard ("the App", "we", "our", "us") is operated by Erbacci Ltd, a company registered in the Republic of Cyprus under registration number HE 457237 (VAT CY60052196C), with registered office at Strovolou 77, Strovolos Center, Flat/Office 301, 2018 Strovolos, Lefkosia, Cyprus ("the Controller").
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect when you use BarkGuard, why we collect it, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your data. We aim to be plain-English. If anything is unclear, email info@erbacciltd.com.
1. Summary at a glance
- We connect to your Ring account via Ring's official Partner OAuth — we never see or store your Ring password.
- We process motion event metadata and snapshot images from your Ring camera(s) to provide pet activity tracking.
- We do not record audio. Ring's Partner API does not expose audio to us.
- Snapshots are stored encrypted on Amazon S3 in the EU (eu-west-1 region) for 30 days, then automatically deleted.
- We do not sell your data, ever. Period.
- You can delete your account and all associated data at any time from the App or by emailing us.
2. Who is the Data Controller
Erbacci Ltd is the Controller of your personal data under the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR.
- Email: info@erbacciltd.com
- Postal: Strovolou 77, Strovolos Center, Flat/Office 301, 2018 Strovolos, Lefkosia, Cyprus
- Company number: HE 457237 · VAT: CY60052196C
3. What data we collect
| Category | Data | Source | Lawful basis |
|---|
| Identifier | Ring account ID (an opaque token like ava1.ring.account.XXX) | Ring OAuth | Contract |
| Device data | Ring device IDs, device names ("Living Room Cam"), camera capabilities | Ring Partner API | Contract |
| Activity data | Motion event timestamps, classification (animal/human/vehicle/package), camera snapshot images at event time | Ring Partner Webhook | Contract |
| App settings | Dog's name, push notification token, alert preferences | You | Contract |
| Subscription data | Ring Appstore subscription status (active/cancelled), number of subscribed cameras | Ring Billing | Contract |
| Diagnostic data | Anonymised error logs (no personal content) | App | Legitimate interest |
What we do NOT collect
- ❌ Audio recordings (Ring does not expose audio to us — and we have not requested it)
- ❌ Video recordings (we only request still snapshots, not the full video stream)
- ❌ Your real name, email, phone number, address (Ring does not share these with partners)
- ❌ Your location (we do not request location permission)
- ❌ Your contacts, photos, calendar, or other apps' data
- ❌ Browser tracking / advertising IDs / fingerprinting
4. How we use your data
We process the data above for the following purposes:
- Service delivery: detecting your dog's activity, sending you push notifications, displaying the dashboard with snapshots and stats.
- AI scene analysis: snapshot images are passed to Amazon Rekognition (in EU region) to detect whether an animal/person/vehicle is in frame. Rekognition does not retain the image after analysis. BarkGuard does not perform per-individual pet recognition — it does not biometrically identify or distinguish between specific dogs. The Ring camera monitors your own home, and any animal detected is presumed to be your pet. The dog name you set in Settings is used only for personalization of notification copy (e.g. "Rex is barking").
- Activity analytics: we compute aggregate counts (daily/hourly/weekly), restlessness scoring, sleep-period detection, and week-over-week anomaly detection from your own event log. These analytics are computed per-user from that user's own data only — there is no cross-user analysis and no third-party analytics SDK.
- Service improvement: aggregated, anonymised metrics (e.g. average snapshot processing time across all users).
- Customer support: when you email us, we use your message to help you.
- Legal compliance: where required to respond to lawful requests.
5. Who we share data with
| Recipient | Purpose | Location |
|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Hosting (Lambda, DynamoDB, S3, Rekognition) | EU (eu-west-1) |
| Ring LLC / Amazon.com Services | Source of camera events and billing platform | USA / EU as per Ring's policy |
| Expo (Universal App SDK) | Push notification delivery to your device | USA (Apple/Google push relay) |
| Apple App Store / Google Play | App distribution; payments via Ring's billing, not Apple/Google | USA / EU |
We never sell your data. We never share for advertising. Sub-processors above are bound by data protection agreements.
6. Where your data is stored
All your activity data, snapshots, and account record are stored in the European Union (Ireland — AWS eu-west-1 region). Some routing of push notifications transits via Apple Push Notification Service (USA) and Firebase Cloud Messaging (USA). These transfers are covered by Standard Contractual Clauses where required.
7. How long we keep your data
| Data type | Retention |
|---|
| Camera snapshots | 30 days, then auto-deleted |
| Motion event timestamps and metadata | 30 days (TTL applied at write time) |
| Account record (Ring ID, settings) | Until you delete your account, then 30 days for backup retention |
| Subscription / billing records | 7 years (UK/EU tax law) |
| Diagnostic logs | 14 days |
8. Your rights (UK GDPR / EU GDPR)
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access: get a copy of your data
- Rectification: correct inaccurate data
- Erasure: delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Portability: get your data in a machine-readable format
- Restriction / Objection: limit or object to certain processing
- Withdraw consent: where consent is the basis
- Complain to your data protection authority — for Cyprus: the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection (dataprotection.gov.cy); for other EU/UK residents your local supervisory authority
To exercise any right, email info@erbacciltd.com. We respond within 30 days.
How to delete your account
- Open BarkGuard → Settings → Delete Account, OR
- Email info@erbacciltd.com from the email associated with your Ring account.
- We delete all your data within 14 days. Some backups may persist up to 30 days.
9. Children's privacy
BarkGuard is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If we learn we have, we delete it.
10. Cookies and tracking
The web dashboard uses a single first-party session token stored in localStorage for authentication. We do not use third-party analytics, advertising cookies, or tracking pixels.
11. Security
- All data in transit uses TLS 1.2+
- Snapshots stored in S3 with server-side encryption (AES-256)
- Tokens encrypted at rest in DynamoDB
- Lambda functions follow least-privilege IAM
- No human reviews your snapshots — analysis is fully automated
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. Material changes will be notified via email and an in-app banner at least 30 days before they take effect. The "Last updated" date above always reflects the current version.
13. Contact
Questions, complaints, or rights requests:
- Email: info@erbacciltd.com
- Post: Erbacci Ltd, Strovolou 77, Strovolos Center, Flat/Office 301, 2018 Strovolos, Lefkosia, Cyprus