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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-10-07

1. Who we are and what this policy covers

Habitat Compass ("the site") is a browser-only decision-support tool for settling abroad. There is no account, no login and no back-end user database — close the tab and nothing about you remains on our side.

Data controller: the Habitat Compass operator (entity details to be added before official launch). For any privacy question, write to hi@habitatcompass.com.

This policy explains what we do not collect, where the data you enter lives, what you may do with it, and how to erase it all in one click.

2. Our four principles

Following the practice of open legal templates, we state our position first and the fine print after:

• Minimal: data exists only when you type it, and only on your device;
• No identity: we never ask for a name, e-mail, phone number or precise location;
• No expiry clause: your data does not "expire" — it stays yours until you erase it yourself;
• Fully yours to control: access, export, erasure and restriction all happen instantly in your browser, with no request to us.

3. What data we process

The site collects and uploads no personal data. Everything you produce while using it is stored only in your browser's localStorage, under keys prefixed nomadmatch.v1:

• Quiz drafts & answers (draft / proDraft) — destination preferences, budget, questionnaire answers
• Results & latest history (history / proHistory) — match scores and report data
• Favourite cities (favorites), compare session and archives (compare / archives)
• Hard constraints & passport choice (hardConstraints / passport) — budget cap, visa floor, safety threshold
• Interface language (lang), anonymous funnel counters (funnel) — stage counts only, no identity data

All of it is entered by you or derived from your input. It contains no name, e-mail, phone number or precise location, and no identifier that could track you across other sites.

4. How we obtain data (and why there is no "automatic collection"

Most privacy policies must split data into "information you provide", "information collected automatically" and "information from third parties". Here only the first category exists:

Information you provide — content you type on this machine, which never leaves the device;

Automatically collected information — none. No logs, no device fingerprinting, no IP profiling, no tracking identifiers;

Information from third parties — none. No social login, no ad network, no data brokers.

5. Four things we explicitly do NOT do

No tracking cookies — the site sets no cookies and reads no third-party cookies.

No third-party analytics or ads — no Google Analytics, no ad networks, no social plugins; nothing is sent to anyone.

No AI processing — matching runs entirely in your browser; your answers never reach any AI model or server.

No accounts and no cloud sync — there is no login and no cloud backup; switching device means starting fresh. That is deliberate.

6. Purpose & legal basis

Purpose: only the service you request — keeping quiz progress, generating reports, remembering your language setting (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR: processing necessary for the performance of the service).

The site sets no cookies and does not access terminal equipment for tracking. The local storage described above is strictly necessary to provide the service you explicitly requested (cf. the exemption logic of Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive). The site therefore shows no consent banner. We carry out no automated decision-making or profiling, and no ad targeting.

7. Storage location & international transfers

All data stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded to any server, so there is no international data transfer and no server-side breach surface.

Static assets such as fonts are bundled at build time; the running page makes no third-party requests.

8. Retention

Local data is kept until you erase it — via your browser's "clear site data", or the "Erase all my data" button below. We cannot, and will not, delete or back it up for you behind the scenes.

9. Sharing & disclosure

We do not sell, rent or share your data with anyone — technically, we do not hold it in the first place.

On government or law-enforcement requests: with no server-side storage we cannot comply with any request for user data; all we could hand over is blank. Should such a request arrive, we will be transparent, to the extent the law allows, that we have nothing to provide.

10. Your rights (GDPR Art. 15–22)

Under the GDPR you have: the right of access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20), the right to object (Art. 21), and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77).

Because all data lives on your device, you can exercise every one of these rights instantly and completely:

• Access / portability: browser dev tools (Application → Local Storage) let you view and export everything
• Rectification / erasure / restriction / objection: removing the storage keys is the whole act — the button below or "clear site data" does it
• Need help? E-mail hi@habitatcompass.com — we reply within 30 days

11. Children (Art. 8)

The service is not offered to anyone under 16. If you are under 16, please do not use the site.

12. Data breach (Art. 33/34)

With no server-side storage there is ordinarily no server breach risk. Should a security incident ever affect your data, we will publish a prominent notice on this page within 72 hours of becoming aware, and notify affected users individually where possible.

13. EEA/UK/Switzerland supplement & California (CCPA/CPRA)

EEA/UK/Switzerland: this policy constitutes the full Art. 13 GDPR information disclosure; processing happens locally on your device, with no processors and no automated decision-making.

California: the site does not sell or share any personal information — data never leaves your device, so "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" is satisfied by design; California residents also enjoy the rights to know, to delete and to non-discrimination.

14. Third-party links

The site may link to external websites (data sources, official immigration authorities). Those sites are run by their own operators and governed by their own policies; this policy does not cover any page beyond this site.

15. Changes to this policy

Material changes will be published on this page with an updated date; major changes are announced on the home page. Please revisit the "last updated" date at important moments.

16. Contact

hi@habitatcompass.com.

The structure and wording of this policy draw on the openly licensed (CC BY-SA 4.0) legal documents published by Automattic (Legalmattic), fully rewritten to match how this site actually works: no accounts, no server, local-only.