Last updated: 15 July 2026
1. About Pioneer Walks
Pioneer Walks operates the Pioneer Walks website and the Pioneer Walks mobile applications for Android and iOS.
In this Privacy Policy, “Pioneer Walks”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Pioneer Walks, a business based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Our website and mobile applications use the same database. This allows account information, user preferences, saved walks, submitted content and other relevant information to be available across the website and mobile applications.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose information when you use Pioneer Walks.
2. Information we collect
The information we collect depends on how you use Pioneer Walks.
Account information
When you register for or use an account, we may collect:
- your username;
- your name;
- your email address;
- your profile photograph;
- your account password or authentication credentials;
- your account preferences;
- your privacy settings;
- your saved walks; and
- information about your account activity.
Passwords are not stored in readable form.
Where third-party sign-in options are available, such as Google or Facebook sign-in, we may receive information authorised by you and the relevant provider. This may include your name, email address, profile image and a provider-specific account identifier.
We do not receive your password for a third-party sign-in service.
Optional profile information
Users may choose to add the following information to their Pioneer Walks profile:
- name;
- TikTok handle;
- Facebook handle or profile;
- Instagram handle; and
- YouTube handle or channel.
A user’s public profile displays only their username by default.
Optional profile information is displayed only in accordance with the user’s profile and privacy settings. Users can hide supported profile information at any time.
A user’s account email address is not displayed publicly by default.
Information that a user chooses to make public may be viewed, copied, indexed or shared by other users, search engines or third-party services.
Walk submissions and other content
When you submit a walk or other content, we may collect:
- the name and description of the walk;
- directions and access information;
- geographical coordinates and map information;
- photographs;
- difficulty, safety and facilities information;
- information identifying the submitting account;
- the date and time of the submission;
- edits and moderation history; and
- communications relating to the submission.
Submitted walks may be associated with your username and public profile.
Walk submissions may be reviewed or moderated before being published. Once published, the walk information, photographs and associated public contributor information may be visible to other users and the general public.
You must not upload personal information about another person unless you have their permission.
Photographs and media
When photographs are uploaded to Pioneer Walks, we remove embedded location information and other available metadata from the uploaded files before publication.
You should still review photographs before uploading them and ensure they do not visibly contain information that you do not want to make public, such as faces, vehicle registration numbers, home addresses or private documents.
Location information
The Pioneer Walks applications may request permission to access precise location and background location information.
Location information may be used to:
- show walks near your current location;
- display your location on a map;
- help you navigate or interact with location-based features;
- associate map coordinates with walks;
- support location features while the application is running in the background; and
- understand, in aggregate, the general areas from which people use Pioneer Walks.
We store the mapped location of walks saved or submitted through the service.
When you use your location to search for nearby walks, we do not retain your precise search location. Instead, the location is reduced in precision and stored without your name, email address or public profile information.
This reduced-precision information is used with information from other users to create aggregate heat maps showing the general geographical areas in which Pioneer Walks is being used.
These heat maps are used for service planning, understanding regional interest and improving the availability of walk information. They are not intended to identify or track individual users.
We do not maintain a precise history of your movements merely because you use the nearby-walk search feature.
You can withdraw location permission through your Android or iOS device settings. Disabling location permission may prevent nearby-walk, navigation or map features from working correctly.
Camera and photo-library access
The mobile applications may request access to your device camera or photo library so that you can:
- upload a profile photograph;
- photograph and submit a walk;
- add photographs to an existing submission; or
- use another feature requiring an image.
Pioneer Walks only accesses the camera or photographs when permitted by your device settings and when required for a feature you choose to use.
Notifications
The applications may request permission to send notifications.
Notifications may include:
- important account or security notices;
- updates about submitted walks;
- moderation or community updates;
- changes to the operation of the service; and
- other relevant Pioneer Walks activity.
You can disable notifications through your device settings.
Pioneer Walks does not currently send marketing newsletters or promotional notifications. If marketing communications are introduced in the future, we will provide an appropriate notice and an unsubscribe or opt-out method.
Contact, feedback and support information
When you contact Pioneer Walks, submit feedback, report a problem or request support, we may collect:
- your name;
- your username;
- your email address;
- the contents of your message;
- attachments you provide;
- information about the relevant walk, account or user; and
- records of our response.
We use this information to respond to your enquiry, investigate problems, administer the service and maintain appropriate business records.
Blocking, reporting and moderation information
Users may block other users and may be able to report users, profiles, walks, photographs or other content.
We may store information about:
- blocked accounts;
- user reports;
- complaints;
- moderation decisions;
- removed or restricted content; and
- account warnings, suspensions or enforcement actions.
This information is used to apply user preferences, investigate misuse, protect users and enforce our terms.
Blocking another user limits interactions through supported Pioneer Walks features. It may not prevent that person from viewing information that remains publicly available while signed out, through another account or through a search engine.
Technical and usage information
When you use the website or mobile applications, we or our service providers may automatically collect:
- Internet Protocol addresses;
- browser type and version;
- device type and model;
- operating system;
- application version;
- screen size and language settings;
- device or application identifiers;
- general location derived from an IP address;
- pages, walks and screens viewed;
- referring websites or links;
- search activity and feature interactions;
- session dates and duration;
- application crashes;
- performance and diagnostic information;
- advertising interactions;
- security events; and
- server and application logs.
Some technical information may relate to a particular browser, device, installation or account.
3. How we collect information
We may collect information:
- directly from you when you create an account, edit your profile, save a walk, submit content or contact us;
- automatically through our website, applications, servers, cookies and similar technologies;
- through your device when you grant location, camera, photo or notification permissions;
- from third-party authentication providers when you use social sign-in;
- from another user when they report an account or content;
- from our hosting, analytics, monitoring, advertising and security providers; and
- from publicly available sources where reasonably necessary to operate or verify the service.
4. How we use information
We may use information to:
- register, authenticate and administer user accounts;
- operate the Pioneer Walks website and mobile applications;
- synchronise information through the shared database;
- provide public profiles and account privacy controls;
- save walks to user accounts;
- receive, review, publish and manage walk submissions;
- provide maps and location-based services;
- produce aggregate, reduced-precision usage heat maps;
- respond to enquiries and support requests;
- send account, security and service notifications;
- moderate users and content;
- process blocks, reports and complaints;
- understand how Pioneer Walks is used;
- diagnose crashes and technical problems;
- monitor website and application performance;
- improve our content, functionality and user experience;
- display and measure advertising;
- detect and prevent fraud, spam, misuse and security incidents;
- enforce our terms and community rules;
- comply with legal obligations and lawful requests; and
- protect Pioneer Walks, its users and the public.
We may also use aggregated or de-identified information for reporting, research, service planning and improvement where the information does not reasonably identify an individual.
5. Public profiles and public content
A user’s username is publicly visible by default.
Other profile information is shown only in accordance with the user’s profile settings. Users can hide supported profile details using their account controls.
Published walk submissions, photographs, descriptions, map locations and contributor usernames may be available to the general public.
You should not include information in your username, profile or submissions that you do not want to make publicly available.
Information made public may be:
- indexed by search engines;
- copied or shared by other people;
- included in screenshots;
- linked to from other websites; or
- stored by services outside Pioneer Walks.
Changing or deleting information within Pioneer Walks may not remove copies previously made or stored by third parties.
6. Cookies and similar technologies
The Pioneer Walks website may use cookies, local storage, pixels, tags and similar technologies.
These technologies may be used to:
- keep users signed in;
- maintain website and account security;
- remember preferences;
- operate forms and account features;
- measure website traffic;
- understand how visitors navigate the website;
- monitor website performance;
- diagnose technical problems;
- prevent fraud or abuse; and
- deliver and measure advertising.
Some cookies are placed by Pioneer Walks. Other cookies or technologies may be placed by service providers or advertising partners.
You can control or delete cookies using your browser settings. Blocking certain cookies may prevent login, profile, preference or other website features from working correctly.
Your browser may also cache website images and files to improve loading times. Browser caching can generally be managed through your browser settings.
7. Analytics, monitoring and performance services
Pioneer Walks may use analytics and monitoring tools to understand how the website and applications are used and to identify technical issues.
We use New Relic for application performance monitoring, diagnostic information, error reporting and related technical analysis.
Information processed through monitoring services may include:
- device and browser information;
- application and operating-system information;
- page or screen activity;
- application performance;
- error messages;
- crash information;
- network information;
- session information; and
- Internet Protocol addresses.
We configure these services to support the operation, performance and security of Pioneer Walks rather than to intentionally collect unnecessary personal information.
8. Maps
Pioneer Walks uses OpenTopoMap to provide topographical map information.
When a map is displayed, map-related requests and associated technical information may be processed by OpenTopoMap or the infrastructure used to deliver its map services.
This technical information may include an Internet Protocol address, browser or device information, requested map areas and the date and time of a request.
Map providers handle information in accordance with their own privacy practices and terms.
9. Advertising
The Pioneer Walks website and mobile applications display advertising.
Advertising providers may use cookies, mobile advertising identifiers, device identifiers and similar technologies to:
- select and display advertisements;
- limit how often an advertisement is shown;
- measure advertisement views, clicks and performance;
- detect invalid traffic or advertising fraud; and
- provide contextual or personalised advertising where permitted.
The advertisements displayed may depend on factors such as the page or walk being viewed, approximate location, device information, advertising settings and the configuration of the advertising provider.
You may be able to manage advertising preferences through:
- your Android or iOS privacy settings;
- your browser cookie settings;
- controls provided by the advertising provider; or
- a consent or privacy-preferences tool made available by Pioneer Walks.
Advertising providers process information under their own privacy policies.
Pioneer Walks does not sell users’ names, email addresses or profile information to advertisers. However, operating an advertising-supported service may involve sending technical, device, cookie or usage information to advertising providers.
10. Our service providers
We use third-party services to operate, protect, monitor and improve Pioneer Walks.
These include:
- WordPress, which is used to operate and manage website content;
- Cloudflare, which provides network delivery, performance and security services;
- New Relic, which provides application performance monitoring and diagnostic services;
- OpenTopoMap, which provides topographical map information;
- hosting, database and backup providers;
- authentication providers;
- email and communication providers;
- application-store and mobile-platform providers; and
- advertising providers.
These providers may process technical or personal information when providing services to Pioneer Walks.
Cloudflare and New Relic publish information about how their services process and protect data.
11. When we disclose information
We may disclose information:
To service providers
We may provide information to organisations that help us host, operate, secure, monitor, maintain and improve Pioneer Walks.
They may only use the information for the relevant service or as otherwise permitted under their agreements and applicable law.
To other users and the public
Your username, information you choose to make public and published user content may be disclosed publicly as described in this policy.
For legal and safety purposes
We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to:
- comply with a law, court order or lawful government request;
- investigate suspected fraud, abuse or a security incident;
- protect a person from serious harm;
- protect the rights or property of Pioneer Walks or another person;
- enforce our terms; or
- establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.
During a business change
Information may be transferred as part of a sale, merger, restructure, financing transaction or change in ownership of Pioneer Walks.
Where appropriate, we will require the recipient to protect the information and use it consistently with this Privacy Policy.
With your direction or consent
We may disclose information for another purpose where you request, authorise or consent to the disclosure.
12. Overseas processing
Some Pioneer Walks service providers operate in Australia and overseas.
As a result, information may be processed or stored in Australia, the United States and other countries in which our service providers or their infrastructure operate.
The laws and privacy protections in another country may differ from those in Australia.
Where required, Pioneer Walks takes reasonable steps to ensure that service providers handle personal information appropriately.
13. Information security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect information from:
- misuse;
- interference;
- loss;
- unauthorised access;
- unauthorised modification; and
- unauthorised disclosure.
These measures may include:
- encrypted network connections;
- restricted administrative access;
- account authentication controls;
- password hashing;
- software and server updates;
- network and application security services;
- backups;
- technical monitoring; and
- database and file-access controls.
Cloudflare is used to support website and network security, and New Relic is used to identify performance problems and technical errors.
No website, mobile application, database or internet transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee that information will never be accessed, altered, lost or disclosed without authorisation.
Users are responsible for keeping their login information secure and should notify us if they believe their account has been compromised.
14. How long we retain information
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to operate Pioneer Walks, provide requested services, maintain security, resolve disputes and comply with legal obligations.
Active accounts
Account and profile information is generally retained while an account remains active.
Submitted walks and photographs
Published walks and photographs are retained while the relevant content and account remain active.
When an account and its associated submitted content are deleted, the submitted walks and photographs are archived for 60 days. During this period, the information is not intended to remain publicly available.
After the 60-day archive period, the archived walks and photographs are deleted, except where limited retention is reasonably necessary for legal, security, fraud-prevention or dispute-resolution purposes.
Backups
System backups are retained for up to 48 hours.
Information deleted from active systems may therefore remain within a backup for up to 48 hours before the relevant backup is automatically replaced or deleted.
Where submitted content has first been archived for 60 days, a backup copy may remain for up to 48 hours after deletion from the archive.
Support and moderation records
Contact messages, reports and moderation records may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to the matter, maintain service security, resolve disputes and enforce our terms.
Technical and aggregated information
Technical logs, monitoring information and aggregated or de-identified information may be retained for operational, security, analytical and service-improvement purposes.
When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify it unless retention is required or permitted by law.
15. Accessing and correcting your information
Users can review and update supported account and profile information through their Pioneer Walks account settings.
You may also contact us to:
- request access to personal information we hold about you;
- correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date;
- ask a question about how your information is handled; or
- request deletion of particular information.
We may need to verify your identity before processing a request.
In limited circumstances, we may be unable to provide access to particular information. Where appropriate and legally permitted, we will explain the reason.
16. Account deletion
Users can initiate account deletion through both:
- the Pioneer Walks website; and
- the Pioneer Walks Android or iOS application.
You may also contact us at [email protected] for assistance.
Because the website and mobile applications use the same database, deleting your account applies across the website, Android application and iOS application.
Deleting the application from your phone does not delete your Pioneer Walks account.
When an account is deleted:
- the account is disabled or removed from normal use;
- personal profile information is deleted or de-identified;
- submitted walks and photographs are archived for 60 days;
- archived walks and photographs are deleted after the archive period;
- related information may temporarily remain in backups for up to 48 hours; and
- limited records may be retained where reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention, disputes or legal compliance.
We may ask you to verify that you own the account before completing a deletion request.
Deleting information from Pioneer Walks cannot remove copies that other people or independent services previously copied, indexed or shared.
17. Children
Users must be at least 16 years old to create a Pioneer Walks account.
People under 16 must not register for an account or submit personal information through an account.
The publicly accessible parts of Pioneer Walks may contain information about outdoor activities that can be viewed without creating an account. Parents and guardians should supervise children using the website or applications.
If we become aware that a person under 16 has created an account or provided personal information contrary to this policy, we may suspend the account and delete the information.
A parent or legal guardian who believes a person under 16 has provided personal information may contact us at [email protected].
18. Data breaches
If we become aware of a suspected data breach, we will investigate the incident and take appropriate steps to contain and respond to it.
Where the Privacy Act 1988 and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme apply, Pioneer Walks will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner when legally required.
19. Third-party links and services
Pioneer Walks may contain links to national park authorities, tourism operators, social-media platforms, mapping services and other third-party websites or applications.
We do not control the privacy or security practices of independent third parties.
You should review a third party’s privacy policy before providing personal information or using its services.
20. Privacy enquiries and complaints
You may contact us with a privacy question, access or correction request, account-deletion request or complaint.
Pioneer Walks
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 1300 962 433
Please provide sufficient information for us to understand and investigate your request. Do not provide passwords or unnecessary sensitive information.
We will review privacy complaints and respond within a reasonable period.
Where the Australian Privacy Act applies and you are not satisfied with our response, you may be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
21. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, applications, technologies, providers or legal obligations change.
The latest version will be published on the Pioneer Walks website and will state the date it was last updated.
Where a change materially affects how we handle existing users’ personal information, we will take reasonable steps to provide additional notice through the website, mobile applications, email or another appropriate method.
