Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 6, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Demopol Labs Ltd ("we", "us", or "our"), a company registered in the United Kingdom, collects, uses, and protects your information when you use the Open Hansard mobile application (the "App").

We are committed to "Privacy by Design." The App is designed as a local-first application to read UK Parliamentary debates. We do not require you to register an account or log in to use the App.

1. Information We Do Not Collect (No Personal Data)

Except for the limited diagnostic data described in Section 3 (Sentry), we do not collect, store, or transmit any of your personal data.

• We do not collect your name, email address, physical address, phone number, contacts, or calendar.
• There is no account registration or authentication.
• We do not sync your app data to any servers owned or operated by Demopol Labs Ltd.

2. Local Data Storage

All data generated by your use of the App is stored strictly on your device. This data is not uploaded to our servers.

• SQLite Databases: Used to cache downloaded parliamentary debates (Hansard transcripts), Member profiles, and speaker alias mappings. This ensures the App functions offline.
• SharedPreferences: Used to store your application preferences locally (e.g., dark mode settings, bookmarking preferences, and whether to prefetch latest content on launch).
• Saved Speeches: Bookmarked or saved parliamentary speeches remain stored in local storage on your device.

You can delete all of this local data at any time by clearing the App's storage or uninstalling the App from your device.

3. Crash Reporting and Performance Monitoring (Sentry)

To ensure the App is stable and reliable, we use Sentry, a service provided by Functional Software, Inc. (d/b/a Sentry). Sentry helps us identify, diagnose, and fix software errors and performance issues.

Diagnostic Data Collected by Sentry:

If the App crashes or experiences a performance issue, Sentry automatically collects the following non-personally identifiable diagnostic information:

• Device state (e.g., operating system type and version, device manufacturer, device model).
• App execution state (e.g., stack traces, error messages, memory usage).
• App version and build configuration.

IP Anonymization:

While Sentry processes connection metadata (such as IP addresses) to transmit crash reports, we have configured Sentry to mask and anonymize IP addresses at the ingestion level. We do not store or associate your IP address with crash diagnostics.

No personally identifiable information (PII) or user content (such as your saved speeches or search queries) is sent to Sentry.

For more information, please refer to Sentry's Privacy Policy: https://sentry.io/privacy/.

4. Third-Party Services and External APIs

To display parliamentary information, map constituencies, and play broadcasts, the App communicates directly with several external APIs. When the App requests data from these services, your device establishes a connection, which transmits standard technical metadata (such as your IP address and user-agent) to the third party in transit.

These third parties process your requests under their own terms and privacy policies:

1. UK Parliament APIs (parliament.uk): Used to fetch verbatim Hansard debate sections, bills list/detail, and Member profiles.
2. OpenCouncilData (opencouncildata.co.uk): Scrapes and downloads council political control tables and councillor listings.
3. Democracy Club Candidates API (candidates.democracyclub.org.uk): Used to enrich councillor information with profiles, photos, and contact links.
4. Nominatim (OpenStreetMap) (openstreetmap.org): Used to search and geocode constituency names for mapping.
5. ONS Open Geography (ArcGIS): Used to load constituency and local authority boundary polygons for maps.
6. parliamentlive.tv: Used to scrape broadcast schedules and search for events.
7. Embedded WebViews: When playing video broadcasts, the App loads parliamentlive.tv in a system webview. parliamentlive.tv may use cookies or other tracking mechanisms subject to their own policies.

5. UK and EU GDPR Compliance (Data Subject Rights)

For users in the United Kingdom (UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018) and the European Union (EU GDPR):

• Data Controller: The data controller is Demopol Labs Ltd.
• Lawful Basis for Processing: Our processing of Sentry diagnostic data is based on our Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) to maintain the security, stability, and functional integrity of our App.
• Your Rights: Since the App stores all user data locally on your device, you hold direct control over your data.
  • Access and Portability: Your saved speeches and settings are accessible directly in the App.
  • Erasure: You can exercise your right to be forgotten by clearing the App's storage or uninstalling the App. Sentry diagnostic logs are automatically purged after 90 days.
  • Contact: To exercise other rights or ask questions, email us at hi@maybeitssoftware.co.uk.

6. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) Compliance

For residents of California, United States:

• No Selling or Sharing: We do not "sell" or "share" your personal information (as defined by the CCPA).
• Information Collected: In the preceding 12 months, we have only collected Sentry diagnostic data (device/app metadata) and have not collected any sensitive personal information.
• Your Rights: You have the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion of your data (which you can do directly by clearing app data or uninstalling), and request that we do not sell or share your data. We do not discriminate against users who exercise their rights.

7. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13 in the United States, or under 16 in the UK/EU. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• Company: Demopol Labs Ltd
• Email: hi@maybeitssoftware.co.uk