Privacy Policy

    Last updated: December 2025

    Your privacy matters to us. Here's how we handle your data 💖

    1. Introduction & Data Controller

    Who we are and how to reach us

    Welcome to TheCutest.pet! We're committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect and use your data.

    TheCutest.pet is the data controller for the personal data we process. This means we decide how and why your data is used.

    📧 For any privacy questions, contact us through our contact form.

    2. Data We Collect

    What information we gather

    We collect the following types of data:

    Account Information

    Email address, display name, and password (securely hashed)

    Profile Data

    Your country and optional profile picture

    Pet Content

    Photos, videos, pet names, species, breed, bio, and country

    Voting & Interaction Data

    Your votes, boost usage, and interactions with pet profiles

    Subscription Data

    Your subscription tier (Free, Premium, Elite) and payment status

    Technical Data

    Device type, browser, IP address (for security), and session data

    3. How We Use Your Data

    Why we process your information

    We use your data to:

    • Provide our service — Display your pets on leaderboards and in the voting system
    • Enable voting — Let users vote for the cutest pets
    • Show rankings — Display country and global leaderboards
    • Process subscriptions — Manage Premium and Elite features
    • Send important updates — Notify you about account or service changes
    • Improve the platform — Analyze usage to make TheCutest.pet better
    • Ensure security — Prevent fraud and protect user accounts

    AI Cuteness Analysis (Elite Feature)

    Elite users can get an AI-generated "cuteness score" for their pet photos. This is purely for entertainment — it's just for fun and does not affect rankings. Only votes decide the leaderboards 💖

    4. Legal Basis for Processing

    Why we're allowed to use your data

    Under GDPR, we process your data based on:

    • Contract — To provide the services you signed up for
    • Consent — When you upload content or opt into features
    • Legitimate interest — To improve our service and ensure security
    • Legal obligation — When required by law

    5. Data Storage & Security

    How we protect your information

    Your data is stored securely using industry-standard encryption. We use trusted cloud infrastructure with data centers that comply with GDPR requirements.

    Security measures include:

    • Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
    • Secure password hashing
    • Access controls and authentication
    • Regular security monitoring

    Data retention: We keep your data as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your personal data within 30 days, except where we're legally required to retain it.

    6. Data Sharing

    Who can see your information

    What's public:

    • Pet profiles (photos, name, species, breed, country)
    • Pet rankings on leaderboards
    • Vote counts

    What's private:

    • Your email address
    • Your account details
    • Subscription and payment information

    🛡️ We never sell your personal data

    Your personal information is never sold to third parties. We only share data with service providers who help us run TheCutest.pet (like payment processors).

    7. Your Rights (GDPR)

    What you can do with your data

    Under GDPR, you have the following rights:

    →
    Right to Access

    Request a copy of all data we have about you

    →
    Right to Rectification

    Update or correct inaccurate information

    →
    Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten")

    Request deletion of your account and all associated data

    →
    Right to Data Portability

    Export your data in a machine-readable format

    →
    Right to Restrict Processing

    Limit how we use your data in certain situations

    →
    Right to Withdraw Consent

    Revoke any consent you've given us at any time

    To exercise any of these rights, contact us and we'll respond within 30 days.

    8. AI Processing

    How we use AI on your content

    Our AI Cuteness feature (available for Elite members) uses artificial intelligence to generate a playful "cuteness score" for pet photos.

    Important to know:

    • AI analysis is optional — only Elite users can request it
    • The score is purely for entertainment
    • AI scores do not affect leaderboard rankings
    • Only votes from real users decide the rankings
    • We use AI services that comply with data protection standards

    Photos are processed by AI to generate the score and are not stored by the AI service after analysis is complete.

    9. Cookies & Tracking

    Small files that help the site work

    We use cookies to:

    • Essential cookies — Keep you logged in and maintain your session
    • Preference cookies — Remember your settings (like dark mode)
    • Analytics cookies — Understand how people use TheCutest.pet

    You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality.

    10. Policy Updates

    How we notify you of changes

    We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons.

    When we make significant changes, we'll:

    • Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
    • Notify you via email for major changes
    • Show a notice on TheCutest.pet when you next visit

    We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed.

    11. Contact Us

    We're here to help

    If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please don't hesitate to contact us.

    You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we haven't handled your data properly.

    Thanks for trusting TheCutest.pet with your adorable pets 🐾💖