When you sign in to driveTrek, you are authenticating with your Apple ID (via Sign in with Apple). Your first and last name associated with your Apple ID are provided to driveTrek along with a unique identifier ("authorization identifier") that represents your Apple ID-- your specific Apple ID identifier (e.g., jsmith@icloud.com) is unknown to driveTrek. driveTrek also assigns you a username (aka screen name) like PB#455. You can change this to a (unique) friendly name (e.g., evtreker).
driveTrek identifies you to other users via your username. Your first name and last name are only shared in rare instances-- like searching for a user to invite to an Event or Meetup.
If you wish to identify yourself to another user in driveTrek, you would have to do so within a chat session or outside of driveTrek.
Optionally you may set a profile picture. This can be a photo of you, your vehicle, or any other permissible photo that you wish to represent you. This profile picture is available globally throughout driveTrek, in the Community and Group lists. It may also appear on the map in your approximate location if you choose to do so. It is publically viewable.
Location data is at the heart of the driveTrek system-- its all about location. driveTrek records your location frequently. It stores your precise location on the device (e.g., your iPhone) within the application's private data store and forwards an imprecise version of that location to the cloud (driveTrek's "Cloud Services"). How your location data is used and stored in the cloud is discussed at length below. However it is important to understand that your specific location is never shared with any other user of driveTrek. Other users can see their distance to you, your approximate location on the map, but not your actual location. There are user-controllable options within driveTrek to control how your location is disclosed to others. For example, you can choose to remove the distance to you in Community or Groups lists. Or you can hide your presense on the map or request that an obstrucacted version of your location (e.g., "Show Approximate Location +- 1 mile") be shown.
When location data arrives in the cloud it goes through a process called scoring. It is then stored in an encrypted data store. Encryption guarantees it is inaccessible to others-- even if someone gained physical access to the storage device1.
Scoring is a process that occurs in real-time (as your location data arrives) and also during post-processing (at later times). The first most obvious example of scoring is the XP awards associated with the Areas you visit. Areas are small geographic squares (about 13.7 square meters) that are at the core of the driveTrek system. When you move, the breadcrumbs you see are a representation of these Areas.
After real-time scoring, your data is stored for post-process scoring. Post-process scoring happens both at the end of each day ("phase I post-processing") and at later times ("phase II post-processing"). At the end of each day, Area Tract2 visits and badging occurs. For example, if you visited Grand Canyon National Park during that day, a visit will be recorded (time and duration) and a First Visit badge awarded during this phase of processing.
Phase II processing happens at other times (and is largely indeterminant). Phase II processing allows Area Tract visit and badging for newly added Area Tracts. For example, you may have visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial in September 2023, but at that time Mount Rushmore was not included in the driveTrek system. But, later in June 2024, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is added to the driveTrek system. Phase II processing on that day will then score your visit and badge for your previous September visit.
An option is available (on the Settings screen called "Keep geolocation data in the cloud indefinitely"-- by default it is on) to remove your location data stored in the cloud after the Phase I post-processing scoring. This setting effectively means that data retention for location data is one (1) day. However is is important to note that if you select this option retroactive Area Tract scoring is not possible.
Lastly it is important to point out if you don't want your location data recorded at certain times, simply do not run the app during those times. If the driveTrek app is not running, it is not recording your location.
At any time you can delete your account. This feature is available directly in the driveTrek application, accessible via "Account Actions..." on the user info screen. When you delete your account, all information associated with you is removed from driveTrek's Cloud Services. This includes your account identity and location data. You are effecitively forgotten. If you choose to delete your account, you should also delete the application. When the application is deleted from your device all locallly stored data is deleted too. If you wish to rejoin driveTrek, you effectively are starting over.
There is a backup and restore option in the driveTrek application that facilitates the movement of the driveTrek application from one device to another (accessible via "Account Actions..." on the user info screen). However, be aware that when you choose to backup your driveTrek application to the driveTrek Cloud Services you are requesting that all locally stored content is moved to the cloud (if only temporarily). This would include the precise location information recorded on the device. This information is encrypted at rest in the cloud and can be removed after a restore.
The data collected from your device is your data. It is only used for the purposes discussed above. It is never sold or shared with any 3rd parties. At any time you can get a complete copy of the data that has been stored on your behalf by utilizing the "Get My Data" feature (accessible via "Account Actions..." on the user info screen).