Privacy policy

Last updated 17 September 2026

Who we are

Civlo is made by Youell Systems Ltd (company no. 17464004), 18 Albert Road, Clayton West, Huddersfield HD8 9NL. You can contact us at [email protected].

What the app stores, and where

When you set up the app you give your name and your service or team. You can also add a mobile number and an email address, but you don't have to. As you use the app, it records things like the articles you've read and saved, the must-reads you've confirmed, your poll votes, the ideas and shoutouts you share, your notification settings and your safety check-ins.

All of this is saved only in the app's own storage on your phone. It isn't sent to us or to anyone else. The council in the app, Hartvale Borough Council, is fictional, and its staff and content are made-up sample data.

What we collect

Nothing. The app has no analytics, no crash reporting, no advertising and no tracking, and it doesn't use your location, contacts, camera or microphone.

When the app uses the internet or other apps

• Links. If you open a web link, it opens in your browser, and that website's own privacy policy applies.
• Audio. On iPhone, if the comms team adds a podcast episode by web address, your phone downloads the audio from that address when you play it. The Android app doesn't use the internet at all.
• Listen and Translate. Reading aloud uses your phone's built-in speech. On iPhone, translation uses Apple's translation on your device. On Android, tapping Translate passes the article text to the Google Translate app, where Google's privacy policy applies.
• Maps and calendar. If you open an event's location or add it to your calendar, the details go to the maps or calendar app you choose.
• Notifications. Notifications are created on your phone. We don't use a push notification service.

Your rights

Because your information stays on your phone, you control it directly. On the Me tab, under Your data, you can:

• download a copy of everything the app holds about you, as a file you can keep or share
• delete your data and start again from the welcome screen

Deleting the app also removes everything it stored. Anything you shared in the sample council, such as an idea, is kept without your name so the sample records still add up, but it never leaves your phone.

Using Civlo at your council

If your council provides Civlo to its staff with its own content, your council decides how your information is used and will give you its own privacy notice. That notice explains what your council holds, why and for how long. This policy covers the app as it's published in the App Store and on Google Play.

Children

Civlo is a workplace app for adults and isn't aimed at children.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a future version of the app starts sending information anywhere, we'll say so here before that version is released.

Complaints

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please contact us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.