Privacy Policy

MyTree Privacy Policy

Our Policy

MyTree is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of the personal data we collect and use through the provision of our services ("Services") via various platforms (collectively "Platforms") including but not limited to our MyTree website at https://mytree.hk/, our Facebook page and https://www.facebook.com/trailwatch, our Instagram page and https://www.instagram.com/trailwatch/ and our MyTree app, together with any updates thereto. Our Platforms can be accessed through various login service providers, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram and Apple as well as other login service providers that may be engaged by us from time to time (collectively "Login Service Providers"). We shall comply with the requirements of Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap.486) when handling the personal data of users of the Platform and/or Services ("You" or "Users" and the words "Your" and "Yours" shall be construed accordingly). We are equally committed to ensuring that all our employees and agents uphold these obligations.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, hold, process and/or use Your personal data on the Platforms. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding Your personal data and how we will treat it. By accessing, downloading, installing or otherwise using our Platforms, You consent to this Privacy Policy.

We are entitled to revise this Privacy Policy at any time and will inform You of such revision.

Collection and use of personal data

When You sign up for an account with MyTree, we may collect the following information from You:

Your name;
Your email address; and
Your photo,
(collectively "Account Information").

The provision of the Account Information (except Your photo) is mandatory for signing up with MyTree. If You fail to provide the Account Information (except Your photo), we may not be able to provide the Services to You.

By signing up for a MyTree account, You automatically agree to subscribe to the Parks and Trails newsletter. You have the right to unsubscribe at any time.

The Account Information and/or the Login Information collected from You will be used for the following purposes:

processing and managing Your MyTree account; and
sending emails or other notifications to You with feature updates, news, or other information about the Platforms.

When You visit the Platforms, we will use cookie files to store and track information about Your visit and actions including Your IP addresses, the types and configurations of browsers, language and technical settings, operating systems, web pages visited, content accessed and time/ duration of Your visit (collectively "Visitor Data"). In an ongoing effort to better understand and serve the Users of MyTree, we may conduct research on our User's demographics, interests and behaviour based on the personal data and other information provided to us. This research may be compiled and analysed on an aggregate basis, and this data will not identify You personally.

When You access or use our Platforms, we may also collect Your geo-location (i.e. GPS data), time, multimedia uploaded and its metadata (which may include time, duration and GPS Data of the uploaded content) (collectively "Location Data") and use the Location Data for the following purposes:

keeping a record of Your activities (which may include the Location Data) (“Tree Records”) with Your MyTree account;
sharing Your Tree Records with other Users and/or the public (at Your option); and
disclosing reports (e.g. pests and diseases) submitted by You or other location-based information to or via the Platforms.

The provision of Your Location Data is voluntary and You will have the choice to have Your Location Data erased at any point in time.

We will not provide Your Account Information, Login Information, Plug-in Information, Location Data or Tree Records to third parties for direct marketing without Your prior consent. However, for the purpose of conducting research about trees and nature in Hong Kong, we may share Your Location Data or Tree Records for educational and research purposes with third parties. In no circumstances will personal data be shared.

When You use the Platforms, we may receive certain personally non-identifiable information about Your use of the Platforms. We may use such information and aggregate it with other information to track, for example, the total number of visitors to the Platforms, the number of visitors to each page of the Platforms, and the domain names of our visitors' Internet service providers. It is important to note that no personal data is available or used in this process.

Sharing of personal data

When using our Services to record Your trees, all data except personal information will make public.

If sharing is made through any Login Service Provider, the privacy policy of the relevant Login Service Provider will also apply. Please read and consider the applicable privacy policy of the Login Service Provider before You share.

MyTree may contain links to third-party websites. MyTree has no control over the privacy practices or the content of any of our partners, sponsors, or other websites to which we provide links. As such, we are not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of those third-party websites. You should check the applicable third-party privacy policy and terms of use when visiting any other websites or platforms.

When You participate in the community discussion and submit reports via the Platform, You agree and acknowledge that all information included in the reports (which may include Your Account Information, Login Information and/or the location where the incident has happened as contained in Your Location Data) will automatically be disclosed publicly and shared with everyone accessible to the Platforms.

Any data and/or content that You post to the Platforms will be publicly viewable on the Platforms and can be shared by other users [or the public]. In addition, anything that You post to a social media account (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other similar social media accounts) via the Platforms will be viewable and accessible on those social media accounts as if You had posted it on the social media account directly.

Only where we are asked to do so and there are legitimate grounds, will we share Your information with law enforcement agencies and public authorities, including circumstances where we need to comply with a legal obligation, process or request, enforce our terms, detect, prevent or otherwise address issues relating to security or fraud, or protect other Users or public interest.

If we obtain actual knowledge that we have collected personal data from a child under the age of 13, we will immediately delete the same, unless we are legally obligated to retain such data. Please contact us if You believe that we have inadvertently collected information from a child under the age of 13.

Security and retention of personal data

The access to Your Account Information, Login Information, Location Data and Tree Records collected via the Platforms is restricted to our employees and data processors on a need-to-know basis. We will only retain the said information collected from You as long as You have maintained a MyTree account.

Once we have received Your information, we will take technical and organisational measures to safeguard Your personal data against loss, theft and unauthorised use, access or modification.

Upon termination of Your MyTree account, your Account Information and Login Information will be deleted. All the Location Data, Tree Records, Reported Issues and Community Discussions collected from You will be keeped as anonymous records.

Account deletion is irreversible. User generated content, which is displayed outside Your profile or on other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other similar social media platforms, may continue to appear even after Your account is terminated. We may retain an archived copy of Your records as required by law, as needed to defend or pursue legal claims and/ or for legitimate business purposes.

No security system is impenetrable. MyTree cannot guarantee the security of our databases, nor can we guarantee that the information You supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to and from us over the Internet. In particular, email sent to or from MyTree may not be secure, and You should therefore take special care in deciding what information You send to us via email.

Transfer of personal data

We may engage IT contractors and agents to develop, maintain and enhance the infrastructure of the Platforms and provide relevant technical support from time to time and therefore need to handle or process Your personal data through such service providers. Except for this purpose, we will not disclose or transfer Your personal data collected, held, processed or used by us to any third party without Your prior consent.

Access to personal data

You have the right to request access to and correction of information held by us about You and to be provided with information regarding our policies and procedures in relation to processing that information.

If You wish to exercise any of these rights or have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact our data protection officer at info@mytree.hk.

Please note that we may refuse to comply with a data access request in certain circumstances where an exception exists under local laws and regulations. When handling a data access or correction request, we will check the identity of the requester to ensure that he/she is the person legally entitled to make the data access or correction request. A fee may be chargeable by us for complying with a data access request.

If there is any discrepancy between the English and Chinese versions of these Terms, the English version shall prevail.