how bing bong handles your data — the short and long of it.
last updated: 4 May 2026
bingbong is designed to collect as little information about you as possible. This page explains what we collect, why, and what your rights are. If anything here is unclear, email burkejohn1999@gmail.com and I'll answer.
bingbong is a personal project run by John Burke, based in Dublin, Ireland. I'm the data controller for the purposes of the EU and UK GDPR.
bingbong is a cross-platform app for sending custom sound
notifications to friends in shared groups. There are no user
accounts, no profiles, no public feed. Sounds and group contents
live on your device and inside shareable .bingbong
files — never on our servers.
Device push notification tokens. When you use the app, your device generates an anonymous identifier used by Firebase Cloud Messaging (for both iOS and Android) to deliver notifications. We store this token so we can route a "bong" from one group member to the others. We don't store any other information about your device — no model, OS version, or anything else alongside the token. The token is not linked to your name, email, or any account.
Group routing data. We store group ("bong") IDs and the device tokens that belong to each group, so the server knows which devices to notify when someone presses a button. For each bong, we store the time it was created — but not who created it. We do not store group names, sound files, sound labels, individual sounds ("bings"), or any content from your groups.
Rate limiting timestamps. We briefly record when a bong was sent in a group to enforce the one-bong-per-five-seconds rate limit. These timestamps aren't tied to individuals.
Aggregate event counts. We track simple counts (e.g. how many bings were sent across the system) for basic operational visibility. These counts contain no personal information.
Anonymous website analytics. The bingbong.to website (but not the mobile app) uses Plausible Analytics to count page visits and button clicks. Plausible doesn't use cookies, doesn't store IP addresses, and doesn't build profiles. It records page URL, referrer, browser type, and a country derived from your IP (the IP itself is hashed daily and discarded). No persistent identifier is created.
Crash reports. The mobile apps use Firebase Crashlytics to report crashes so we can fix bugs. Crash reports include device model, OS version, app version, and a stack trace. They don't include your sounds, group contents, or anything you've sent.
Server logs. Firebase Hosting and our backend automatically log requests (IP address, timestamp, URL) for security and debugging. Logs are retained for approximately 30 days.
We don't sell or share data with advertisers, data brokers, or anyone else for commercial purposes.
Under GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:
You can withdraw consent for push notifications at any time by disabling them in your device settings.
Data processing agreements are in place with each of these providers as required by GDPR.
Under GDPR, you have the right to:
To exercise any of these rights, email burkejohn1999@gmail.com. Because we don't have user accounts, the main practical request is "delete my device token," which we can do if you tell us roughly when you used the app and from which platform.
bingbong is not directed at children under 16. We don't knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has used the app and you'd like their device token removed, contact us.
Some of our processors (Google, Apple, Plausible) operate infrastructure in multiple countries. Where data is transferred outside the EEA, it's covered by Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards as required by GDPR.
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top and note significant changes in the app or on the website. We won't make material changes that reduce your privacy without telling you.
For any privacy questions or requests:
Email:
burkejohn1999@gmail.com
Operator: John Burke, Dublin, Ireland