Privacy Policy for Mesh
Last updated: 28 September 2026
1. Who we are
Mesh is run by Mesh Community Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17097454), with its registered office at Unit 13e, 92 Burton Road, Sheffield, S3 8BX (“Mesh”, “we”, “us”). We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
If you have any questions, contact us at support@meshcommunity.co.uk.
2. Information we collect
All users
- Account details: your name, email address and password. Your password is handled by Google Firebase Authentication, and we never see it.
- Your postcode. We turn it into an approximate map location so we can show you trades and community posts near you. We don’t use your phone’s GPS.
- Profile photo, if you add one.
- Things you share: community posts, comments, photos, recommendations and messages. Messages can include photos, videos, voice notes, documents and any contact card you choose to send.
- Settings and preferences: your notification choices, favourite trades and the people you’ve blocked.
- Device and usage information: a push notification ID for your phone, when you last used the app, and how many AI scans you’ve used that day (there is a daily limit). We also use Google’s App Check to confirm requests come from the genuine Mesh app.
Trades
- Business details: your trading name, phone number, postcode and service area, trade category, specialist work, business description and portfolio photos.
- Insurance check: when you upload your Public Liability Insurance certificate, we read the policy holder name, policy number and expiry date from it. We don’t keep the certificate itself. It’s used for the check and then discarded. We keep the details we read so we can:
- show customers your insurance status and expiry date
- remind you before your policy renews
- check that each insurance policy is only used by one account
Reports
- Cowboy reports: a customer uploads an invoice or receipt as evidence. It’s checked automatically and not stored. We keep a record of the report: which trade it’s about, the invoice date and when it was made. The report is linked to the trade’s business details (insurance policy, policy holder name and phone number), so it stays with the business even if the trade changes their name.
- Content reports: if you report a post, comment or problem, we keep the report and your reason for making it.
3. What other people can see
- Trade profiles are public within the app. Customers can see:
- the trade’s name, trade and area
- their phone number, description and photos
- their insurance status and expiry date, and the name on the policy if it differs from the trading name (“Insured as …”)
- their Community Trust traffic light and recommendations
- Community posts and comments are seen by Mesh users near you, along with your name and profile photo.
- Customers’ home locations are never shown to anyone.
- Messages can only be seen by the people in the conversation.
4. Permissions the app asks for
- Camera and photos: to add a profile photo, portfolio photos, photos in chats, and your insurance certificate or invoice for checks.
- Microphone: to record voice notes in chats.
- Contacts: only when you choose to share a contact in a chat. We don’t upload your address book.
- Face ID / fingerprint: optional, for quicker login. Your biometric data never leaves your phone. Your login is stored in your phone’s secure keychain.
- Notifications: to tell you about messages, activity and reminders. You can turn each type on or off in Settings → Notifications.
5. How we use your information, and why we’re allowed to
| What we do | Legal basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Run Mesh: show trades on the map, show the community feed within 15 miles, enable messaging and recommendations | Contract (providing the service you signed up for) |
| Check trades’ insurance, re-check it every year, and hide trades whose cover has expired | Contract, and our legitimate interest in keeping Mesh trustworthy |
| Show the Community Trust traffic light and handle cowboy reports | Legitimate interest in helping people make informed choices |
| Send notifications you’ve switched on, and insurance reminders to trades | Contract. Insurance reminders can’t be switched off, so no trade loses access without warning |
| Keep Mesh safe: prevent misuse, enforce our rules, limit AI scans and secure the service | Legitimate interest |
| Count trades per category (anonymous totals only) | Legitimate interest in running the business |
| Meet legal obligations | Legal obligation |
How the app handles messaging: customers start conversations with trades from a trade’s profile, and trades reply. The app doesn’t offer messaging between customers.
Automated decisions: the insurance check is fully automatic. It decides whether a trade gets the Verified badge, and whether a trade’s account is locked after their insurance expires. If you think a decision is wrong, email support@meshcommunity.co.uk and a person will review it.
6. Who we share information with
We don’t sell your information. We don’t show adverts in the app, and we don’t share your information with advertisers. We use these service providers to run Mesh:
- Google Firebase: hosting, database, sign-in, file storage, notifications and our server functions. Our servers are in London.
- Google Gemini (AI): reads insurance certificates and invoice images for the automatic checks.
- postcodes.io: turns your postcode into a map location. Only the postcode is sent.
- OpenStreetMap: provides the map images. Like any website, it sees your device’s internet address.
- Apple and Google: deliver push notifications to your phone.
We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect people’s safety.
7. International transfers
Some of our providers, such as Google, may process information outside the UK. When that happens, it is protected by UK-approved safeguards, such as the UK adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum.
8. Keeping your information secure
Your information is encrypted in transit and when stored on Google’s servers. Messaging is private: only you and the other person can read your conversation in the app. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted. They’re stored on our servers, and we may review a conversation if it’s reported to us.
9. How long we keep information
- While your account is open, we keep your information so Mesh works for you.
- When you delete your account, we delete:
- your profile, profile photo, portfolio and insurance details
- your posts, comments and recommendations
- your favourites and settings
- the content reports you made
- Messages you’ve sent stay visible to the person you were talking to, with your name shown as “Account Removed”. This way they don’t lose their record of the conversation.
- Cowboy reports are kept after the reporter deletes their account, but no longer linked to the reporter. This stops a trade clearing their record by getting reports deleted.
- Deleting a message: “Delete for everyone” hides it from both of you. If you want a message or file removed from our systems completely, email us.
- We may keep some records longer if the law requires it.
10. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- see the information we hold about you
- have it corrected
- have it deleted
- restrict or object to how we use it
- get a copy of it to take elsewhere
- withdraw consent where we rely on it
To use any of these rights, email support@meshcommunity.co.uk. We’ll reply within one month.
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
11. How to delete your account
In the app, go to Settings → Delete Account and confirm. Or email support@meshcommunity.co.uk with the subject “Request to Delete Account” from the email address on your account. We’ll delete your account within 30 days.
12. Age
Mesh is designed for adults arranging work on their homes, so you need to be 18 or over to create an account. We don’t knowingly collect information about anyone under 18. If you think someone under 18 has signed up, email support@meshcommunity.co.uk and we’ll remove the account.
13. Community rules and End User Licence Agreement (EULA)
By using Mesh, you agree to this EULA. You’re responsible for everything you share on Mesh.
- Zero tolerance: illegal, abusive, harassing or harmful content is not allowed.
- Flagging and blocking: use the in-app tools to report objectionable content and block abusive users.
- Enforcement: we act on every report of objectionable content within 24 hours. The content is removed, and the user who posted it is permanently removed from Mesh.
- Private chats: we don’t monitor private chats, but we may review reported messages and remove any user or content that breaks these rules.
You can also report problems to support@meshcommunity.co.uk.
14. Changes to this policy
If we make important changes, for example when we introduce paid features for trades, we’ll update this page and let you know in the app.
15. Contact us
Mesh Community Limited
Unit 13e, 92 Burton Road, Sheffield, S3 8BX
Company number 17097454
Email: support@meshcommunity.co.uk