Privacy Policy

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

A. ACCOUNT INFORMATION (Linked to Your Identity)

• Email address and username (used for app functionality)
• Display name and profile pictures (face photo and public photo) (used for app functionality)
• Birthday/age and identity information (gender, race, sexual orientation) (used for app functionality and product personalization)
• Bio and custom status messages (used for app functionality)
• Tags describing your interests and identity (used for app functionality and product personalization)

B. LOCATION DATA (Linked to Your Identity)

• Precise GPS coordinates when using the app (used for app functionality, developer advertising, and product personalization)
• Current location (place, neighborhood, city, state, country) (used for app functionality)
• Home neighborhood designation (used for app functionality)
• Location history for service functionality (used for app functionality)
• Distance calculations between users (used for app functionality)

C. CONTENT AND INTERACTIONS (Linked to Your Identity)

• Posts, photos, videos, and comments you create (used for app functionality and product personalization)
• Messages sent to other users (encrypted) (used for app functionality)
• Interactions with posts (promotes, shares, views) (used for app functionality, analytics, and product personalization)
• Friend connections and requests (used for app functionality)
• Places you've joined or interacted with (used for app functionality and developer advertising)
• Event participation and check-ins (used for app functionality)

D. USAGE DATA (Linked to Your Identity)

• User ID and account identifiers (used for app functionality, developer advertising, analytics, and product personalization)
• App usage patterns and session duration (used for analytics)
• Feature usage and interaction timing (used for analytics and product personalization)
• "For You" algorithm feedback and preferences (used for product personalization)
• Search queries and content preferences (used for analytics and product personalization)
• Device information and technical specifications (used for analytics)

E. TECHNICAL DATA (May Be Linked to Your Identity)

• Device identifiers and push notification tokens (used for app functionality and analytics)
• IP address and network information (used for app functionality)
• App version and operating system details (used for analytics)
• Crash reports and performance metrics (used for analytics)

F. SENSITIVE INFORMATION (Linked to Your Identity)

• Identity tags including sexual orientation, gender identity, race/ethnicity, or other personal characteristics (used for app functionality and product personalization)
• This information is optional but helps other users discover you based on shared characteristics
• You control the visibility of this information through privacy settings

2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

A. CORE FUNCTIONALITY

• Connect you with nearby users based on location proximity
• Display relevant content in your location hierarchy
• Enable messaging and social connections
• Personalize your "For You" feed using algorithmic recommendations
• Show you relevant places, events, and activities
• Authenticate your account and prevent fraud
• Ensure server uptime and app performance

B. PRIVACY AND SAFETY

• Apply your privacy settings to control information visibility
• Detect and prevent spam, abuse, and fake accounts
• Investigate violations of our terms of service
• Respond to legal requests and emergency situations

C. ANALYTICS AND PRODUCT PERSONALIZATION

• Analyze usage patterns to improve features and understand user behavior
• Measure feature effectiveness and audience characteristics
• Test new functionality during beta period
• Develop better content recommendation algorithms
• Customize what you see based on your location and preferences
• Optimize app performance and fix bugs
• Track engagement metrics to improve the service

D. DEVELOPER ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

• Enable businesses (Official Places) to show promotions and notifications to users who have joined their Place
• Allow businesses to promote posts to nearby users within the app
• Send you notifications about nearby places, events, and activities
• All advertising occurs within Grid only - we do not share your data with third-party advertising networks

E. COMMUNICATION

• Send important account and security notifications
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Share beta updates and feature announcements
• Request feedback for service improvements

3. INFORMATION SHARING AND DISCLOSURE

A. USER-CONTROLLED SHARING

• Profile information visibility is controlled by your privacy settings
• Location sharing granularity can be adjusted (place, neighborhood, city, etc.)
• You choose which users can see specific profile fields
• Post visibility is determined by location levels and privacy settings

C. LEGAL AND SAFETY DISCLOSURES

• We may disclose information when required by law
• Emergency situations may require sharing information with authorities
• Court orders and legal process may compel data disclosure
• We cooperate with law enforcement when legally obligated

D. SERVICE PROVIDERS

• Cloud hosting and data storage providers
• Map and location services (with privacy protections)
• Analytics services (using anonymized data)
• Customer support and communication tools

4. YOUR PRIVACY CONTROLS

A. GRANULAR PROFILE PRIVACY

• Control visibility of display name, bio, photos, and personal information
• Set privacy levels: Everyone, Friends Only, or Private
• Allow or block specific users from seeing particular information
• Default settings favor sharing with friends over public visibility

B. LOCATION PRIVACY

• You appear in The Grid to other users in the same neighborhood or city as you
• You can choose whether to display your home neighborhood in your profile
• Other users cannot see your full location hierarchy, precise coordinates, or location history
• App requires location access for core functionality (cannot be disabled)
• You can maintain profile anonymity while still appearing in location-based feeds
• Location data is only used to determine proximity for Grid display and content relevance

C. CONTENT PRIVACY

• Posts are visible to all users within the location level where you post
• Messages between users are automatically encrypted with no user control needed
• No control over appearing in other users' algorithmic recommendations
• No control over friend request discoverability settings

D. ALGORITHMIC CONTROLS

• Provide feedback to improve "For You" recommendations
• Report inappropriate or unwanted content
• Limited content filtering options available

5. DATA RETENTION AND DELETION

A. ACTIVE ACCOUNT DATA

• Profile information: Retained while account is active
• Posts and content: Stored indefinitely until manually deleted by user or account deactivation
• Messages: Retained for functionality, automatically encrypted and inaccessible to Grid staff
• Location history: Stored temporarily for service functionality including location verification, proximity matching, and recommendation improvements

B. ACCOUNT DELETION

• Account deletion removes profile and content within 30 days
• Some data may be retained for legal compliance or safety
• Backup copies may persist for up to 90 days
• Analytics data is anonymized and may be retained longer

C. AUTOMATIC DELETION

• Temporary location data is deleted after service use
• Crash reports and logs are deleted after analysis
• Beta testing data may have shorter retention periods
• Message delivery data is deleted after successful delivery

6. SECURITY AND PROTECTION

A. DATA ENCRYPTION

• All data transmission uses HTTPS encryption
• Messages between users are encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption
• Database storage uses standard MongoDB encryption
• Location data is stored in encrypted database

B. ACCESS CONTROLS

• Administrative staff can access profile data for support and moderation purposes
• Message content is encrypted and inaccessible to Grid staff
• Standard password-based authentication for internal systems
• Security measures are being developed as we transition from beta to production

C. BETA SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

• Beta software may have additional security vulnerabilities
• We actively monitor and patch security issues
• Users should avoid sharing highly sensitive information during beta
• Security measures are continuously improved based on testing

7. THIRD-PARTY INTEGRATIONS

A. MAPPING AND LOCATION SERVICES

• Map data is provided by third-party services
• Location processing may involve third-party services for functionality
• Precise user locations may be shared with mapping providers for service functionality
• Location data handling practices are being refined during beta

B. ANALYTICS AND PERFORMANCE

• Anonymous usage analytics help improve the service
• Crash reporting aids in bug fixes and stability
• Performance monitoring ensures service quality
• Analytics practices are being established during beta testing

C. CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE

• Data is stored using secure cloud services
• Cloud providers have strong privacy and security commitments
• Data residency and jurisdiction are carefully managed
• Backup and disaster recovery procedures protect user data

8. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

A. GLOBAL SERVICE PROVISION

• Data may be processed in different countries for service functionality
• We implement appropriate safeguards for international transfers
• EU users have specific rights under GDPR and related regulations
• Data processing agreements ensure consistent privacy protection

B. JURISDICTION AND COMPLIANCE

• We comply with applicable privacy laws in all operating jurisdictions
• Data localization requirements are respected where applicable
• Cross-border transfers use approved mechanisms and safeguards
• Users are informed of any significant changes to data processing locations

9. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

A. ACCESS AND CONTROL

• Request access to all personal information we have about you
• Correct inaccurate or outdated information in your profile
• Download your data in a portable format
• Object to certain types of data processing

B. DELETION AND WITHDRAWAL

• Delete your account and associated data
• Remove specific posts or content items
• Withdraw consent for optional data processing
• Opt out of marketing communications and analytics

C. REGIONAL RIGHTS

• EU users have additional rights under GDPR
• California users have rights under CCPA
• Other jurisdictions may provide additional privacy rights
• We respond to all valid privacy rights requests promptly

10. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

• Grid is designed for users 18 years and older
• We do not knowingly collect information from minors
• If we discover a minor has created an account, it will be promptly deleted
• Parents concerned about their minor's potential use should contact us

11. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

A. BETA EVOLUTION

• This policy may change as we transition from beta to production
• Significant changes will be communicated via email and in-app notification
• Continued use constitutes acceptance of updated privacy practices
• Beta users will have opportunity to review production privacy policy

B. NOTIFICATION PROCESS

• Material changes require prominent notice and user consent
• Technical or administrative changes may be updated with general notice
• Privacy policy version history is available upon request
• Users concerned about changes can delete their account before changes take effect