Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you use Ontolize, we collect information you provide directly:

• Account information: name, email, phone number, city, and profile photo.
• Profile content: bio, interests, skills, and other attributes you share.
• Connections: who you know, how you know them, and relationship context you add.
• Posts and messages: activities you create, responses, and chat messages.
• Private signals: books, podcasts, and discoveries you log with chosen visibility levels.

We also collect usage data automatically:

• Analytics events: feature usage, session duration, and navigation patterns.
• Approximate location: city-level location for nearby discovery (never shared precisely until you join an activity).

2. How We Use Your Data

• To connect you with compatible people in your extended network.
• To show you relevant activities and recommendations.
• To compute trust scores and compatibility based on shared context.
• To improve the product based on aggregated usage patterns.
• To send you service emails (welcome, password reset, activity notifications).

We never sell your personal data to third parties.

3. Visibility Controls

You control who sees your content:

• Private signals are used only for matching and never shown to others unless you choose to share them with close friends or your extended network.
• Post visibility can be set to Everyone, Friends, Close Friends, or Circle Members.
• Discoverability controls whether you appear in search results and suggestions.
• Close friend designations are private and never revealed to the designated person.

4. Location Privacy

Before you join an activity, you see only approximate distance (“2.3 mi away”). Exact addresses are revealed only after you express interest or commit to attending.

5. Data Retention & Deletion

You can delete your account at any time from Settings. This permanently removes all your personal data, posts, messages, connections, and signals. Some anonymized analytics data may be retained for product improvement.

You can also export a copy of all your data at any time from Settings.

6. Data Security

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt. Data is transmitted over HTTPS. We use industry-standard security practices to protect your information.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Google Places API: for location search when creating activities.
• Resend: for transactional email delivery.
• Railway / Vercel: for hosting and database services.

8. Contact

For privacy questions, email us at privacy@ontolize.com.