Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Intro ("we," "our," or "us"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our location-based social networking application ("Service").

By using Intro, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information to provide and improve our Service:

2.1 Account and Profile Information

• Registration Data: Name, email address, password (hashed), and authentication credentials
• Profile Information: Profile photo, bio, company name, job title, gender, and date of birth
• Phone Number and Verification: Your mobile phone number (in E.164 format with country code) and verification status. We collect your phone number when you register or verify your phone. Verification is done via one-time code (OTP) sent through Firebase Authentication. We store your verified phone number and do not store the OTP code itself.
• Username: Unique username with discriminator (e.g., username#12345)
• Authentication: Refresh tokens and device tokens for push notifications

2.2 Location Information

• Real-time Location: GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) are collected from your mobile device when you are actively using the app
• Location Accuracy: Accuracy measurements of your location data
• Location History: Timestamps of when your location was recorded
• Note: Location data is essential for our nearby user discovery feature. Location is only collected when you are actively using the app, not in the background. You can control your visibility through privacy settings.

2.3 Communication Data

• Messages: Text messages, images, files, and location shares sent through our messaging service
• Message Metadata: Timestamps, delivery status, read receipts, and reply information
• Conversations: Chat history with other users

2.4 Social Interaction Data

• Friend Requests: Sent and received friend requests
• Friendships: Your connections with other users
• Blocked Users: Users you have blocked
• Reports: Reports you have made about other users

2.5 Device and Technical Information

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, device identifiers
• Push Notification Tokens: Tokens for sending push notifications to your devices
• Usage Data: How you interact with our Service, including features used and time spent
• IP Address: Your IP address and general location information
• Log Data: Server logs, error reports, and performance data

2.6 Third-Party Authentication

• If you choose to sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive basic profile information (name, email) from these providers

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Provision: To create and manage your account, provide messaging services, and enable location-based features
• Nearby User Discovery: To show you other users within a specified radius based on your location (you can control visibility in settings)
• Friend Connections: To facilitate friend requests, manage friendships, and enable messaging between friends
• Real-time Communication: To deliver messages, typing indicators, and notifications in real-time
• Push Notifications: To send you notifications about new messages, friend requests, and other important updates
• Safety and Security: To verify user age (13+ minimum, with nearby discovery restricted to 18+), verify phone numbers for account authenticity, prevent fraud, detect abuse, and enforce our terms of service
• Content Moderation: To review and act on user reports of harassment, spam, or inappropriate content
• Account Management: To authenticate users, manage sessions, and provide account recovery
• Service Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, improve our algorithms, and enhance user experience
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: When you provide explicit consent, such as sharing your location for nearby discovery or enabling push notifications
• Contract: When processing is necessary to provide the Service you have requested (e.g., messaging, friend connections)
• Legal Obligation: When required by law, such as age verification (13+ minimum) or responding to legal requests
• Legitimate Interests: For safety, security, fraud prevention, and service improvement, provided your rights are not overridden

5. Location Data and Privacy

• Collection: We collect your location when you actively use the app or update your location
• Sharing: If you have enabled "Visible in Nearby Discovery" in your privacy settings, other users may see your approximate distance from them, but your exact location coordinates are not visible to other users
• Control: You can control your visibility in nearby discovery through your privacy settings. You can hide yourself from being discovered by other users, but location data may still be collected when you actively use the app
• Accuracy: We store location accuracy information to help you understand the precision of location data
• Retention: We retain your most recent location to provide the Service.

5A. Phone Number Verification

Phone verification is mandatory to use Intro. We use Firebase Authentication (Google) for phone verification:

• SMS OTP: Firebase sends a one-time code via SMS to your phone number. Firebase and its telecommunications partners process your number to deliver the SMS.
• Verification Flow: We verify your phone by confirming the OTP with Firebase. We do not receive or store the SMS content; we only receive confirmation that the phone number was verified.
• Storage: Your verified phone number is stored on our servers and linked to your account. Each phone number can only be associated with one verified account.

Firebase's use of your data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. Standard SMS and data rates may apply when receiving verification codes.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

6.1 With Other Users

• Profile Information: Your profile (name, photo, bio, company, job title) is visible to users who discover you or are your friends. Your phone number is not shared with other users.
• Location: Your approximate distance from other users may be visible within the discovery radius (if enabled in settings), but your exact location coordinates are not shared
• Messages: Messages are shared only with the intended recipient(s)

6.2 With Service Providers

• Email Services: SendGrid for sending OTP codes and notifications
• Phone Verification: Firebase Authentication (Google) for sending SMS verification codes and verifying phone numbers
• Push Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for delivering push notifications
• Cloud Storage: Cloudflare R2 for storing profile images and media
• Message Queue: RabbitMQ for processing messages and location updates
• Database Hosting: Third-party database providers for data storage

6.3 Legal and Safety

• When required by law or legal process
• To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users
• To investigate fraud, abuse, or violations of our terms
• In connection with legal proceedings or government requests

6.4 Business Transfers

• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the new entity

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest
• Password Security: Passwords are hashed using bcrypt and never stored in plain text
• Authentication: Secure token-based authentication (JWT) with refresh tokens
• Access Controls: Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Regular Updates: Security patches and updates to protect against vulnerabilities
• Monitoring: Continuous monitoring for suspicious activity and security threats

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your information as follows:

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active. You can delete your account at any time
• Messages: Retained until you delete them or your account is deleted
• Location Data: Retained while you use location features. Location data is collected when you actively use the app.
• Logs: Retained for a limited period for security and troubleshooting purposes
• Legal Requirements: Some data may be retained longer if required by law or for legal proceedings

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data, except where we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes.

9. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information in your profile
• Deletion: Delete your account and request deletion of your personal data
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Objection: Object to certain processing activities (e.g., visibility in nearby discovery)
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for visibility in nearby discovery or other optional features

9.1 Privacy Settings

You can control your privacy through in-app settings:

• Nearby Discovery Visibility: Control whether you appear in nearby user discovery. You can hide yourself from being discovered by other users

Note: Location data is collected when you actively use the app. You can control your visibility in nearby discovery.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at the email address provided in the "Contact Us" section.

10. Age Restrictions

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so we can delete such information.

For users between 13 and 17 years of age, we recommend parental supervision and guidance when using our Service, especially when sharing information or interacting with other users.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country. By using our Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries.

We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy, regardless of where it is processed.

12. Third-Party Services

Our Service integrates with third-party services:

• Google Sign-In: If you use Google authentication, Google's privacy policy applies to that service
• Firebase Authentication: For phone number verification (sending and verifying SMS OTP codes). See Firebase/Google Privacy Policy
• SendGrid: For email delivery (see SendGrid's privacy policy)
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: For push notifications (see Google's privacy policy)

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

13. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Maintain your session and authenticate you
• Remember your preferences
• Analyze how our Service is used
• Improve security and prevent fraud

You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our Service.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last updated" date
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)
• Displaying a notice in the app

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• For data deletion requests: [email protected]

We will respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe.