Privacy Policy

1.1 Information You Provide

Depending on how you use VibeMesh, you may provide:

1. Account & Profile Information: name, username/handle, email, phone number (if enabled), profile photo, bio, and preferences.
2. Campus Verification: a school email address (e.g., @university.edu) if you choose to verify campus access.
3. User Content: messages in chats, photos you upload, vibe receipts you create, quest selections, proof submissions (e.g., ratings, votes, “seal” confirmations), and other in-app posts.
4. Social/Community Actions: squad creation, invites, RSVPs/joins, “co-signs,” and reactions.
5. Support Communications: information you send to customer support.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use VibeMesh, we may automatically collect:

Location Information:

• Precise location (GPS) if you grant permission.
• Approximate location may be inferred from IP address.

Device & Usage Information:

• Device type, OS version, app version, language, time zone
• Unique device identifiers, advertising identifiers (such as IDFA or GAID), and push notification tokens
• App activity events (screens viewed, taps, feature usage), and basic diagnostics

Photos/Camera/Media Metadata (limited):

If you upload a photo as optional proof or for receipts, we process the image. If you grant access, we may also read limited metadata (such as timestamp) to help detect stale or reused proof and prevent abuse.

1.3 Contacts (Optional)

If you grant permission, we may access or import your contacts to help you find friends and build squads. Depending on implementation, we may:

• Store a hashed representation of phone numbers/emails to match existing users, and/or
• Store contact display names on your device for your convenience.

You can use VibeMesh without granting Contacts access.

1.4 Third-Party Integrations You Choose

If you choose to share content to Instagram (or other platforms) via your device's share sheet, that share is handled by the third-party platform and is subject to their terms and privacy policies. We do not receive your Instagram password. If in the future we add account linking, we will update this policy.

1.5 Analytics and Tracking Technologies

We use third-party analytics and service providers to help us understand how the Service is used and to improve it. These may include:

• Analytics services (e.g., Firebase Analytics, Mixpanel) to understand app usage patterns
• Crash reporting tools (e.g., Crashlytics, Sentry) to identify and fix bugs
• Cloud infrastructure providers for hosting and data storage

These providers may collect device identifiers and usage data on our behalf under contractual obligations.

2.1 Core App Operation

• Create and manage your account and profile
• Let you create squads, broadcast vibes, and join vibes
• Enable chat/lobby experiences and “Vibe Island” state updates
• Generate and display vibe receipts and memories

2.2 Location-Based Features (Internal Verification and Relevance)

If you grant location permission, we use location to:

• Meetup / “IRL happened” verification: confirm that two or more participants are physically near each other (e.g., within a short distance) during a vibe.
• Venue proximity checks: confirm proximity to a pinned location when a vibe is tied to a place.
• Anti-abuse & integrity: prevent farming/cheating (e.g., repeated “from couch” completions).
• Relevance: suggest nearby places or experiences and filter nearby vibes, depending on your visibility settings.

Note: Other users may see that a vibe occurred at a venue or general place name (if you choose to include it), but they cannot see your precise or approximate coordinates or track your movement.

2.3 Proof, Grading, and Game Mechanics

We use your proof submissions (e.g., rating, crown/MVP votes, “seal” confirmations, tallies, short “tales”) to:

• Complete quests and award XP/badges
• Calculate leaderboards/arena standings and category mastery
• Generate summaries and receipts
• Improve recommendations inside your friend graph (e.g., “friends liked this spot”)

2.4 Communications

• Send service messages and push notifications (invites, reminders, updates)
• Provide support and respond to requests

2.5 Analytics and Improvement

• Debug, monitor performance, prevent crashes, and improve features
• Understand aggregate trends (e.g., which quests are popular)

3.1 With Other Users (Based on Your Actions and Settings)

Information visible to other users may include:

• Your username/profile photo
• Vibes you host/join (depending on privacy/visibility settings)
• Vibe receipts or summaries you share
• Proof outcomes (e.g., squad grade, MVP) within that vibe's participant group
• Leaderboards/arena stats (typically aggregated stats, not raw location)

We do not share your precise or approximate GPS coordinates with other users.

3.2 With Service Providers

We use vendors to run the Service (for example: cloud hosting, databases, push notifications, analytics, crash reporting, and customer support tools). They process information on our behalf under contractual obligations.

3.3 For Safety, Security, and Legal Reasons

We may share information if we believe it is reasonably necessary to:

• Enforce our terms and policies
• Protect users and the Service from fraud, abuse, or harmful behavior
• Comply with law, lawful requests, or legal process
• Protect rights, safety, and property of VibeGravity, our users, or others

3.4 Business Transfers

If we're involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice as required by law.

4.1 What We Do Not Do

• No user-to-user real-time map tracking of precise coordinates
• No public display of your coordinate history

4.2 What We May Store

To operate the Service and prevent abuse, we may store:

• Check-in/verification outcomes (e.g., “verified together”)
• Timestamps and vibe status
• Associated venue/place IDs if a vibe is tied to a place
• Limited, temporary location signals used for verification (retained only as needed for security, debugging, and fraud prevention)

We aim to minimize location retention and store derived verification results where possible.

5.1 Location

You can enable/disable location permissions in your device settings at any time. If you disable location, certain features may not work (e.g., verification, nearby suggestions, “check in together,” or some quests).

5.2 Contacts

Contacts access is optional. You can revoke permission at any time. Revoking may reduce friend discovery and squad-building convenience.

5.3 Notifications

You can opt out of push notifications via device settings.

5.4 Sharing and Visibility

VibeMesh may offer visibility controls such as:

• Squads only
• Friends-of-friends
• Campus (if enabled/verified)
• Broader community (if enabled)

You can also choose what appears on shareable receipts (for example, hiding location, names, or other details).

5.5 Account Access, Deletion, and Requests

You can request access, correction, or deletion of your information by contacting us at the email below. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling requests.

6.1 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell/share
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
• Correct inaccurate personal information
• Limit use of sensitive personal information (if applicable)
• Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise your rights, contact [email protected]. We will verify your identity before processing your request, typically by confirming information associated with your account.

6.2 Other US State Residents

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws may have similar rights, including the right to access, delete, correct, and opt out of certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us using the information below.