Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

Authentication providers

You sign in with a third-party provider. When you use Google or Apple sign-in, we receive your name, email address, and (if available) a profile photo from that provider. We do not receive your password.

Phone number

We verify a phone number by sending a one-time code over SMS. We store a one-way, irreversible fingerprint of the number to ensure each person has one account, to support safety, and - only if you turn on contact matching - to let members who already have your number find you (see "Contacts" below); we do not retain the raw phone number after verification.

Contacts (optional, off by default)

If you turn on contact matching and press "Sync contacts," the phone numbers in your address book are sent to us over an encrypted connection so we can check them against the verified numbers of members who have also turned matching on. Each number is converted immediately into a one-way, irreversible fingerprint; we do not store or log the raw numbers, and the fingerprints from a sync are kept only while matching runs and are deleted when it finishes. What remains afterward is the resulting matches - which members' verified numbers appeared in your contacts - and a small record of the sync itself (when it ran and how many numbers were accepted). We read only phone numbers - never names, emails, or anything else from your address book - and a sync happens only when you press the button.

Profile information

A profile photo you upload, and optional details you choose to add - a short bio, age, gender identity, cultural background, and interest tags. Gender identity and cultural background are sensitive; see "Sensitive information" below.

User-uploaded content

Photos you upload and messages you send in event group chats. This content may be reviewed by automated tools and our team - for example, when it is reported - and removed if it breaks our rules.

Event participation data

Events you create, join, or request; your attendance, ratings you give and receive, and reliability signals (such as cancellations or no-shows).

Approximate and location-related data

The neighborhood/area you set for an event and, with your permission, your device's location to show nearby meetups. A neighborhood is shown publicly on listings; an event's exact address is revealed only to confirmed attendees.

Moderation and reporting information

Reports you submit or that are submitted about you, and the limited content needed to review them (for example, the reported message or photo). We use automated tools to help screen listings and reported content.

Device and usage data

Push-notification tokens and basic technical and usage data needed to operate, secure, and improve the service.

2. Sensitive information

If you choose to share a gender identity or a cultural background, you give us your explicit consent to process this information. Both are optional, you can change or remove them at any time, and cultural background includes a "prefer not to say" option. They appear on your profile next to your first name and age, and are visible to anyone who can see an event you host or have joined - including people browsing that event before they join. We never use them for advertising and never sell them.

3. How we use your information

• Provide the service - create your profile, run discovery and sign-ups, power group chat, and send transactional notifications such as event reminders and account actions.
• Help you find people you know - if you turn on contact matching, compare fingerprints of your contacts' numbers with members who have also turned it on.
• Keep the community safe - verify phone numbers, screen event listings and reported content, and enforce our community rules.
• Improve and secure the platform, and comply with legal obligations.

4. How we share your information

• Service providers - Amazon Web Services (hosting, plus AI services used for content moderation and photo screening), Google and Apple (sign-in), Google (weather forecasts for event areas), and SMS/push-notification providers. They process data on our behalf under contract.
• Other users - your first name, profile photo, and the limited signals above are visible to people you join events with. Your neighborhood is shown publicly on listings you host; your exact address is shared only with confirmed attendees. If you turn on contact matching, members who have your number in their contacts (and have matching on) can see your first name, last initial, and profile photo as a match; turning matching off hides you from their matches again.
• Legal and safety - we may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of our users or the public.

We do not sell your personal information.

5. International data transfers

We operate in Canada and the United States, and our service providers (including AWS) may process your information in data centers located in the United States. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take steps to ensure it receives a comparable level of protection.

6. Data retention

We keep your account information while your account is active. Group-chat messages are retained with event history. Chat images stop being served 30 days after they are sent and then age out of storage. Contact fingerprints from a sync are deleted as soon as matching completes; the matches and the record of your last sync are kept until your account is deleted (turning contact matching off hides your matches without deleting them). Reports and safety records may be kept longer where needed to keep the community safe or to meet legal requirements.

7. Account deletion

You can request account deletion in Account settings or from our account deletion page.

Once we verify and accept an emailed request, your account enters a 7-day grace period. Sign back in during that period to cancel.

After the grace period, we delete or scrub your sign-in identity, provider links, phone-verification fingerprint, profile information and photos, contact matches and any synced contact data, saved items, push tokens, and active event references.

We retain limited safety, fraud-prevention, report, feedback, event-completion, and shared event-history records after identity links are removed. Group-chat message text is also retained; some retained text may identify a person, and these records currently do not expire. Chat images stop being served 30 days after they are sent and then age out of storage.

8. Your choices and rights

You can view and edit your profile in the app and manage which push notification categories you receive. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information - contact us to exercise them.

9. Security

We protect your information using encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and security monitoring. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to safeguard your data.

10. Children

Valentree is for adults 18 and older. If we learn we have collected information from someone under 18, we will delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, provide notice in the app.

12. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your information? Email moderation@valentree.com.