Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide:

When you create an account and use Besties, we collect:

• Name and school email address
• Photos you upload to your profile
• Academic information (major, graduation year)
• Interests you select
• Posts, comments, and other content you create
• Messages sent through the app
• Missed connection posts
• Hangouts you create or join

Automatically Collected Information:

• Device information (type, operating system)
• Usage data (features used, interactions)
• Log data (IP address, access times)
• Push notification tokens (if enabled)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and operate the Service
• Create and maintain your account
• Connect you with other verified students
• Display your profile to other users
• Enable messaging and social features
• Send push notifications about activity
• Improve and personalize your experience
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and security issues
• Enforce our Terms and Conditions
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Information Sharing

With Other Users:

Your profile information (name, photos, major, graduation year, interests) is visible to other verified students, unless you have enabled Private Mode.

Direct messages are only visible to the intended recipients.

Missed Connections Privacy:

Missed connection posts appear anonymous to other users. However, Besties, Inc. maintains records that can identify the poster. We may access this information if required for user safety, to investigate violations, or to comply with legal requirements.

We Do Not Sell Your Data:

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

We May Share Information With:

• Service providers (Firebase/Google for hosting and authentication; Expo for push notifications; OpenAI for content moderation)
• Law enforcement when required by law or to protect safety
• Other parties with your explicit consent

4. Push Notifications

If you enable push notifications, we collect your device's push token to send you notifications about messages, friend requests, and activity.

You can control notification preferences in your device settings or within the app.

5. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information, including encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), secure authentication, and access controls.

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention & Account Deletion

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service.

When You Delete Your Account:

• Your profile is immediately hidden from all other users
• Your name is changed to "Deleted User"
• Your photos are removed
• Your posts and comments are hidden from view
• Your push notification token is cleared
• You are signed out and cannot log back in
• This action is permanent and cannot be undone

Data We May Retain After Deletion:

• Information required for legal compliance
• Information needed to resolve disputes
• Information necessary to enforce our Terms
• Aggregated, anonymized analytics data

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• Access your personal information
• Correct inaccurate information through profile settings
• Delete your account (Settings → Delete Account)
• Export your data (contact support)
• Control push notification preferences
• Block and report other users
• Enable Private Mode to hide from friend discovery

8. Children's Privacy

Besties is intended for users 18 years of age and older who are current college students. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe we have collected information from someone under 18, please contact us immediately.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete personal information, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights. We do not sell personal information.

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@allmybesties.com. We will respond within 45 days.

10. Third-Party Services

We use third-party services:

• Firebase (Google) - hosting, authentication, database. Privacy Policy
• Expo - push notification delivery. Privacy Policy
• OpenAI - content moderation for anonymous posts. Privacy Policy

Content Moderation:

Posts and comments in Missed Connections are sent to OpenAI's moderation API to detect harmful content before posting. According to OpenAI's data usage policy, API data is not used to train their models by default. However, OpenAI may retain this data for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring and safety purposes.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by one or more of the following:

• Updating the "Last Updated" date above
• Posting a notice within the app
• Emailing users (for material changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. International Users

Your information may be transferred to and stored on servers in the United States. By using Besties, you consent to this transfer.

13. University Affiliation

Besties is an independent service by Besties, Inc. and is not officially affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any university.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about how your data is handled, please contact us: