Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Circa collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Circa app and related services (the "Service").
1. Information We Collect
- Account information: if you create an account, we collect the phone number used for login verification and your display name. Guest mode does not require an account.
- Verification metadata: authentication-related technical data needed to verify sign-in and secure accounts.
- Friend and meetup data: information you choose to add, such as friend names, phone numbers, city and state, bookmarks, friend requests, and meetup records. Private manual friend entries are visible only to you.
- City-level location: if you choose current-city mode, your device location is used to derive your city and state. Exact coordinates are not stored or sent to Circa's backend. You may instead set a city manually.
- Contact matching: if you grant contact permission and choose Find friends, Circa uploads the normalized phone numbers from the contacts you allow to our server to check for exact matches with Circa accounts. Submitted phone numbers are processed for that matching request and are not retained afterward. Contact names, photos, and addresses are not uploaded for matching.
- Contact imports: when a signed-in user chooses people to add from contacts, Circa uploads only the selected people's name, phone number, city and state, contact link identifier, and thumbnail photo to the user's private Circa list. A guest's selected contacts stay on the device unless the guest later signs in, at which point the private list is uploaded to the account.
- Safety data: if you report or block another user, we collect the reported account, a reason, the reporting account, and the time of the action so we can review abuse and enforce our Terms.
- Device and usage data: basic logs and diagnostics needed to operate, secure, and improve the Service.
2. How We Use Information
- Provide and maintain the Service.
- Authenticate users and prevent fraud or abuse.
- Support app features, including friend and location-related functionality.
- Respond to support requests and communicate service updates.
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.
3. Text Messaging Use
Circa uses texting (SMS) only for account and sign-up verification codes. We do not use SMS for marketing, promotions, or advertising.
4. How We Share Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share data with service providers that help us run the Service, such as:
- Supabase for backend infrastructure and data storage.
- Twilio for delivery of verification SMS messages.
We may also disclose information when required by law or to protect rights, safety, and security.
5. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as necessary to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, protect users, and enforce agreements. Contact phone numbers submitted only for matching are not retained after the matching request. When you delete your account in the app, Circa permanently deletes the account and associated profile, friend, and location data. We may retain de-identified safety records when necessary to prevent abuse.
6. Your Choices
- You can choose what profile, friend, and optional fields to add in the app.
- You can control device-level permissions, including contacts and location permissions.
- You can permanently delete your account and associated data in the app by opening Profile, scrolling to Account deletion, and tapping Delete account.
- You can report or block a Circa user from that user's action menu. Blocking removes the user from your list immediately, prevents the accounts from reconnecting, and sends Circa a report for review.
7. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
8. Children's Privacy
The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.
10. Contact
For privacy questions or help with the in-app deletion flow, contact us at me@amb.horse.