Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Fellow ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you use the Fellow mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using Fellow, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

Account Information

• Phone number (required for verification)
• Email address
• Password (stored securely, encrypted)
• Username
• Display name

Profile Information

• Profile photo
• Background/cover image
• Bio/about text (up to 500 characters)
• Website URL
• Location (optional)

Organization Information (for Organization accounts)

• Organization name
• Industry
• Organization size
• Founded year
• Organization type

User Content

• Posts (text, images, videos)
• Comments and replies
• Messages sent through Lines
• Events you create
• Circles and Groups you create
• Polls and poll responses
• Reactions and likes

Communications

• Customer support inquiries
• Feedback and suggestions
• Reports of violations

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data

• Features and content you interact with
• Time, frequency, and duration of activities
• Search queries within the app
• Content views and engagement metrics

Device Information

• Device type and model
• Operating system and version
• Unique device identifiers
• Push notification tokens
• App version

Log Data

• IP address
• Access times and dates
• App crashes and error reports
• Performance data

1.3 Information from Third Parties

Authentication Providers

• Phone verification status from our authentication service
• Email verification status

Payment Processors

• Transaction confirmations from Apple App Store and Google Play Store
• Subscription status from Stripe (for Circle subscriptions)
• We do not store your full payment card details

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 To Provide and Maintain the Service

• Create and manage your account
• Enable you to create and share content
• Facilitate communication through Lines (messaging)
• Enable participation in Circles and Groups
• Allow you to create and manage Events
• Process transactions and subscriptions

2.2 To Personalize Your Experience

• Show relevant content and recommendations
• Suggest Circles, users, and Events you may be interested in
• Customize your feed based on your activity

2.3 To Communicate With You

• Send push notifications (with your permission)
• Notify you about activity related to your account
• Send service announcements and updates
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests

2.4 To Ensure Safety and Security

• Verify user identity through phone verification
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations
• Enforce our Terms of Service
• Protect the rights and safety of users
• Review reported content and take appropriate action

2.5 To Improve the Service

• Analyze usage patterns and trends
• Debug and fix technical issues
• Develop new features and functionality
• Conduct research and analytics

2.6 To Process Payments

• Process Organization premium subscriptions
• Facilitate Circle subscription payments
• Pay Circle owners their revenue share
• Maintain transaction records

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 Public Information
The following information is publicly visible to other users:

• Username and display name
• Profile photo and background image
• Bio and website link
• Public posts and comments
• Public Circles you've joined or created
• Public Events you've created or RSVP'd to
• Follower and following counts
• Verification badges

3.2 With Other Users

• Messages are shared with recipients in Lines
• Content in Circles is visible to Circle members
• Event details are visible to invited guests and RSVPs
• Your profile is visible to users who view it

3.3 With Service Providers
We share information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Service:

Firebase (Google)

• Purpose: Authentication, database, file storage, cloud functions
• Data shared: Account data, user content, media files
• Privacy Policy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy

Stripe

• Purpose: Payment processing for Circle subscriptions
• Data shared: Transaction data, payout information for Circle owners
• Privacy Policy: https://stripe.com/privacy

Apple App Store

• Purpose: In-app purchases and subscription management (iOS)
• Data shared: Purchase receipts, subscription status
• Privacy Policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/

Google Play Store

• Purpose: In-app purchases and subscription management (Android)
• Data shared: Purchase receipts, subscription status
• Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Expo

• Purpose: Push notifications, app updates
• Data shared: Push notification tokens, device information
• Privacy Policy: https://expo.dev/privacy

3.4 For Legal Reasons
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to:

• Legal process (subpoenas, court orders)
• Government requests
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• To protect the safety of our users or the public
• To investigate potential violations of our Terms

3.5 Business Transfers
If Fellow is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information.

3.6 With Your Consent
We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

4. Data Retention

4.1 Active Accounts
We retain your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide you with the Service.

4.2 Deleted Content
When you delete content (posts, comments, messages), it is removed from our active systems. Some data may persist in backups for a limited period.

4.3 Deleted Accounts
When you delete your account, we permanently delete:

• Your profile information
• All posts and comments you created
• All messages you sent
• Your follower and following relationships
• Your Circle and Line memberships
• All uploaded media files

Some information may be retained:

• As required by law (e.g., transaction records)
• For legitimate business purposes (e.g., fraud prevention)
• In anonymized or aggregated form for analytics

4.4 Cached Data

• Profile data: Cached for up to 1 hour
• Video cache: Up to 500MB on your device, auto-managed
• You can clear cached data in app settings

5. Your Rights and Choices

5.1 Access Your Information
You can access most of your personal information directly through the app:

• View and edit your profile information
• View your posts, comments, and messages
• View your Circle and Line memberships
• View your Events and RSVPs

5.2 Update Your Information
You can update your account information at any time through the app settings, including:

• Profile photo and background image
• Display name and bio
• Email address (with verification)
• Password
• Website and other profile details

5.3 Delete Your Account
You can delete your account at any time through the app settings. Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

5.4 Control Notifications
You can manage your notification preferences:

• Enable or disable push notifications
• Customize notification types
• Set per-Circle notification preferences
• Set per-Line notification preferences

5.5 Privacy Settings

• Set your account to private (followers must be approved)
• Hide Circles from your profile
• Control who can message you

5.6 Data Portability
You may request a copy of your personal data by contacting us at support@fellow.so.

5.7 Opt-Out of Marketing
You can opt out of promotional communications by adjusting your notification settings or contacting us.

6. Children's Privacy

Fellow is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@fellow.so.

If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information promptly.

Users between 13 and 18 years old may use Fellow only with parental or guardian consent.

7. Security

7.1 Security Measures
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure password storage (hashed and salted)
• Firebase security rules to control data access
• Server-side validation for sensitive operations
• Regular security assessments

7.2 Payment Security

• We do not store your full credit card numbers
• Payments are processed by Apple, Google, or Stripe
• Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant

7.3 Your Responsibilities
You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the security of your account credentials
• Using a strong, unique password
• Logging out from shared devices
• Reporting unauthorized account access immediately

7.4 Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

8. International Data Transfers

Fellow operates globally, and your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States.

Our service providers (Firebase, Stripe, etc.) may process data in various locations worldwide. By using Fellow, you consent to the transfer of your information to these locations.

We take steps to ensure that your information receives an adequate level of protection in the jurisdictions in which we process it.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

9.1 Right to Know
You have the right to request information about:

• Categories of personal information we collect
• Sources of personal information
• Purposes for collecting or selling personal information
• Categories of third parties with whom we share personal information
• Specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you

9.2 Right to Delete
You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

9.3 Right to Non-Discrimination
We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

9.4 Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Fellow does not sell your personal information as defined under the CCPA.

9.5 Exercising Your Rights
To exercise your California privacy rights, contact us at support@fellow.so.

10. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

10.1 Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data based on:

• Contract: To provide the Service you requested
• Consent: For optional features like push notifications
• Legitimate interests: To improve and secure the Service
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable laws

10.2 Your Rights

• Access: Request access to your personal data
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing
• Portability: Request transfer of your data
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time

10.3 Data Protection Authority
You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

10.4 Exercising Your Rights
To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at support@fellow.so.

11. Cookies and Tracking

The Fellow mobile app does not use cookies. However, our web-based services and third-party providers may use similar technologies:

11.1 Analytics
We may collect anonymized usage data to understand how users interact with the Service.

11.2 Third-Party Services
Our third-party service providers may use their own tracking technologies according to their privacy policies.

12. Third-Party Links

Fellow may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content. This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through Fellow.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services.

13. Push Notifications

With your permission, we send push notifications for:

• New followers and follow requests
• Likes and reactions on your content
• Comments and replies
• Messages in Lines
• Circle invitations and activity
• Event invitations and reminders
• Mentions and tags

You can disable push notifications at any time through your device settings or the Fellow app settings.

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 in the app
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending you a notification (for significant changes)

Your continued use of Fellow after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

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

Fellow
Email: support@fellow.so
Website: https://fellow.so

We will respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe.

By using Fellow, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.