CulDeChat Privacy Policy
Effective date: November 1, 2026
Who we are: Direct Innovations LLC, a Virginia limited liability company ("CulDeChat," "we," "us").
Contact: support@culdechat.app
CulDeChat helps you connect with people who live near you. Our core promise is that other users never see where you live. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
CulDeChat is in beta. Some features mentioned below (for example ads and mailed verification postcards) are marked "when added"; they aren't live yet, and we'll update this policy before they are.
1. What we collect
Information you give us
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Email address, or your name and email from Sign in with Google (and Sign in with Apple, when added) | To create and secure your account and contact you about it. |
| Display name | Shown to neighbors next to your posts and messages, unless you turn on a private profile (then neighbors see an alias like "Neighbor 4821"). |
| Date of birth | Checked once to confirm you're 18 or older. We don't store it; we keep only the result. |
| Home location (and a second address on Premium) | To place your circle and find neighbors whose circles overlap yours. When mailed verification is added, your street address is used to mail the postcard. |
| Posts, comments, messages, and Helpful marks | To show them to the neighbors you share them with, and to award badges. |
| Reports and blocks | To keep the community safe. People you block aren't told. |
| Around Town suggestions | To review and publish local events and information you send us. |
| Notification settings and alert keywords | To send the notifications you asked for. |
| Messages you send to support (with your email, display name, app version, and device type) | To answer you and fix problems. They're delivered to our support inbox by email. |
Information collected automatically
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Device location, only when you tap "Use my current location" and allow it | To suggest where your home is. We don't track your location in the background. |
| Push notification token | To deliver notifications to your phone. |
| Subscription status (from the App Store or Google Play, when paid plans launch) | To unlock paid features. We never receive your card number. |
| Basic technical data (app version, device type, error logs) | To fix problems and keep the service secure. |
| Advertising data (Free plan only, when ads are added) | To show ads. See section 4. |
We do not collect your contacts, photos, microphone, or browsing history.
2. How your location is protected
- Other users never see your home, your address, or your exact location.
- To decide whose circles overlap, our servers use your home rounded to an area of about 500 feet, so even someone who keeps shrinking their circle can't pinpoint your house.
- Your exact location is stored separately and used only by our servers.
- Searching an address in the app never reveals whether a CulDeChat member lives there.
3. How we use information
- To run CulDeChat: accounts, circles, feeds, messages, notifications, badges, and address verification.
- To keep people safe: preventing fake accounts and spam, reviewing reports, and enforcing our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
- To answer support messages.
- To provide subscriptions and, on the Free plan, ads (when added).
- To improve the app and fix problems.
- To meet legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information.
4. Who we share it with
Other users see only what you choose to share with your circle: your display name (or alias), badges, posts, comments, and messages. Never your location.
Service providers process data for us to run CulDeChat:
| Provider | What they do | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Hosting, database, sign-in | Account and app data |
| Google (Gmail) | Sending sign-in codes; delivering support messages to our inbox | Your email address; support messages |
| Google Firebase Cloud Messaging | Delivering notifications | Push token, notification content |
| OpenStreetMap | Map images and address search | Map areas viewed and addresses searched (sent from your device) |
| Porkbun | Forwarding email sent to support@culdechat.app | Emails you send us |
| Apple Push Notification service (when the iPhone app launches) | Delivering notifications | Push token, notification content |
| Google sign-in (and Apple sign-in, when added) | Sign-in, if you choose it | Name, email |
| Apple App Store, Google Play (when paid plans launch) | Subscriptions | Purchase status |
| Postcard printing service (when mailed verification is added) | Mailing verification postcards | Name, street address, code |
| Ad network (Free plan, when added) | Ads | We'll list the provider and data here before ads are added |
Legal reasons: we may share information if required by law, or to protect someone's safety.
Business changes: if CulDeChat is merged or sold, information may transfer under this policy.
5. How long we keep it
- While your account is open, we keep the information needed to run it.
- If you delete your account, we delete your profile, homes, posts, comments, messages, and settings right away (and from any backups within 30 days). Reports other people made about you are kept for safety, without your name attached.
- If an account was closed because the person is under 18, we keep only a one-way code made from the email address (not the address itself) so the same email can't sign up again.
- We may keep limited records longer when needed for safety (for example, records of accounts banned for abuse), fraud prevention, or legal requirements.
- Support emails stay in our support inbox for as long as needed to help you and keep a record of the conversation.
- Verification codes expire after about 30 days.
6. Your choices and rights
- Delete your account anytime in the app (Account → Delete my account) or by following the steps at culdechat.app/delete-account.
- Location permission: you can say no and place your home on the map instead.
- Private profile: hide your name from neighbors (they see an alias) and turn off messages. Or keep your name and just turn off messages.
- Block anyone; they won't see your posts or be able to message you.
- Notifications: turn them on or off in the app or your phone's settings.
- Access or correct your data: contact us at support@culdechat.app.
- Depending on where you live (for example California, Colorado, Virginia, or other US states), you may have rights to know, access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of your data, and to opt out of targeted advertising. We won't treat you differently for using them. Contact support@culdechat.app.
7. Children
CulDeChat is for people 18 and older. We check age at sign-up (and will use the age information Apple and Google provide, where available). We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has an account, contact us and we'll delete it.
8. Security
We use encryption in transit, access controls in our database so each piece of data is visible only to the people allowed to see it, and limited staff access. No system is perfectly secure; please contact us if you see a problem.
9. Where data is stored
Our servers are in the United States.
10. Changes
We'll post updates here and change the effective date. For significant changes, we'll notify you in the app.
11. Contact
Direct Innovations LLC · support@culdechat.app