Privacy Policy
Last updated September 11, 2026
something based is currently in private testing. This policy describes what the app actually does today, and will be updated as the app changes and before any public launch.
1. Who we are
something based ("we," "us") operates the something based mobile application. You can reach us at benjamin.houck801@gmail.com with any privacy question or request.
2. What we collect, and why
| Data | Source | Why | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name, email, profile photo | Google Sign-In (openid email profile — no restricted scope) |
Account identity | Until account deletion |
| Birth date | You enter it, once, at first app launch and again if you sign in | Age eligibility (13+ to use the app; 18+ for nearby-discovery features) | Until account deletion; cannot be edited once set |
| Precise location | Only when you tap "I'm out and free" (foreground GPS, one reading) | Showing you people nearby, and showing others you're nearby (subject to your visibility setting) | Auto-deleted after 3 hours; a daily job removes anything older than 1 day regardless |
| Calendar busy/free times | Google Calendar, calendar.freebusy scope only — never event titles, descriptions, locations, or attendees |
Suggesting when you and your contacts are both free | Rows older than 1 day past their end time are deleted daily |
| Your contacts, temporarily | Only when you tap "Find friends from contacts" (device address book, or Google Contacts if granted) | Checking which of your contacts already use the app | Emails are one-way hashed on your device before being sent; raw contact data is never uploaded or stored |
| Bluetooth proximity signal (opt-in, off by default) | Only if you enable it in Settings, and only while the app is open | Checking whether an already-connected friend who also has this on is physically nearby right now | Deleted the moment you turn it off, and auto-deleted after 1 day regardless |
| Contact names & phone numbers, for the "plan with a friend" picker | Device address book, read locally when you open that picker | Letting you text anyone in your phone a suggested time | Never uploaded — stays entirely on your device |
| "Did you hang out?" answer | You tap Yes/No a few hours after texting someone through the planner | Personal record shown back to you, not shared | Stored only on your device |
| Bio, interests, visibility setting | You enter it | Shown to other users per your visibility setting; used to suggest people with shared interests | Until you change or delete it |
| Blocks you make | You tap "Block" | Prevents that person from appearing to you again, and hides your visibility from them | Kept indefinitely (safety); you can unblock at any time |
| Reports you file | You tap "Report" | Trust & safety review | 2 years from the date filed |
| Match suggestions | Generated by our matching logic from the data above | Shown to you as suggested people to meet | Regenerated periodically; not kept once replaced |
| Audit log (blocks, visibility changes, account deletion) | Generated automatically | Security investigations, abuse prevention, and demonstrating compliance with deletion requests | Kept indefinitely |
What we do not collect: email content, text/SMS/iMessage content or metadata, notification content from any app, browsing or search history from any provider, or continuous/background location or Bluetooth scanning (both only ever run in the single, opt-in, foreground moments described above).
3. Who we share data with
We do not sell personal data and do not use behavioral or surveillance advertising. Data is shared only with:
- Google — as your OAuth identity provider and, if you grant it, Calendar freebusy access.
- Supabase, Inc. — our database and authentication infrastructure, hosted in the United States.
- Other something based users, but only what you've explicitly made visible: your name/avatar (per your visibility setting), your approximate distance (rounded to 100m — never your exact location) if you're checked in and they're nearby, and your free/busy windows if you choose to plan something with a contact.
4. International data transfers
Our infrastructure is hosted in the United States. If you use something based from outside the US, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States.
5. Your rights
- Access & export: the app has a self-service "Export my data" button (Settings) that returns everything described above as a single file.
- Deletion: "Delete my account" (Settings) permanently removes your account and cascades through every data type listed above. This is irreversible.
- Correction: bio, interests, and visibility are directly editable in Settings. Name/email/avatar come from Google and update automatically on re-sign-in. Birth date is locked after it's first set, to preserve age-verification integrity — contact us if you need it corrected.
- California (CCPA/CPRA) and equivalent state rights: right to know, delete, correct, and opt out of sale/sharing. something based does not sell or share personal information within the meaning of the CCPA/CPRA.
6. Children's privacy
something based requires everyone to confirm they are at least 13 years old before using any part of the app. The nearby-discovery and stranger-matching features require confirming you are 18 or older, enforced both in the app and at the database level. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
7. Security
- Row-level security enforced at the database layer, not just in the app.
- Precise coordinates of other users are never transmitted to your device — only a distance rounded to 100 meters.
- Rate limiting on location-adjacent queries and on filing reports.
- Encryption in transit and at rest, via our hosting provider's platform defaults.
8. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app changes. If we make a material change, we'll notify you in the app or by email before it takes effect.