Privacy Policy

Speakeazy (“Speakeazy,” “we,” “us”) operates the Speakeazy iOS application and the website at speakeazysocial.com (together, the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect about you, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

1. Who we are

Speakeazy is operated from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. If you have questions about this policy or want to exercise your privacy rights, email privacy@speakeazysocial.com.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Account information

When you sign up, we collect:

• Email address and, for sign-in via Apple or Google, the identity token issued by those providers (which includes your email and a stable user identifier).
• Display name and profile photo — from your sign-in provider or from what you upload.
• Date of birth — collected during onboarding to confirm you meet the minimum age requirement.

2.2 Verification information

• Phone number — verified via a one-time SMS code sent through Twilio. We store the verified number; we do not store the SMS contents.
• Government ID and selfie — if you complete optional ID verification, we use Persona to check a government-issued ID against a live selfie. Persona holds the ID document and biometric data; we only receive a pass/fail signal and a Persona inquiry ID.

2.3 Location

• Approximate location — used to rank venues near you on the Discover screen.
• Precise location — used, only while the app is in use, to determine whether you are inside a venue's 100-meter geofence.
• Background location — if you opt in, we use background location to notify you when you cross the geofence of a venue that has an active chat. You can revoke this at any time in iOS Settings; the app continues to work in the foreground.

We do not maintain a location history for you. Geofence entries are used at the moment they occur and are not retained as a trail.

2.4 Content you post

• Chat messages in venue chatrooms and direct messages.
• Photos and videos you share into chats.
• Ratings, reactions, and badges you give or receive.
• Reports you submit against other users or content.

2.5 Device and technical data

• Device model, iOS version, and app version.
• Push notification token (if you allow notifications).
• IP address (collected transiently by our infrastructure provider, Cloudflare, for security and abuse prevention).
• Diagnostic and crash logs, without personally identifying content.

2.6 What we do not collect

• We do not use advertising SDKs.
• We do not track you across other apps or websites.
• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

2.6 Venue owner information

If you claim a venue at business.speakeazysocial.com, we additionally collect:

• Your name, email address and role at the business, so we know who is responsible for the listing.
• A record of the verification — which venue, when, by text or call, how many codes were sent, and a masked form of the venue's phone number (e.g. “(617) ***-**42”). The code itself is generated and checked by Twilio; we never see it, and we do not store the message contents.
• Anything you publish about the venue — your description, hours, website, phone and photo. These are public in the app, by design.
• Payment records for any promotion you buy. Payments are processed by Stripe; we receive the amount, the date and a Stripe identifier, and never your card number.

The verification code goes to the venue's own publicly listed business phone number, not to a number you type in — that is what makes it proof of control. Those messages are transactional only: we never send marketing to a venue's number, message frequency varies because a message is only sent when someone requests a code, message and data rates may apply, and replying STOP opts that number out of all further messages.

3. How we use your information

We use the information above to:

• Create and secure your account and keep you signed in.
• Determine which venue chatrooms you are inside and can post to.
• Verify you are a real person of eligible age (via phone and, optionally, ID verification).
• Deliver push notifications you have opted into.
• Compute your Real Deal Points, tier, and badges based on activity you take in the app.
• Respond to reports, enforce our Community Guidelines, and remove abusive content or users.
• Debug crashes, monitor for security incidents, and improve the app.
• Comply with legal obligations.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal information (a) to perform our contract with you (running the Service and providing you an account); (b) to comply with legal obligations, including age verification; (c) with your consent for specific uses such as background location and push notifications; and (d) for our legitimate interests in preventing fraud, abuse, and underage use, balanced against your interests and rights.

5. Who we share information with

We share personal information only with the service providers listed below, and only for the purposes described. These providers are bound by contracts limiting their use of the data.

We may also disclose information (i) to comply with a valid legal process such as a subpoena or court order; (ii) to protect the safety of a user or the public; or (iii) as part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case you will be notified before your information becomes subject to a different policy.

6. How long we keep your information

• Venue chat messages: deleted 24 hours after they are posted.
• Direct messages: retained until either party deletes them or deletes their account.
• Photos and videos: venue-chat media is deleted with the 24-hour message purge; profile media is retained until you delete your account.
• Account data (email, name, verification status): retained until you delete your account.
• Reports and moderation records: retained for up to 12 months after resolution to enforce repeat-offender rules.
• Diagnostic logs: retained for up to 30 days.

7. Your rights and choices

7.1 Delete your account

You can permanently delete your account from Settings → Delete account in the app. Deletion removes your profile, verification records, photos, and login credentials. Messages you have sent remain visible in chats but attributed to a deleted user (this is necessary to preserve the coherence of conversations you were part of). Deletion is processed within 30 days.

7.2 Access, correction, and portability

You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct inaccurate information, by emailing privacy@speakeazysocial.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding.

7.3 Push notifications and location

You can turn push notifications and location permissions on or off at any time in iOS Settings. Turning off location will prevent the app from placing you inside venue geofences, which is core functionality.

7.4 California residents (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate data, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of their personal information. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA. To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@speakeazysocial.com.

7.5 Users outside the United States

Speakeazy is currently offered only in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may have different data protection laws than your jurisdiction.

8. Age requirement

Speakeazy is intended for people 17 years of age or older. Some venues (such as bars serving alcohol) additionally require you to complete ID verification confirming you are 21+ before you can post. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 17. If you believe a user is under 17, report the account in-app or email us and we will investigate.

9. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data: HTTPS everywhere, encrypted database and object storage on Cloudflare, secure token storage in iOS Keychain, and signed identity tokens for sign-in. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top and, for material changes, notify you in-app or by email. Your continued use of the Service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

11. Contact us

Privacy questions, deletion requests, and law-enforcement inquiries: privacy@speakeazysocial.com.