Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective July 10, 2026
Gatherings is an in-person social app: people physically near each other discover and join real-world gatherings, with music as the connective layer. This policy explains what we collect, why, and the controls you have. Gatherings is operated by Deciten, Toronto, Canada (“we”, “us”). Questions: privacy@gatheringsapp.com.
The short version
- You are invisible by default. Ghost Mode is the default for every account; nobody sees you unless you choose otherwise.
- Gathering content disappears. Thoughts and posts you share in a gathering are automatically deleted within 24 hours.
- Location stays on your terms. We use your precise location only while you're using the app. There is no background tracking.
- We don't sell your personal information, and we don't show ads.
What we collect
Account information. When you sign in with Google or Apple: your name, email address, and a user ID. You can use “Hide My Email” with Sign in with Apple.
Location. Precise location, in the foreground only, to show nearby gatherings on the discovery map and to detect when you enter or leave a gathering's area. We do not collect location when the app is closed or backgrounded.
Content you share. Thoughts, posts, and photos you share inside a gathering. This content is ephemeral: it is automatically deleted within 24 hours of posting, and content tied to a gathering you leave is removed after a short grace period.
Music taste (optional). If you connect a music account (such as Spotify or Apple Music) or set your taste manually, we read listening metadata — artists, genres, energy — to build your vibe profile and match you with gatherings. We never see your login credentials for those services, and we never control what plays on your device.
Technical data. Device model, OS version, crash reports (scrubbed of personal data before they leave your device), and anonymized usage analytics that are not linked to your identity.
Visibility tiers and Ghost Mode
Every account starts in Ghost Mode: you can browse, join, and participate without appearing to other attendees. You may opt in to higher visibility — Local (visible within a gathering you've joined) or Global (visible on your profile beyond a gathering) — and you can change tiers at any time. Data from Ghost Mode users is excluded from analytics at the point of ingestion, not filtered afterwards.
How we use your information
To run the service (show gatherings near you, let you join and post); to match your vibe with gatherings' music profiles; to keep the community safe (automated and human moderation of reported content); and to send you essential service communications. We do not use your personal information for advertising.
Sharing
We do not sell personal information. We share data only with:
- Infrastructure providers — Google Cloud / Firebase (hosting, authentication, configuration) and Sentry (crash reporting, scrubbed of personal data), each processing data on our behalf.
- Venues and organizers — aggregated, anonymized insights only (for example, overall energy of a gathering). These reports use k-anonymity thresholds, never include Ghost Mode users, and never identify individuals.
- Authorities — if required by law, and only to the extent required.
Retention and deletion
- Gathering content: deleted automatically within 24 hours of posting.
- Leaving a gathering: your content in it is removed after a short grace period.
- Account deletion: erases your profile, content, music taste profile, and social connections across all our systems — including encrypted event archives, via key destruction. Deletion completes within 30 days.
- You can request a machine-readable export of your data before deleting.
Your rights
Depending on where you live — PIPEDA (Canada), GDPR (EEA/UK), CCPA/CPRA (California) — you have the right to access, export, correct, and delete your personal information, and to withdraw consent. Exercise any of these in the app (Profile → Settings) or by emailing privacy@gatheringsapp.com. We respond within 30 days. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority.
Security
All data is encrypted in transit. Personal data inside our internal event streams is additionally encrypted per user, so erasure is enforceable even in archives. Access to production systems is role-restricted and audit-logged.
Age
Gatherings is for people 16 and older. Specific events may have stricter age policies enforced at the venue. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16; if you believe we have, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes
We'll post any changes here and update the date above. Material changes will be announced in the app before they take effect.
Contact: privacy@gatheringsapp.com · Deciten, Toronto, Canada