Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: information you provide directly, information collected automatically when you use the app, and data derived from your use of our features. Some information is required; some is voluntary. We collect only the minimum data necessary to operate core features, ensure safety, and improve performance.
Information You Provide Directly
- Account data: Full name, email address, and date of birth at registration
- Phone number: Collected for identity verification, account security, and SMS communications
- Profile data: Profile photos, biographical details, interests, and preferences
- Scene content: Short-form videos, captions, and metadata you post as Scenes
- Messages: Content of in-app messages, unlocked only after a mutual match
- Date Requests: Content and metadata of meetup requests sent through the Date Request feature
- Verification images: Photos or video frames submitted during identity verification or liveness checks
- Support communications: Information you provide when contacting us or filing reports
Information Collected Automatically
- Location data: Precise geolocation with your permission, foreground only unless background access is explicitly granted
- Device data: Device model, OS version, unique identifiers, IP address, time zone, and language settings
- Usage data: Screens viewed, features used, interactions, session duration, and in-app actions
- Diagnostic data: Crash logs, error reports, and performance metrics
- Network data: Connection type and network information
Aggregated and De-Identified Data
We may create anonymous, de-identified, or aggregated datasets from your personal information. Once de-identified so that it cannot reasonably identify you, this data is no longer personal information under this Policy and may be used for any lawful business purpose including analytics, product improvement, and investor reporting.
How We Use Your Information
- Account creation and management: Register your account, authenticate your identity, and maintain your profile
- Core app features: Power the Map, Scenes feed, mutual match system, in-app messaging, and Date Request feature
- Ask Ark (AI concierge): Surface personalized Scenes, users, and events based on your location, interests, and behavior
- Safety and verification: Verify identity via liveness detection and photo-to-face matching
- Content moderation: Detect and remove prohibited content and enforce Community Guidelines
- Communications: Send account alerts, security notifications, product updates, and support responses
- Analytics and improvement: Understand user interactions and develop new features
- Legal compliance: Respond to lawful requests and comply with applicable law
- Fraud and abuse prevention: Detect unauthorized activity and protect user safety
- Business operations: Corporate planning, financial reporting, and investor due diligence
App Tracking & Advertising
Arkzphere does not track users across third-party apps or websites. We do not use personal data for targeted advertising. We do not sell or share data for advertising purposes.
We do not participate in cross-app tracking as defined by Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. If we ever implement any form of cross-app tracking in the future, we will request your explicit permission through Apple's ATT prompt before doing so, and we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.
Legal Bases for Processing
Where required by applicable law (including GDPR), we process your personal information based on: Contractual Necessity, Legitimate Interests, Legal Obligation, and Consent.
| Purpose | Legal Basis | Data Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Account creation, authentication, profile management | Contractual Necessity | Account data, profile data, device data |
| Map, Scenes feed, nearby user discovery | Contractual Necessity; Consent (location) | Location, profile data, Scene content |
| Mutual match system and in-app messaging | Contractual Necessity | Profile data, match decisions, messages |
| Date Request feature | Contractual Necessity | Match data, request content, timestamps |
| Ask Ark AI concierge and personalization | Legitimate Interests; Consent where required | Location, interests, usage behavior, profile data |
| Identity verification and liveness detection | Contractual Necessity; Legal Obligation | Verification images, face data, profile photo |
| Content moderation and platform safety | Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligation | Photos, videos, messages, usage data |
| Account notifications and communications | Contractual Necessity; Legitimate Interests | Email, phone number, push token |
| Analytics, diagnostics, and app improvement | Legitimate Interests | Usage data, crash logs, device data |
| Fraud prevention and abuse detection | Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligation | Account data, usage data, device data |
| Legal compliance and defense of claims | Legal Obligation; Legitimate Interests | Any relevant account or content data |
| Business transactions and investor due diligence | Legitimate Interests | Aggregated or de-identified data |
AI & Automated Systems
Ask Ark
Ask Ark is Arkzphere's AI-powered social concierge. It uses your location, profile data, expressed interests, and in-app behavior to surface personalized Scenes, nearby users, and events. Ask Ark is an assistive tool that provides guidance only — not authoritative direction. You should exercise your own independent judgment before acting on any suggestion. Ask Ark does not make decisions with significant legal or similarly meaningful effects based solely on automated processing.
Content Moderation
Photos and videos may be automatically analyzed to detect prohibited content per our Community Guidelines. Flagged content may be reviewed by trained human moderators under confidentiality obligations. We do not use your photos, videos, or personal content to train external or internal AI models.
No Consequential Automated Decision-Making
Arkzphere does not engage in automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on users without human review. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Arkzphere is not liable for losses or outcomes arising from reliance on AI-generated suggestions.
Biometric & Face Data
Important: The collection and processing of face data described in this section may constitute the collection of biometric information under applicable state laws, including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (CUBI), and similar statutes. We process this data strictly for identity verification and platform safety — never for commercial purposes.
What We Collect and Why
At signup and when you change your profile photo, Arkzphere uses liveness detection to verify you are a real person, and photo-to-face matching to confirm your submitted photo corresponds to you. This may involve the collection and analysis of facial geometry data from images or video frames you submit.
How We Use and Store It
- Purpose: Identity verification and platform safety only — never for advertising or any unrelated commercial purpose
- Retention: Verification images and face data deleted within 30 days of the verification event, unless required for legal compliance or fraud investigation
- Third parties: Processed by our verification technology provider under strict contractual data protection terms
- No model training: Your face data is never used to train AI or machine learning models
- No sale: We do not sell, lease, trade, or otherwise profit from biometric data
By submitting photos or video during verification, you consent to the collection and processing of face data as described. Users in jurisdictions with biometric privacy laws may contact jacksonagreene@icloud.com to exercise applicable rights.
Location Data
- Collection: Precise geolocation collected in the foreground only, unless you explicitly grant background location permission
- What others see: Your exact coordinates are never displayed to other users — only general proximity is shown
- Date Requests: Only the location you explicitly include in a Date Request is shared with the matched user. Your live device location is never transmitted through this feature
- Storage: Real-time location powers the Map and is not permanently logged beyond what is necessary for the feature
- Control: Revoke location permission at any time in device Settings. Revoking disables the Map, nearby Scenes, and event discovery
- No sale: We do not sell, license, or share your precise location data with data brokers, advertisers, or third parties for commercial purposes
How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We share personal information only in the circumstances described below.
Service Providers
- Google Firebase / Firestore: Authentication, real-time database, and cloud backend infrastructure
- Cloudinary: Photo and video storage, processing, and delivery
- Railway: Backend server hosting and deployment infrastructure
- Apple (iOS): App distribution, push notification delivery, and in-app infrastructure
Each provider is permitted to use your data only to perform services on our behalf and is bound by contractual data protection obligations. This list will be updated as new providers are added.
Arc Partners and Event Organizers
Arc Partners who host events through Arkzphere may independently collect and process personal information about attendees as separate data controllers. When you RSVP or attend an event, your RSVP status and public profile may be shared with the Arc Partner solely for event management. Arkzphere is not responsible for the data practices of Arc Partners acting as independent controllers.
Other Users
Your profile, Scenes, and public activity are visible to other registered users. Your exact location is never displayed to other users. Messages and Date Requests are visible only to the intended recipient.
Business Transactions
We may disclose or transfer personal information in connection with financing rounds, mergers, acquisitions, or other business transactions. We share only the minimum information necessary and require any successor entity to honor this Privacy Policy.
Legal Compliance
We may disclose personal information to law enforcement or courts when necessary to comply with applicable law, protect user safety, investigate fraud, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
SMS & Communications Data
- SMS opt-in data: We do not share your SMS opt-in status, consent records, or phone number with third parties for their own marketing or advertising purposes
- SMS providers: We may share your phone number with carriers and messaging vendors solely to deliver SMS on our behalf
- Opt-out: Reply STOP to any SMS message or email jacksonagreene@icloud.com to opt out of non-essential communications
- Do Not Track: Our app does not currently respond to DNT signals. If we implement DNT support in the future, we will update this Policy
Your Rights & Choices
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights. Contact jacksonagreene@icloud.com to exercise any right.
Request a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format.
Update or correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
Request deletion of your account and personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
Ask us to limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.
Apple Requirement: You can delete your account directly inside the Arkzphere app at any time via Settings → Account → Delete Account.
We respond to verified requests within 45 days. To appeal a declined request, email us with the subject line "Privacy Request Appeal." Accounts inactive for 2 years will be automatically closed.
State-Specific Rights (United States)
Residents of the following states have additional privacy rights under applicable state law, including the right to appeal denied requests to their state attorney general:
Contact jacksonagreene@icloud.com with your state of residence and the subject line "State Privacy Rights Appeal."
Washington and Nevada residents: certain health-related data collected through our verification features may be subject to additional protections under applicable consumer health data privacy laws.
California Privacy Rights
California residents have specific rights under the CCPA as amended by the CPRA, and the California "Shine the Light" law.
- No sale: We do not sell your personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising
- Right to Know: Request categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, purposes, and third-party sharing
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information, subject to certain exceptions
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Opt Out: Opt out of sale or sharing of personal information (we do not currently sell or share for advertising)
- Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising CCPA rights
- Authorized Agents: You may designate an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf
To submit a CCPA request, email jacksonagreene@icloud.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request."
Notice to European Users
This section applies to individuals in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Arkzphere, Inc. is the data controller responsible for your personal information.
We process personal data of European users on the legal bases set out in Section 04. EEA users can find their supervisory authority at edpb.europa.eu. UK users can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk.
We do not yet have an appointed EU/UK GDPR representative or Data Protection Officer. EU and UK users may contact us directly at jacksonagreene@icloud.com to exercise data rights.
International Data Transfers
Arkzphere is headquartered in the United States. If you access the app from outside the U.S., your personal information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate.
Where required by applicable law including GDPR, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission. Contact jacksonagreene@icloud.com to request a copy of applicable transfer safeguards.
Data Retention
Children's Privacy
Arkzphere is intended exclusively for users 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or maintain personal information from any person under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact jacksonagreene@icloud.com immediately. We use identity verification and liveness detection at signup in part to confirm that users are real adults.
Security
Arkzphere implements reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information, including encryption of data in transit (TLS), secure cloud infrastructure, role-based access controls, and regular security monitoring. No security system is impenetrable. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy at any time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days advance notice via in-app notification and/or email. Your continued use of Arkzphere after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. Previous versions are available upon request at jacksonagreene@icloud.com.
Contact Us
Arkzphere, Inc.
Privacy: jacksonagreene@icloud.com
Legal: jacksonagreene@icloud.com
New York, NY, United States
We aim to respond to all verified privacy requests within 45 days.