Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how West Valley IRL ("West Valley IRL," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects information when you use the West Valley IRL mobile application, website, event check-in, member QR cards, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

2. Information we collect

• Account information: your email address and your acceptance of the current Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
• Profile information you choose to provide: name, role, company or project, city, biography, phone number, website, social links, what you are building, what you can help with, and what you are seeking.
• Event and connection activity: event check-ins, connection requests, responses, connection status, QR-card tokens, and timestamps associated with those activities.
• Authentication and security information: one-time-code records, hashed session tokens, device label, IP address used to request a code, and session timestamps. We do not store the one-time code in readable form.
• Communications: information you provide when contacting support or reporting a safety, privacy, or community concern.
• Community safety: blocked-member relationships, the member or content reported, report category, optional report details, event context, IP address, review status, and moderation actions.
• Android diagnostics: the Android barcode-scanning library may process app version, device model, operating-system version, available ML hardware, performance metrics, and a per-installation identifier for diagnostics and usage analytics. QR camera images and decoded results stay on the device.
• Event email list: name, email, registration and check-in history for our events, including attendee details imported from Eventbrite; email subscription choices, permission records, opt-outs, and announcement delivery status. Eventbrite registration alone is not treated as permission to receive marketing emails.
• Backup RSVP: if our ticketing provider is unavailable, the name and email you submit, the event selected, legal acknowledgments, optional future-event email choice, submission time, and a one-way security fingerprint derived from your IP address. We do not retain the readable IP address for this form.
• Partner inquiries: contact name, organization, work email, optional phone and website, partnership interests, approximate budget range, proposed attendee value, goals, legal acknowledgments, submission time, and a one-way security fingerprint derived from your IP address.

3. Device permissions and on-device scanning

The app requests camera access only when you choose to scan an event or member QR code. Camera images and decoded QR contents are processed on the device and are not uploaded or stored by West Valley IRL or Google. The Android app uses Google's ML Kit barcode-scanning library, which may send limited app, device, installation, and performance metrics to Google for diagnostics and usage analytics. The app uses the device's contact-creation interface only when you choose to save another member's approved details; it does not read or upload your address book.

4. How we use information

• Create and secure your account and deliver email sign-in codes.
• Display the current event and confirm event attendance.
• Show member profiles, operate the optional members-only directory, let checked-in attendees revisit their event’s attendee list, and manage connection requests.
• Create revocable QR member cards and contact files.
• Operate, protect, troubleshoot, and improve the Service; prevent abuse; and enforce our Terms.
• Respond to support, privacy, safety, and legal requests.
• Process member reports, apply blocks, investigate alleged violations, and protect event participants.
• Send manually reviewed invitations to future events when you opt in. Authorized organizers can manage the event email list. We do not use email-open tracking pixels; mail-server acceptance does not establish that you opened or received a message.
• Check whether the event registration page is reachable, operate the backup guest list, prevent automated submissions, and send essential information about an event for which you RSVP.
• Review and respond to partnership inquiries, assess event fit, plan potential activations, prevent automated submissions, and maintain related business communications.

5. How information is shared

Your profile is shared with other signed-in members only in the contexts you choose. People who checked into the same event may revisit that event’s attendee list after it ends. The member directory is optional and off by default; if you enable it, signed-in members can see your name, professional or creative profile, city, biography, current work, offers, needs, and links. Turning it off removes you from the directory immediately. You control separately whether your email address and phone number are private, visible to accepted connections, or public. People who receive an active QR-card link may view information permitted by those settings.

We may disclose information to hosting, database, and email-delivery providers that process information for us under confidentiality and data-protection obligations; when required by law or necessary to protect rights and safety; or as part of a business transaction subject to appropriate safeguards. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

6. Retention and deletion

We retain account and profile information while your account is active. Authentication, security, support, partner-inquiry, and related business communication records are retained only as long as reasonably necessary to respond, operate the Service, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations. Event and connection records are retained while needed to provide the Service and maintain community integrity.

You can permanently delete your account from the Me screen in the app. Account deletion removes your profile, active sessions, QR card, event check-ins, and connection records from the active database. Partner inquiries are separate business records and are not automatically removed by deleting an app account; you may contact us to request access, correction, or deletion. Limited information may remain temporarily in encrypted backups or be retained when required for security, dispute resolution, or law.

7. Your choices and rights

You may edit profile information, opt in to or out of the member directory, change email and phone visibility, rotate your QR card, decline connection requests, withdraw consent by deleting your account, or contact us to request access, correction, or deletion. Depending on where you live, you may have additional privacy rights. We will verify requests before acting on them.

Event email preferences

The optional email setting at sign-in lets you subscribe to future-event invitations. Every announcement includes a no-login unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing does not affect your app account or essential sign-in emails. Deleting your app account also stops future event announcements to that address. We retain limited suppression and consent records to honor opt-outs and prevent an Eventbrite re-import from silently subscribing you again. Contact us for access, correction, or deletion requests concerning event-list records.

8. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect information, including encrypted network transport and hashed authentication credentials. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's privacy

The Service is intended for adults age 18 and older and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Contact us if you believe a child has provided information so we can investigate and delete it as appropriate. Child-safety concerns are handled under our Child Safety Standards.

10. Changes

We may update this policy as the Service changes. We will post the revised policy with a new effective date and, when required, ask you to accept the updated version before continuing.

11. Contact

For privacy questions or requests, email hello@westvalleyirl.com.