Privacy Policy

This policy applies to personal information we process about members, prospective members, and individuals who contact us (for example, through support inquiries).

This policy does not apply to third-party websites or social platforms you may visit through links, or to places you choose for in-person meetings arranged through Grounds. Those parties have their own privacy practices.

We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Service, and limited technical information from your device.

• Account information: name, email address, password (stored as a cryptographic hash), and email verification status.
• Profile information: photos, biographical details, interests, conversation preferences, career or school details you choose to share, availability windows, meeting preferences, and linked social profile URLs used for verification.
• Location information: city, neighborhood or meet-area preferences, optional map coordinates, and travel radius you select in settings.
• Matching and meeting information: weekly draw status, accept/pass decisions, reveal activity, and post-meeting feedback.
• Communications: emails we send you, and messages you send to us (including support inquiries).
• Reliability signals: cancellation counts, no-show feedback, and an internal reliability score derived from your activity on the Service.
• Technical data: session identifiers, authentication tokens, approximate usage timestamps (such as last active time), IP address, browser or device type, and server logs used for security and debugging.

We use personal information to:

• Create and secure your account, verify your email, and authenticate you.
• Operate onboarding, human profile review, and eligibility for matching.
• Run our matching process and deliver weekly introductions.
• Reveal limited profile information to another member only according to our mutual-reveal rules.
• Deliver match reveals and help members reach each other via shared contact links.
• Send transactional emails about draws, intros, and account activity.
• Maintain trust and safety, investigate abuse, and enforce our Terms of Service.
• Improve the Service, debug issues, and understand aggregate usage patterns.
• Respond to your requests and communicate about support matters.
• Comply with law and protect the rights, safety, and property of Grounds, our members, and others.

Where applicable law requires a legal basis, we rely on: (a) performance of our contract with you when providing the Service; (b) our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving Grounds, including fraud prevention and trust-and-safety review, balanced against your rights; (c) your consent where required, such as for certain optional communications or location features on your device; and (d) compliance with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as described below.

• Matched members: We share limited profile information with the one member you are matched with for that week. Social links on your profile (Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook) are shared at reveal unless you opt out in settings. Email and phone are never shared.
• Service providers: We use vendors that help us host the Service, store data, send email, and operate infrastructure (for example, cloud hosting, database providers, and email delivery). They may access information only to perform services for us and under contractual confidentiality obligations.
• Legal and safety: We may disclose information if required by law, legal process, or governmental request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect rights, safety, and security.
• Business transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, personal information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to continued protections.

Profile photos are stored on our systems and reviewed by our team during verification. They are not displayed on a public member directory.

Social links you provide may be reviewed by our team to confirm authenticity. We do not post to your social accounts on your behalf.

Do not upload images or information you do not have the right to share.

We use essential cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, protect the Service, and remember necessary session state.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies on the member experience described in this policy. If we add analytics or optional cookies in the future, we will update this policy and provide choices where required.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling essential cookies may prevent you from using parts of the Service.

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service, comply with law, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must retain limited records for legal, security, or fraud-prevention purposes.

Server logs and backup copies may persist for a limited time before being overwritten.

We use administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information, including password hashing, access controls, and encrypted connections in transit.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to certain processing of your personal information, and to receive a portable copy of information you provided.

You can update much of your profile and preferences in account settings. You can delete your account in settings where available, which requires password confirmation.

You may opt out of non-essential marketing emails if we send them. Transactional messages about matches, security, and account activity are part of the Service.

To exercise privacy rights, contact [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Grounds is not directed to anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact [email protected] and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

Grounds is operated from Canada. Your information may be processed in Canada and in other countries where we or our service providers operate (for example, cloud hosting providers that may process data in the United States).

Those countries may have data protection laws different from those in your jurisdiction. Where required, we take steps designed to protect personal information transferred across borders.

If you contact us about the Service, we collect the information you submit (such as name, email, and message) to evaluate and respond to your inquiry.

We use that information to respond and do not enroll you in the weekly draw unless you separately create a member account.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through the Service, by email, or by other reasonable means before the changes take effect.

Your continued use after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes acceptance, to the extent permitted by law.

Privacy questions and requests: [email protected]

General legal matters: [email protected]